Fixing Ford's 2.9: The Solid Lifter Conversion

1988 Ford Ranger Stx 4x4 2.9l V6 5 speed

I picked up this 1988 Ranger Stx 4x4 to use as a winter truck back in January of 2011 after finding it tucked away behind a small dealership. It had 260,000 miles and a misfire but I picked it up cheap, drove it home, and proceeded to tear it apart.

New Toy! Carter Trail Buster Go kart

At home in the barn

After coming back from a recent adventure I decided that my life needed a little more fun. A weekend in Atlanta and a visit to Andretti Karting led to gokarts. simple, easy to work on, and silly fun, I decided a gokart might just be what I needed. I started watching craigslist and ebay, eventually finding a decent looking off-road kart that was listed as ready to go. I called the owner and he gave me the details: 8 horsepower, new tubes in the tires, just had a tune-up. a 45 minute drive later I was climbing into the seat of something I barely fit in while the 8hp briggs chugged behind me. A short romp around his yard and I was grinning ear to ear.

Sold!