Human ingenuity is a wonderful thing. When your Ford Ranger's 2.3-liter four-cylinder craps out, go to Harbor Freight—not for tools—but for a $150 212cc Predator two-stroke engine. Problem largely solved. Best engine swap in history.
This video has been floating around the internet for a few years now, but it's recently regained traction on Instagram, and we couldn't help but write about it. The truck's owner decided to fix his problematic Ford with what is effectively a go-kart engine, one with just 6.5 horsepower. Somehow that's actually enough to move this old truck.
The owner is clearly a talented mechanic, converting the whole front end to be forward-hinged, and mating the Predator engine with a go-kart clutch, a chain drive, and a four-speed transmission from a different Ranger. He also made a custom aluminum dash with a spot for the pull-start rope, toggles, and the original Ranger speedometer. There's also a racing steering wheel on a new column and bucket seats. Why not?
It makes an incredible racket, and it has one of the greatest qualities in a vehicle—an extremely high noise-to-speed ratio. Lots of noise, not much speed. Hitting 25 miles per hour is a challenge, though honestly, that's more than I figured it could do. I'm impressed that 6.5 horsepower is enough to move it at all, let alone to double-digit speeds.
In the video, the owner said he was planning to install a larger kart engine. That might make it a bit more usable. Maybe now, it's out there, cruising at 30.
