Welp I had a 2004 ranger in mint condition with some suspension upgrades and 20k miles but that got totaled by a huge chevy running a stop sign.

Picked up a low mileage rust free '93 2.3l Manual Trans ranger for under 5k a bit ago, and its a DOG. Just unbelievably slow. I know the factory cast bottom end does not like boost, and I'm not trying to do a full blown build, so question is, what mods might be good for adding SOMETHING.
I've been thinking about a cam, maybe an axle swap or different rear gears, and of course the cobbled together intake and exhaust. I just don't know the efficiency of these, and also when it comes to cams I do not know what to look for. Any ideas or info would be greatly appreciated!

 

Welcome to the forum

Do a V8 swap

2.3l SOHC Lima engine never had a good power to weight ratio, even with turbo, it weighs 450lbs!!!, same as most V8s, lol
Ran 100HP without turbo
170HP with

302 V8 with carb starts at 190HP, easy/cheap to put it at 250HP

If you want pointers on updating 2.3l SOHC Lima go to Mustang sites, 2.3l was used in 1974-1993 Mustangs, and those guys love to try stuff for speed, lol

Also here: https://esslingeracing.com/
These guys know, literally, ALL there is to know about making a 2.3l SOHC Lima GO FAST