Surely, @sneakypete , you can find a redneck boy that could find a runner-driver motor for that thing and stuff it in there for you... I dunno about where you are, but them rangers/broncos are a dime a dozen up in here. I know where there's two of them motors right now, and the bone yard probably has 5 more.
The one I would pick is known good from a friend of mine. Still in the rig, and I can hear it run. He wants 900 for it, and he'll pull it out. Now, I would do the R&R myself, but my other buddy is out of work and needs to make rent, and I know dang well I could throw another grand at him to do the R&R and it would be done.
That's 2, maybe 2500 and the old ranger is hummin down the road again. It's a bit to throw into an old rig like that... But it beats the heck outta going 10s of thousands in the hole... 
@roamer1
Thanks,but having to take a taxi to my cancer doc appointment a few days ago,and then having to hire a rollback to haul my Ranger 30+ miles to my house "pulled the trigger" for me.
I bought a new 4 cylinder Toyota Camry today. It was the ONLY new car or truck on the dealer lot,and they told me they had more coming in "around 18 days from now".
Went to the Nissan dealer,the Honda dealer,and the Ford dealer first,and not a single one of them had any new vehicles in stock. The Honda guy told me "We are supposed to have 22 new cars coming this month,but they are already sold."
Same thing with the Nissan dealer and the Ford dealer.
Hell,I went to the Toyota dealer today to buy a white Toyota extended cab pu with the 4 cylinder engine they had on their web site last night,but damned if somebody didn't buy it last night before closing time.
The white Camry was literally the only new car on their lot,but if it hadn't been white,I wouldn't have bought it. I have no interest in washing and waxing cars every few days.
With the 8 speed auto trans and 200 HP,that little 4 cylinder engine has stoopid power,and gets 32 MPG.
Best of all,for the next 3 years,if it breaks on me,I get a loaner car to drive until it is fixed,and it will be fixed under warranty.
Too old and too crippled to be dealing with that crap anymore. If I ever get good enough to spin any wrenches again,it will be to get my antique cars running and driving so I can sell them.
Pretty happy with it so far,and I see the payments as just another way of "doing business". Probably won't live long enough to pay it off,so I look at it as a long-term rental that has the rent paid once a month.
