My lil issue

Okay so a buddy of mine recently totalled his ranger... And he wants it to live on by putting the drivetrain into my b2000 so... A little back story on the motor and trans it has a FI 2.9 and a 5 speed 4wd trans my truck is 2wd and so could I use the 4wd trans or no and Is this swap worth the work? I have the whole truck at my disposal so wiring shouldn't be to big of an issue... I think the ranger is a 89 maybe early 90s anyhow thanks ahead of time for any replys

In my opinion that isn't worth the work, your Mazda can be more reliable.

the 2.9 is ok. my bro had one in his bronco 2. the top end rattled all the time even after a rebuild with new lifters. the rocker arms are adjustable but it will still tap. the other downside is that when they overheat the heads crack easily and will warp. you can make them good and with a few mods. as far as the 4WD goes the mounts on the b2k and the 4WD frame are worlds apart. if you had a 4WD b26 it might not be a problem. but if you wish to keep it 2WD, just change the housing on the rear of the trans. the 2.9 is similar to a 3.0. if your dead set on using the engine and drive train i would suggest using a solid front axle and the rear axle from a toyota. either way will involve a lot of fab work. you can also find a solid front axle for that ranger that matches the rear axle. the drive shaft will have to be modified. Not trying to shoot you down. alot of good things come from people who try different stuff. when i swaped a 3.0 v6 and automatic in my b22 i had alot of naysayers. but i get twice the HP with the same fuel mileage. the most expensive part of the build was getting the driveshaft rebuilt