I have an 86 dodge aries wagon that I recently bought. I use it for gambling (gambler 500) it is a tough little car and I run the crap out of it. However it does not have enough power, It has a hard time pulling hills above 35mph. It also sits to low for all the gravel roads I take. My question is 1)has anyone ever swapped motors in their aries, is so what did you put it in. 2) have you lifted it at all, how. 3) has anyone put theirs on a frame? I'm thinking about trying to put it on a ford ranger frame.

 

What engine does it have in it now??

Where do you live??

It looks like you are having WAY too much fun there. I wanna play too.

 

It has a 2.5 in it now, i just did a tune up last weekend all new plugs, wires, cap, rotter the works didnt help much.

i live in Missouri, as you may be able to tell i did it up to look like the family Truckster from Lampoon's Vacation. That picture is from the Missouri Gambler 500. its a blast im sure you can find a gambler in your area there is one in almost every state now.

I bought my Aries for the purpose of using it on Gamblers, Unfortunately it sits a little to low and i hit a rock and now have a power steering leak which is why i want to lift it a bit. i want to do an engine swap to give me some more power. i have been playing with the idea of putting it on a 4X4 ranger Frame as well.

 

2.5 turbo might be just what you need. I wouldn't expect that you could just add the turbo to your existing motor though..... likely some differences in compression ratio, and cam profile between the two. Not sure how easy to find they are any more either...... Would be cheaper (maybe) than trying to put a frame under it though. Although, putting a frame under it would have the potential for adding four wheel drive, and a wide variety of engine choices.

 

you need a truck

 

2.5L Turbo swap would be your best/easiest option for more power.
As far as lifting: Spring spacers on top/under the rear springs will get the rear lifted. As for the front, you should be able to run Caravan/Voyager struts for some lift, or make strut spacers to mount between the strut and the body.
I used spacers and blocks to lift my van.