5.0

[Kevin Palmer]

I do not know your emission laws where you are located, but you better take a good look at them before investing MUCH time and money.



I say this because,,,, if you do not or can not pass the emission laws you will not be able to get plates on the vehicle.



No plates means no driving...

 

[Chad Merry]

Check out this thread from the another explorer site.

 

[Dan Long]

SporTRACING, the 4.0 swap back would be basically the same.



Coastiejoe, that is a good point. I believe the most common requirement is that the motor be the same year or newer than the vehicle its going into. Most also require all original emissions equipment be in place. Here in Florida, we have no checks, so I wasn't worried about it.



Chad, good link. I've been a member over there for years, but never saw that one. Not really detailed, but he did the swap in about 2 weeks. If you notice the dates, it was right around Christmas time also, so who knows how much time he really devoted everyday though.



I had forgotten that the brake booster needed to be changed also, and he mentioned that the power steering cooler was different. No biggie, with a donor truck, both are at your disposal. The other concern was the A/C. Best bet would be to have the system evacuated and disconnect the lines. I was going to attempt to not do this, and try to reuse the 4.0 compressor, but I'm not sure it was going to work out.

 

[Kyle Keller]

alright thanks for everyone that posted a response you guys have been a big help. i need to check in on the emissions btw coastiejoe im in the metro atlanta area. im going to do some more research and keep looking for good donor vehicles. i looked on ebay and i saw a totaled 2000 mountaineer for only $250 so thats a good start. if i do plan on doing this i will update you guys thanks a ton.

 

[Dan Long]

One other thing I forgot about, you're best off with a 99-01 Explorer, not a 98-01. The 1998 still used a fuel return line, but the 99-01 uses a returnless system like our ST does. That will save you some more hassle.

 

[Johnny O]

I read once either here or at ExplorerForum.com that a 2001 Trac is the best candidate for a 5.0 swap so that the computer, dash electronics, PATS key and all that stuff works with less hassle.

 

[blksn8k]

On a somewhat related subject I did a V-8 Ranger swap way back in 1990. I installed a 5.0 from a 79 Mustang into an 83 Ranger. It was a 2-wheel drive truck and the swap went really easy once I had all the right parts. I think I did it in about two weekends. It took much longer to find the parts. I bought most of them from Total Performance in Michigan. This was not the same company that does street rod parts, just the same name. I don't know if they even exist anymore. It was run by John Vermeersch, a former Ford engineer.

After they saw how easy it was to do and how well the truck ran several of my buddies did the same swap. One of them still has his truck, an 85 short bed 4x2 with a Ford Racing 351W crate motor. It is tubbed, has a rollcage and custom paint and interior. Nasty little truck. It's for sale if anyone is interested. I think he was asking less than 15K. It took 1st place in the car show in the modified truck division at the Ford Motorsport Nats at Maplegrove, PA the first time out.