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lil_Blue_Ford
Well-Known Member
Forum Moderator
V8 Engine Swap
TRS 20th Anniversary
TRS Event Participant
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2007
- Messages
- 7,139
- Reaction score
- 3,927
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Butler, PA, USSA
- Vehicle Year
- 95
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 4.9L
- Transmission
- Manual
So I’m going to start a thread here to try and detail the swap and to ask questions. This isn’t my first swap, I did a 00 Ranger and 99 Mountaineer swap with my dad a few years back, which proved to be quite easy, just a couple minor adjustments, like 5 wires spliced and the hardest part was getting PATS programmed. I was the mechanic and dad was the help on that job.
Well, I’ve always wanted one of my own so here we are, my transmission gave up in my Ranger and the motor is tired. I was given what was supposed to be a 99 Explorer, Eddie Bauer with a 5.0. Turned out to be a build date of 5/97 though. It will fire over with a shot of starting fluid but the fuel pump appears to be done in.
I’m intending to change the axles over, it has 3.73ls axles which I think should work well since the motor should turn those pretty good even running 31s. I haven’t decided if I should try to keep it spring under or if I should flip the perches. I’m not really intending to lift the truck, it’s mostly going to be a street toy/sleeper. The ABS block I was intending to swap over since if I remember right, the valving is different for the disk brake rear, but I can already see there is a major wiring difference between them. Not sure how to handle that yet.
My original intent was to rebuild the 5.0 as a 331 stroker, but it’s not in the budget at the moment nor do I really have the time. That said, I am open to ideas of less expensive and intensive ideas to give her a little boost until such time that I can get a motor built for it.
I also need to figure out how much of an issue it’s going to be with the VSS since it’s supposed to be different and what to do about the difference in fuel systems.
That all said, I have noticed something interesting with this Explorer. The ignition cylinder looks identical to the PATS cylinder and the key I got is the non-chip key, the spare type for a PATS key. I also get a chime when the key is out of the ignition and the door is open which makes me wonder if somehow it was a PATS system and somebody bypassed the chip key. Not sure what to look for with that other than dragging my laptop to it and see what Forscan says.
Well, I’ve always wanted one of my own so here we are, my transmission gave up in my Ranger and the motor is tired. I was given what was supposed to be a 99 Explorer, Eddie Bauer with a 5.0. Turned out to be a build date of 5/97 though. It will fire over with a shot of starting fluid but the fuel pump appears to be done in.
I’m intending to change the axles over, it has 3.73ls axles which I think should work well since the motor should turn those pretty good even running 31s. I haven’t decided if I should try to keep it spring under or if I should flip the perches. I’m not really intending to lift the truck, it’s mostly going to be a street toy/sleeper. The ABS block I was intending to swap over since if I remember right, the valving is different for the disk brake rear, but I can already see there is a major wiring difference between them. Not sure how to handle that yet.
My original intent was to rebuild the 5.0 as a 331 stroker, but it’s not in the budget at the moment nor do I really have the time. That said, I am open to ideas of less expensive and intensive ideas to give her a little boost until such time that I can get a motor built for it.
I also need to figure out how much of an issue it’s going to be with the VSS since it’s supposed to be different and what to do about the difference in fuel systems.
That all said, I have noticed something interesting with this Explorer. The ignition cylinder looks identical to the PATS cylinder and the key I got is the non-chip key, the spare type for a PATS key. I also get a chime when the key is out of the ignition and the door is open which makes me wonder if somehow it was a PATS system and somebody bypassed the chip key. Not sure what to look for with that other than dragging my laptop to it and see what Forscan says.
