4.6L V8 Crown Vic Swap?

[BlackBII]

Thanks for being honest lol. This is the deal with the starters and flywheels.
I had the first flywheel be replaced by a shop. It was Under warranty for one year. The new starter has a 3 year warranty. So I only paid for one flywheel and one starter. The starter is out of alignment and not engaging the flywheel correctly. Don't ask me why besides that i think the housing it bolts to is tweaked.

I had the exact same problem on my old 85 BII, it's like the mounitng holes are off by 1/8 of an inch...I went through god knows how many starters and ring gears....

I eventually fixed the problem though, my starter was too far away from the flywheel, making the teeth on the bendix and the teeth on my flywheel not like up perfectly, I niggarigged a few washers on one side of both the bolts between the belhousing and the starter, cocking it one way about a 1/8 of an inch, and it worked untill I blew the 2.8 in a GIANT mud hole!

 

[281Ranger]

I know of one guy that has put a 4.6 sohc into a pre-'98 RBV 2WD and it required moving the steering box to the outside of the frame. You'll have to build headers. I'm not sure how many more problems you'll run into being yours is a 4x4. You'll also have to look at things like the fuel system and guages to see if they would need to be changed also.

My honest opinion...go with a 5.0. You'll save yourself a whole bunch of work.

 

[nate12346]

Where can I get a low mile 5.0 EFI with complete wiring for around $2000? Here in CO Springs they are almost impossible to get a hold of and for that cheep. The crown vics on the other had are everywhere. Either way I would have to do a lot of small mods ie. headers and steering.

 

[TeamExploder]

try and find a rolled over/wrecked explorer/moutainer like at a junkyard, I think those motors are rated at 210 HP but you can do a good bit of mods to those motors and increase your HP. Or I guess a full size bronco or f-150.

 

[281Ranger]

Where can I get a low mile 5.0 EFI with complete wiring for around $2000? Here in CO Springs they are almost impossible to get a hold of and for that cheep. The crown vics on the other had are everywhere. Either way I would have to do a lot of small mods ie. headers and steering.

Harris Truck Parts (1-800-441-5839) in Colorado Springs has a few Explorer/Mountaineer 5.0s, ranging from 89K to 109K miles, for $695.37 each. This would leave you with $1300 for the trans/tc of your choice plus any wiring you'd need. I use www.car-part.com to search salvage yards nationwide.

Your '88 B2 has an EEC-IV computor system and the newer Crown Vics and V8 Explorers are EEC-V. From what I've read the 5.0 Mustang harnesses work pretty good with the RBV vehicles. You can get complete '89-'93 Mustang harnesses on eBay for cheap. This would allow you to use your current guages and fuel system.

Hope this helps.

 

[nate12346]

OK so back to the 4.6L. Would it be practical to buy a crown vic, drive it around till i can get a F-150 5 Speed and T-case, then Swap everything in from the crown vic including every wire down to the in-cab light so i just have to plug in to the computer?

Wouldnt the 5.0 be just about the same?
Find the 5.0 that has under 70k miles on it Get a 5 speed out of a mustang...I have no clue what transfer case bolts to the 5 speed other than the very expensive Atlas II. Replace all the wireing and computer from the 5.0

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

OK so back to the 4.6L. Would it be practical to buy a crown vic, drive it around till i can get a F-150 5 Speed and T-case, then Swap everything in from the crown vic including every wire down to the in-cab light so i just have to plug in to the computer?

Wouldnt the 5.0 be just about the same?
Find the 5.0 that has under 70k miles on it Get a 5 speed out of a mustang...I have no clue what transfer case bolts to the 5 speed other than the very expensive Atlas II. Replace all the wireing and computer from the 5.0

The 5.0 is alot smaller and compact.

Don't stress yourself out too much looking for a intercepter 4.6, they are pretty much the same as any other 4.6, and they have a pretty hard life.

 

[nate12346]

The 5.0 is alot smaller and compact.

Don't stress yourself out too much looking for a intercepter 4.6, they are pretty much the same as any other 4.6, and they have a pretty hard life.

Lol The only reason Im stickin with the Crown Vic P71 Is because they are dirt cheap. The average price for just a 4.6 at an auto salvage is around $2000. I just found a year 2000 retired P71 with a brand new engine dropped in with 0 miles for $2500 obo.

 

[281Ranger]

OK so back to the 4.6L. Would it be practical to buy a crown vic, drive it around till i can get a F-150 5 Speed and T-case, then Swap everything in from the crown vic including every wire down to the in-cab light so i just have to plug in to the computer?

Wouldnt the 5.0 be just about the same?
Find the 5.0 that has under 70k miles on it Get a 5 speed out of a mustang...I have no clue what transfer case bolts to the 5 speed other than the very expensive Atlas II. Replace all the wireing and computer from the 5.0

I'm not trying to talk you out of doing a 4.6 swap, I'd love to see more of them, but I don't think it'll be as easy as you think.

The 4.6 and 5.0 swaps are the same in the pre-'98 Rangers/B2s, except that with the 4.6 you have to relocate the steering box to the outside of the frame, build a new steering shaft, make motor mounts, build headers, you lose the AC, redo the fuel system, disable or intagrate PATS, and who knows what you'll run into with the front axle and driveshaft. You'll also have to use a computer from a MT vehicle (unless you decide on an AT), which might not be compatable with the Vic's wiring.

I'm not trying to be negative here, these are thing you'll have to consider before you start.

Check out http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2574985 . The guy put a 4.6 into an '85 Ranger 2WD. He has a write-up on it over at RPS.

 

[nate12346]

Hey thanks! I completely understand where your coming from and understand your not trying to turn me away. I actually found a great deal on a 4.0 with incredibly low miles and perfect compression with the wiring harness for 350 bucks! I always love the sound of a turbo spooling up and the nice PSHHHH when I shift (my last car was a 99' VW Passat twin turbo)....Catch my drift lol?