Ford Duratec All Aluminum V6 Swap for RWD?

[MaicoDoug]

I'm always considering options and this forum is hot with everyone's already selected candidates, but namely interested in the possibility of saving weight over the front axle, and now that the Duratec's are well on the way to the aluminum recycler, question is: is this a decent idea? Will a Mustang 3.7L give the torque & HP that the iron 4.0L will do? And what sort of weight savings can actually be had? I'm guessing that there is enough aftermarket ECM's to cover what interface their may be to the rest of the truck for fuel injection, ignition, & basic engine management. Adaptor bell housings for my 5R55E transmission I've heard are available. Thanks for your expert advice in advance.

 

[19Walt93]

The Duratech V6 is a great engine but I think the width of it will make a swap difficiult. I've driven 3.7 Mustangs and thought they lacked low end torque so they might not make a great truck engine. The Vulcan 3.0 worked great in Tauruses, Tempos and Probes but was underwhelming in Rangers.

 

[MaicoDoug]

Hello Walt, thanks for the report. I thought they were more of a mid range motor with the 4 valves per cylinder.

I do appreciate my 4'0 L don't get me wrong, but I'm always attempting to consider what other options are out there. This would be for a 4x4, so the more low end power the better. I need to study that engine better, maybe in a stroked configuration, with a bottom end cam, but the port velocity would need to be lowered, and some of us may or may not already know Ford did much investigation with ultrasonic flow testing with their "SWIRL" program, or so I understood.

I will attempt to develop an approximation of weight reduction and post.

 

[Snoranger]

@bobbywalter Youve voiced you opinion on this engine a few times already.

 

[MaicoDoug]

3.7L Cyclone V6 (all aluminum).... 375 pounds
4.0L "Ranger" V6 (all Iron)............... 500 pounds

125 pounds savings approximately

 

[19Walt93]

I ordered a new 99 Taurus with a Duratec 3.0 that I really liked. It would shift 1-2 at 6000 rpms at WOT and sounded great doing it. We drove it 46,000 miles, gave it to our daughter who drove it to 192,000 mile, then I sold it to one of my techs who drove it 2 more years before trading it for a Mustang. Other than being bulky Duratech V6's are great. When I retired in 2017 we had never had one fail or even had to take one apart. I still don't think they'd make a good truck engine unless you can squeeze in a 3.5 Ecoboost.

 

[rubydist]

The 2nd gen Duratec 3.0 with VVT was 240 or 250 hp depending on application and 231 lb-ft of torque.

The 4.0 SOHC was 207 hp with 254 lb-ft of torque.

In the truck applications, the torque is far more important than the hp.

 

[MaicoDoug]

Exactly, some of those rock crawler dudes modify their engines for some sort of "off idle" BIG available torque power band. A few hundred rpms lower than stock. The exact blocks & mods I'd have to look for, but it was more than an ignition adjustment. They put some $$ in that mod. I think it was something that Dave Chappelle had done. I know that a roots supercharger can bring the bottom up quickly.

I realize that 125 pounds weight savings is nothing more than having some tools in the cab and a winch. What compels me when I completely realize something about having any weight savings at all, is how actually satisfied I should be with that iron 4.0L V6 at all. Bench fab'ing I think we call it. Let me look into some of those rock crawler mods where the 600-700 rpm is employed. I thought that this was very interesting. I'll post what I find here.

 

[bobbywalter]

the n/a cyclone is the most slept on engine in the ford arsenal....

it is a monster. i adore them.

if you push air through them they will frighten most people.

they are built to take boost. just not boosted. that is why n/a they can spin to the moon.

problem is ..... may as well be a big block

they are wide.

there are quite a few swapped though. the 6r80 and 10r transmissions love them as they were engineered to work together.

we have or have had them in edges and explorers and trucks. they blow off most N/A stuff with ease. they are very receptive to just tuning.... but unreal with boost.

there is a guy on the forum with a coyote swap who has friends that deal with these.