One more 2wd 98 coil spring 5.0 swap.

[Jbrown1238]

You are like a ninja mechanic. Such beautiful work. Much props!

Well, I don't know about being a "Ninja mechanic", I am just trying to sort it out as I move forward. But thank you for the vote of confidence and the kind words.

 

[RangerSVT]

I see it now. On mine I lifted the driver side as I removed the engine crossmember on mine and ran a 3/8 x 3" flat bar across the bottom of the frame, so I needed to lift my motor, but having a 3" body lift also helped with clearance, if any. Lifting the engine also gets the oil pan out of obstacles for us 4x4 guys. I can see lowering would be effective for the 2wd guys, but now I wonder how it would affect different brand headers with clearance??


SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

From what I understand the only headers that will fit are the Torque Monster and the obsolete Ford Racing set. I have seen a few members that raised the engine a little bit so they could use a more common header combo but those examples were all running a carb set up and I wasn't sure if the OEM EFI would clear on the 2wd coil spring version.

File photo.

 

[Jbrown1238]

I cut the excess material off the engine plates and also “clearanced” the inside section of the left side plate where it interfered with the engine block. After the adjustments the plates where test fitted and painted flat black.

 

[Jbrown1238]

As the engine assembly date grows closer I am still adding last minute items to the build list. Christmas was good and many of these items were dropped at the front door by Santa over the past week.

Clevite Assembly Lube

Clevite 77 rod bearings, CB-634 P Standard size

Clevite 77 main bearings, MS-590 P Standard size

ARP flywheel bolts

Ford Racing timing chain set

Fel Pro valve cover gaskets

Fel Pro oil pan gasket

 

[Jbrown1238]

I picked up the crankshaft from the machine shop after being polished. Once a few quick photos of the finished work were collected I took a couple measurements with a micrometer to verify everything was still within spec. 2.248" main journals and 2.123" rod journals.

After that the crankshaft was cleaned and lightly oiled then bagged and stored away alongside the heads and intake.

 

[RangerSVT]

Depending on how long it sits, its good practice to bolt the flexplate/flywheel to the crank for upright storage. Leaning or laying the crank down with time can offset the balance. Looking good otherwise...


SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

Depending on how long it sits, its good practice to bolt the flexplate/flywheel to the crank for upright storage. Leaning or laying the crank down with time can offset the balance. Looking good otherwise...


SVT

Yes, I read that a while ago after the crank sat for a little bit lying down on its side. I had it checked while it was in for polishing to make sure it still spun true. Since then I have been careful to make sure it does sit vertical. I am going to have it balanced with the rest of the rotating assembly very soon. Thank you for the heads up about the flywheel. I never heard that before but it makes sense.

 

[RangerSVT]

It's better to use an old flexplate if you have one, so the good one doesn't get bent. If your using a flywheel, it doesn't matter old or new. Wrap them both in the bag and your good to go...

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

It's better to use an old flexplate if you have one, so the good one doesn't get bent. If your using a flywheel, it doesn't matter old or new. Wrap them both in the bag and your good to go...

SVT

Thanks again. I am going to take your advise and bolt it to the flywheel then put it inside a large bag.

 

[Jbrown1238]

The block is now at the machine shop going through the paces. First step is a run through the thermal cleaning process. File photos.

Now out of the oven and ready for the next step.

Then the block was rotated inside a blast cabinet while being hit with steel shot to clean off the ash and any excess material.

Next step is a .030 overbore, bringing the old Explorer 5.0 block up to 306 cubic inches.

Last step is a final hone to bring the bore diameter and bore finish up to perfectly match the diameter of the oversized Silvolite pistons.

 

[Jbrown1238]

This "swap" keeps changing as I move forward. Now I am looking for a second truck, a 98, 99, or 00, Reg cab, 2wd coil spring, 4 cyl, 5 spd, step side just like the one pictured earlier. Now the plan is to do a frame off restoration before the motor goes in. My media blaster quoted me $150.00 to do the frame with no suspension attached. I thought that was a good price. I really can't complete the work I would like with a daily driver. It will require a vehicle that can be disassembled and reassembled over time.

I will pick the block up on Tuesday and I hope to locate and purchase a second truck by April 1, 2013. The engine should be fully assembled by then and just waiting for the frame and body to be completed. If all goes well I hope to have the body and frame back together by July 1, 2013.

Exterior color is another thing that has changed since the start of this thread. Since the body and frame will be separated a color change isn’t that much of a concern. Right now I am looking at 2003 Ford code CX, Dark Shadow Gray. I always thought it looked good on my 03 Cobra and would like to see the Ranger done the same.

 

[dangerranger83]

I also heard that you can hang the crankshaft up by one end and that will help keep it from sagging too.

 

[Jbrown1238]

The machine shop took a few extra days finishing up the work on my 5.0 block. They called to let me know it would be ready at 4:00pm today. I picked it up, got it home early this evening, lightly oiled the machined surfaces, and managed to collect a few photos. It is currently located inside my house next to the crank, intake, and heads.

 

[Jbrown1238]

I did some minor clean up on the block today and double checked to make sure I covered all the machined surfaces with a good light coat of oil the other night. It was late when I got it home and rushed through the process a bit quicker than I would have liked. After that I went ahead and painted the exterior black and moved it back inside the house where it will be measured once again just to verify the machine work is accurate.

This is one of my personal favorites. It shows my new 306 block along with a photo of my first V8 Ranger leaving work under throttle.

New Clevite cam bearings installed.