One more 2wd 98 coil spring 5.0 swap.

[Jbrown1238]

Great work, wonder if that would apply to us unit bearing guys, then I'd only need the brackets. Are the caliper brackets OEM?

SVT

Yes, the caliper brackets are OEM Cobra but the spindle brackets are custom pieces.

 

[Jbrown1238]

Very interested in hearing of the total cost of the front brakes. Sweet setup you've got going there!

I'd though about carving the OEM style brakes into hubs and using custom bracket adapters but that's way way outside my skill/tool set.

As an FYI, I'm not to far from Largo and have a Ford NGS if you want/need to lock the ABS solenoids open to bleed the brakes. You're welcome to borrow it.

Thank you. Give me a couple days to add it up and I will let you know what it cost.

I know what you mean, this type of craftsmanship is way above my pay grade.

Thanks for the offer. When the time comes I may take you up on that.

 

[Jbrown1238]

After a few days of patiently waiting I arrived home from work to find the custom hubs and brackets had been delivered to my door by USPS. Here are a few photos of the raw pieces just as they arrived.









Over the past few weeks while the hubs and brackets were being cut I was trying to locate the other brake components required to finish off the front assembly. I purchased a new set of 13 inch rotors from the local auto chain.



I hated to paint the new rotors but realized it was necessary so they would not rust. I located the swept area on the rotors and cleaned and painted the surface not touched by the pads. I decided to spray the front and rear rotors to match and thought the OEM grey color would be the best choice as opposed to flat black. There is so much black in these two areas that a little contrast is needed.

Just as a side note, my wife's Corning glass pie dish is the exact diameter of the pad swept area and made this job pretty straight forward.



During this time I have also been watching for a new set of 2003 Cobra front calipers. I found a few sets but I was a little hesitant to spend the $425.00-$495.00 they were selling for. I looked at a few “used” sets for a little less then that but to be honest it wasn’t much less. That is when I stumbled across a brand new set of Baer Racing, Shelby CSX 6000 Signature Series front calipers. The price was right so I pulled the eBay trigger! These are the exact same design as the Mustang Cobra calipers except for a modified appearance.





A quick color change and they are ready to go! Gloss Black with DSG lettering.







I wasn’t sure about the Shelby inscription on the caliper at first but then remembered how I had always been a big fan of the 1965 GT 350 as well as the 427 Cobra. In fact my first V8 Ranger wore those famous colors for several years (1997-2002). I took it as a sign and put my mind at ease about the inscription.







Well, I blew through this month’s parts budget and will need to wait a few weeks before the new wheels and suspension pieces can be ordered. For now I guess it is back to wiring the engine!

Oh, wait a minute! Today is the last day of the month. Tomorrow starts a new month with a new parts budget! : )

 

[RangerSVT]

Yes, the caliper brackets are OEM Cobra but the spindle brackets are custom pieces.

Hmm, thinking...........thinking...........


SVT

 

[RangerSVT]

Btw, I was looking over your radiator again after thinking it didnt look right. The one you pictured is not the V8 radiator (dual core), you have the single row...

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

Btw, I was looking over your radiator again after thinking it didnt look right. The one you pictured is not the V8 radiator (dual core), you have the single row...

SVT

It was the one Advance Auto Parts gave me for the 2001 5.0 Explorer. Are you sure it is incorrect? I moved the engine forward about an inch and tucked the fan inside the shroud. The engine is slid forward all the way on the Strada engine plates and everything lines up nice. I sure hope I don't have to start over with another radiator.

Do you have photos of the dual core?

I am thinking that if it is incorrect the dual core should use the same components except for the core. I still have plenty of room in the center in front of the fan.

 

[Jbrown1238]

You are correct, it is a single core. I just pulled it up on the Advance Auto website. It is the only one they offer as a direct replacement.

 

[RangerSVT]

Taken from my sport trac swap page...

SVT

 

[RangerSVT]

I can take a better pic/installed pic for you later today if you'd like. I don't think you will have cooling issues with the single, but you will have fitment issues with the shroud, the single row shroud is different, and follows the flow of the single core. I can post pics of this later today, I have all 3 combinations in my shop...

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

I can take a better pic/installed pic for you later today if you'd like. I don't think you will have cooling issues with the single, but you will have fitment issues with the shroud, the single row shroud is different, and follows the flow of the single core. I can post pics of this later today, I have all 3 combinations in my shop...

SVT

The shroud I ordered is for a 5.0 Explorer. It fit very nice with this radiator. If you are able post some photos of the two shrouds and what they look like installed. Thanks again for all your help.

 

[RangerSVT]

V8 dual core rad with V8 shroud (my sport trac)....

Single core rad with single core shroud (V6 setup)...

Dual core rad with V6 dual core shroud. Notice the extended fan coverage towards the motor compared to the V8 shroud...

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

I am still working through the wiring but nearing the end at least as far as the engine compartment goes. I have connected just about everything I could easily identify and all that was obvious. The remaining items will require a little research with the EVTM, viewing the photos I took of the truck during disassembly, and going through the collection of 5.0 Explorer engine photos I have accumulated over the years.

I went ahead and mocked up some of the remaining engine bay items trying to get a better idea of how everything fits together. The available space is starting to run low and clearances are getting tight in a few spots. The entire package fits like it was designed for this space. I still can’t believe Ford didn’t produce/market these as OEM pieces. Almost everything is off the shelf hardware.

















I also moved the engine forward so the fan moved into the correct position inside the fan shroud. The upper radiator hose now sits very close to the shroud as it should.



Everything I read advised me to set the engine as far back as possible to free up space for the front accessories. I guess that is intended for people who may use more aftermarket/performance pieces in the swap. I tried to use as many factory pieces as possible and I had the opposite problem. Not much space to the back but more than enough up front. My engine now sits all the way forward on the Strada engine plates.

I have two female plugs with no counterparts (center of photo). I have not yet researched it but maybe some of you can jump in and give me an idea what these go to. I have a feeling one is a duplicate from merging the two harnesses. Oh well, I will get the EVTM’s out and run it down.



It is really begging for the front suspension and wheels!!!

 

[Jbrown1238]

V8 dual core rad with V8 shroud (my sport trac)....


Single core rad with single core shroud (V6 setup)...


Dual core rad with V6 dual core shroud. Notice the extended fan coverage towards the motor compared to the V8 shroud...


SVT

Thank you for the photos. I can see what is happening. I do have a single core radiator from Advance Auto Parts but it is built on the frame of a dual core radiator. It has the same dimensions of the dual core on the tanks, top, and bottom but not the core itself. My new V8 shroud looks to be the same V8 shroud you have. I can tell the difference compared to the V6 shroud you have in the photo. On a side note, your V6 shroud doesn't look anything like the V6 shroud that came out of my truck. My V6 shroud is identical to your V8 shroud except mine says 3.0L on the top.

 

[RangerSVT]

The rads are the same external dimensions with the same tanks, just single and dual row. All 3 of my shrouds are from gen2 explorers, with the single row being an 01 sport trac. There are 2 different V6 shrouds, the single row and dual row. If you look closely, the contours of the shroud around the tank are deeper on the single row than it is on the dual row. The single row won't fit the dual row, however the dual row shroud will fit the single row rad, just not as tight of a fit...

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

The rads are the same external dimensions with the same tanks, just single and dual row. All 3 of my shrouds are from gen2 explorers, with the single row being an 01 sport trac. There are 2 different V6 shrouds, the single row and dual row. If you look closely, the contours of the shroud around the tank are deeper on the single row than it is on the dual row. The single row won't fit the dual row, however the dual row shroud will fit the single row rad, just not as tight of a fit...

SVT

I did notice that. It looks like I could fill a couple spots around the edge of the seem between the two pieces if I needed to. I would like to have a very close fit if possible to assist with cooling.