delexploder's "Vader" 97 v8 sport

Thought id go ahead and finally get this going now that my rig is functional, I started out with my 97 4.0 sohc sport. I bought it in 05 from its original owner with I think around 183,000 miles, I drove it and did small upgrades like autodimming rear view, new pioneer speakers, Monroe coil overs, 99 front bumper and fear hatch, I also did the usual maintainance like upper and lower balljoints ( motorcraft) swaybar links and bushings ( energy suspension) rebuilt rear, tranny rebuild, ect...then I finally started getting the death rattle from the sohc timing parts around 240,000 miles so i started gathering parts for my v8 swap, do not do what I did if you want to do this swap! Get a whole donner vehical, so it was at this point that I came here and that's when i learned (with the help of alot of members) about PATS, anyway that made me rethink and redo most of my work and replace alot of parts , I just finally got it on the road after swapping out the tranny, so now I feel like I can post my elite registry ,I still have a long way to go to get it where I want but i now think im at a good starting point

 

[CDW6212R]

Congrats on the manual TC install. Will you be taking the TOD version apart to see what's up inside? I hope to get to finding a spare sometime and going through it to see what it takes to build them. Those are getting harder to find in reasonable shape.

 

[4pointslow]

Looks good!
Now you are fully in control of your 4wd!

 

[delexploder]

Yea ill probably tear into it over the winter to see what happened , next is the front dif swap for the low mileage unit i have and the new halfshafts bearings and manual hubs, then ill visit my friend with my pile of rear parts for a full rebuild and the four door leafs

 

[delexploder]

new problem ....od off light is flashing!

 

[4pointslow]

Oh NO!
When that happens to me it is the transmission blowing up.
Twice it was a valve body problem and twice it was the transmission self destructing.

 

[boominXplorer]

Check your transmission bulk connector. When you put the manual shifter in you must move this plug over for the shifter linkage to clear. You might have some chafed wiring.

 

[CDW6212R]

Del's got a V8 though, the trans may still be usable depending on what it is.

Pull the codes and see what it says. What kind of servicing has the 4R70W had? Has it only had fluid/filter changes? It may be wearing out, or possibly just needs some new small parts(solenoids/accumulators, VB upgrades).

 

[boominXplorer]

Yeah the 4r70ws are beasts. I willing to bet it's a wiring issue. Expecially since all has been well up until the manual shift case install. You have to completely move the harness to get the shifter to clear and I bet the issue is in there.

 

[CDW6212R]

Good thought, the wiring is fragile and that harness is large and tight in there. I hope that's it.

 

[delexploder]

I'm not having any problems with the tranny though , im kinda suspecting i may have knocked something loose on the tranny when i was bolting up the t-case shifter , or maybe the tps , i just cleaned the throttle body and maf also

 

[delexploder]

so i wiggled all the connections and it went away lol

 

[CDW6212R]

Excellent, easy repair.

 

[delexploder]

Just a little update , swapped out my rear with a much lower mileage unit , still gonna rebuild it and add the new cover probably in the fall , while doing that i swapped in a set of four door leafs , new shackles , and new energy suspension sway bar bushings , next week when my new front lower control arms get here ill be replacing everything in the front , 30,000 mile front diff i found , V8 torsion bars , new halfshafts ,bearings , AVM manual hubs , new energy suspension sway bar bushings , everything , should really freashen up the ride

 

[Turdle]

Good work! That is a lot to accomplish. Glad to read the trans issue went away. i get nervous moving and messing with that trans harness for the t case swap. One bolt should hold , but you never know. If I have issues I need to remember this thread, and to check that first.

 

[CDW6212R]

Just a little update , swapped out my rear with a much lower mileage unit , still gonna rebuild it and add the new cover probably in the fall , while doing that i swapped in a set of four door leafs , new shackles , and new energy suspension sway bar bushings , next week when my new front lower control arms get here ill be replacing everything in the front , 30,000 mile front diff i found , V8 torsion bars , new halfshafts ,bearings , AVM manual hubs , new energy suspension sway bar bushings , everything , should really freashen up the ride

That sounds like a fun time, enjoy working with all of those new parts.

When you did the rear, did you swap in a V8 rear, with the two extra strut bars? I wonder because I also plan to swap rears for my 99 truck(V6), when I build a 306 for it. I'm planning to swap the rear of my Mercury into it, but not the gears.

 

[delexploder]

No i didnt , the rear i used is a low miles 4:10 from a wrecked xlt , im pretty happy with the feel right now

 

[CDW6212R]

I see you were mainly after the gears and mileage. Mine are all high mileage, but for the stronger V8's I want that link to help with axle wrap from a stop. I haven't looked at how those attach at the frame(front leaf mount).

 

[delexploder]

just another update , been riding on the new front lower control arms and torsion bars for a few weeks , its settled in at two inches higher , now its level with the rear , also got the manual hub swap all done at the same time ,

 

[delexploder]

well its with a sad heart i have to report this thread will be coming to an end soon ..... but it doesn't mean an end to Vader , bought a 01 sport trac today , ill pic it up this weekend , lots of swapping to come

 

[vroomzoomboom]

Ooooh! Every time I have bought a trac (I buy and sell explorers, rangers and sport tracks to support my explorer habit), they've been black and grey (have had 3 of them). And every time I so badly wanted to keep it and clone our late mod johnrock's truck