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

 

[4pointslow]

Have you tried smashing the gas pedal down on the street? Does it pull with all four? Any wheel spin?
How long have you had the electric transfer case in?

 

[delexploder]

I have and do smoke the 31s often, as a matter of fact i have to be careful taking off from a stop, also i forgot to mention i kept the brown wire mod from before the V8 swap, its mounted in the cosole next to a small amp

 

[delexploder]

Oh ive had the e-shift case in for months now , just got back elite status this week lol

 

[delexploder]

I'd say ive got at least a couple thousand hard miles on it

 

[4pointslow]

Well, welcome back! Good to hear from you.
Congratulations on getting that transfercase in too!

 

[vroomzoomboom]

Yes, once its up there its not that bad, i believe ahodges is running this settup in his four door, the shift motor is three inches thick , most of it is kinda above the tank , and other than that its all the same as the manual 4406

right. i keep forgetting andy did that (and i have seen he's truck twice lol). ive never really crawled under his truck neither, i have only seen a few cell phone pics of it when i have talked to him

 

[delexploder]

getting ready to start working on vader again,

 

[delexploder]

And this

 

[delexploder]

Spiders and clutches should be here tomorrow, gonna swap out the e-shift 4406 for a manual one and i have a fresh 30,000 mile front diff and all the manual hub stuff and the V8 torsion bars , good times ahead

 

[CDW6212R]

Very cool, I missed your thread from years ago and didn't post/subscribe in it. I hope you're enjoying that truck as you get closer to what you wanted.

 

[delexploder]

Its slow progress and my paint and body are rough at this point but i plan to keep going with it , i hope to do rocker panels and paint next year, and maybe some cubes and forced induction later this year

 

[vroomzoomboom]

Its slow progress and my paint and body are rough at this point but i plan to keep going with it , i hope to do rocker panels and paint next year, and maybe some cubes and forced induction later this year

im sure you know this but they do sell rockers for 2 doors. cubes and forced induction eh? there are days when i just wished i never went as far as i did......that is until i wack the loud peddle....

 

[delexploder]

I'm looking at going a slightly different route for the cubes , but will be trying to copy your setup with an M112 , i had heard LMC had 2door rockers now , im not looking forward to that job at all

 

[delexploder]

got a little work done on vader last night , replaced my weeping radiator , the original one with almost 300,000 mi, swapped the plastic fan out for the metal one , changed the oil , cleaned the tb and maf , i hope to have the front dif swapped with all the new halfshafts and Whatnots for the manual hubs , and im working on getting the manual 4406 ready to swap out with the e-shift 4406 i have in there now , once thats all done its time to go to my friends shop to do the rear and the four door leafs

 

[delexploder]

Just got done welding two t-case skid plates together like turtle did to make it strong enough to act as a mount to help support the 4406 , im using spacers to step it down from the frame and a large rubber freeze plug ,the kind with the stud sticking out , ill use that with a nut to bolt it to the skid plate so the rubber acts as a reasting point for the case

 

[CDW6212R]

I hope that works, but I think it's way past time to get Brian to make us some special trans cross members for the 4R70W's.

 

[boominXplorer]

I hope that works, but I think it's way past time to get Brian to make us some special trans cross members for the 4R70W's.

Definitely hate the factory trans mount. As soon as you install an even low stage shift kit, they go to crap quick. EXPECIALLY aftermarket factory mounts. I had good success doing a bushing style mount on my old mountaineer. I need to make one on my ranger. Since my Torson bars are gone I can get a little more creative in chopping the factory mount out

 

[CDW6212R]

Definitely hate the factory trans mount. As soon as you install an even low stage shift kit, they go to crap quick. EXPECIALLY aftermarket factory mounts. I had good success doing a bushing style mount on my old mountaineer. I need to make one on my ranger. Since my Torson bars are gone I can get a little more creative in chopping the factory mount out

I saw a trans mount laying on the ground at the JY a few months ago. That gave me the idea to send one to Brian, but I didn't have time that day to grab it and buy it. The mount isn't a simple straight across unit, it angles slightly forward/rearward from each side of the truck. That's why I think it'd be best to give him one to work with. Then he would just need to know how high to create the pad for an aftermarket trans mount. I hope to be working on the BW4406 this Summer, one of my first to do items.

 

[delexploder]

got the swap done today ,

 

[delexploder]

Not quite sure what i did to the e-shift 4406 but its toast, i wanted to swap in the manual one almost immediately after i put the e-shift in