03 fliptrac $700 daily driver (summer of fun with 4 sport tracs)

[Josh P]

I was wondering if it was salvageable. Dang! Y'all are fast on the extraction.

You looking for a motor to build?

 

[410Fortune]

I have a bunch of sohc engines sitting here, sure they can be fixed up....new head gaskets, new timing, new new new new

I would rather turn them into coffee tables, can get $500-1000 each for engine block coffee tables!

 

[allmyEXes]

@Josh P Me? The Wife's 2002 Ex Sport trac has a 200k 4.0 SOHC that I'm going to do the upper end refurb to. So I'm good..
Later, it will get a 5.0 when a good '97 pre "P" head 5.0 crosses my path...

 

[donalds]

My 4.0 must be a unicorn.
Or I'm just lucky

 

[sandsprayer]

My thought is you have Sport Trac fever, and the only prescription is more Sport Trac.
Gotta go! Ted Nugent "Sport Trac Fever" is coming up on the Juke

 

[410Fortune]

Plenty of sohc engines last a long long time
We have a couple of them on the property
I fix them often
But this was my first and only “own one”
I’m spoiled a little bit

Stupid sohc starter access!!! Also the stupid huge weight they installed on the sport trac front diff mount sucks ass
I’m winning
/rant

 

[oklagp1200r]

Exactly a 03 trac w 235k miles
Looks clean no rust no dents

But 235k miles on factory 4.0 and trans
Worth about $1500-2500 max and good luck selling it with that, somebody would buy it and maybe go one summer maybe a whole year.

Instead now it will be getting a low mile v8 conversion with lots of little upgrades along the way
Now it’s worth $8500-12000 and I can trust it on long trips.. will likely outlast me and because it’s now a v8 trac I can justify a superlift, body mounts, and more $$$$ more parts tossed at it.
If I had another low mile sohc it could go in here but I don’t! Low mile sohcs are even getting harder to find

Drivetrain will be out in a couple of hours

I was really worried about that when you first posted about the over heating when that thermostat housing blew! Was the ST even maintained throughout its life? How a person can just drop money into something like that and not do regular maintenance on it is just frightening! How many owners did that ST have?

 

[Josh P]

My 4.0 must be a unicorn.
Or I'm just lucky

Probably a little of both plus you take good care of your vehicle

 

[sandsprayer]

I love sport tracs
Ever since they came out I have always wanted one!

God I hated the Trac when they first came out, I thought they were ugly *******s.
In 05 I was trotting the lot of a dealership pondering replacing my 1st gen w/ a 3rd gen, and test drove a white one.The salesman asked if I ever considered the Sport Trac as we drove by a couple of em, and said he just bought one and loved it.
Well I got hooked, and love this little truck.
But I was stupid in thinking I got a good deal on the trade in, so much wish I would have just kept the ol 1st gen around- she was a great and faithful truck.......

Following and anticipating your updates!

 

[410Fortune]

Real pita to remove this sucker
1/2” drive with wobbly gets access
Bolts fight all the way out
Makes getting at the starter easier, then finally the torque converter nuts

When I was turning the engine over by hand to get the converter nuts water was being pushed out the exhaust and onto my head lol

Access to top starter bolt from up by radiator much easier

Dropped trans and t case together

Engine was out minutes later

 

[allmyEXes]

Thanks for the pics! That will help me and others that have to do this task.
Question? Do you think that I can remove the engine and transmission together? Mine is 2wd. The intake bolt situation is blocking the transmission top bellhousing bolts. Otherwise, I have to remove 7 intake bolts and pry the intake until the back ear of the intake breaks off. I'd bet that you have a 2002 4.0 SOHC intake in usable condition if I have to resort to that "savagery".

 

[410Fortune]

It is really easy to get the bellhousing bolts with a long extension working from around the side of the trans. This is with the crossmember out and the transmission hanging down

Yes you can get the engine and trans out together if you have to, just make sure the truck is waaaaaay up in the air so you have enough angle to push the back of the trans down. Make sure trans is drained really well, everytime I do that I end up with a bunch of Mercon on the ground… those rwd trans always dump atf out the tail lol lol

 

[oklagp1200r]

I hope my original starter never goes out!

 

[Turdle]

Soon to be made into Gotham cookware

 

[Josh P]

I hope my original starter never goes out!

Good reason to swap the entire motor out at the same time

 

[410Fortune]

It’s sport trax craziness here right now
There is a blue 05’in bay 3 getting a v8 and superlift right now.

I’m using many of the parts I just removed from the $700 03 so I can put together a 01
For a friend. The 01’is getting a low
Mile sohc engine from a 05 gen iii and a 07 auto trans from a ranger. The parts from 700 engine are already in a new home.
As soon as this 01’is running (like later today) then I can get back on putting a v8 into the 700 truck. In order to do that I need some parts, so the 02 black sport trax will be coming in tomorrow to be dismantled. Stay tuned

I should rename this thread 410s summer of tracs except this should only take a week

Put the ranger to work! I borrowed a ranger from my buddy this is a 2000 ohv ranger we built it has 06 front clip,
Refreshed ohv, coilover conversion up front and more getting ready to sell it because we just Built him a v8 4’door 04
It’s good to be friends with the custom shop

2005 explorer sohc engine 124k basically free. Bought truck for $600 w no reverse crushed it a week later excellent wheels and tires nice seats. Sold cat converters and traded the crush weight for a ranger bed. Now the engine will live on

Bad sohc in the right

Getting lots of new parts

Here’s the bad engine good chance to see the manual tensioners in place

Drivers head milkshake for sure lost head/head gasket

Nasty

Oh well bad engine ready to go away
05
Engine ready to be dropped into 02 trac today

 

[Josh P]

Would that 07 ranger be blue in color that the trans came from?

 

[410Fortune]

Yes and kinda! The 06 trans from Eddie money blue ranger is actually in the white ranger I’m driving. The 07 trans I am installing today came from a 07 ranger I got in Montana the old guy rolled it in the snow. A real
Gem with only 119k on it.
I don’t have any more good
Low mile 5r55e after today and I’m down to only one more Good low mile 5.0! I have a few high mile drivetrains/complete
Running trucks. I’m going to have to get Brett to build me a 5r55e or two now also a 4r70w the only one I have left with low
Miles is rwd

At least the parts are going to good homes! I’m sport tracs and rangers!!

The 06 eddie money ranger is waiting on the last round of parts. Wheels and tires have been ordered along with some final “goodies”
Plan is to have it done by end of June! Gotta sneak these tracs in real quick

Best part of that whole deal is we scored our own tire machine last week so now I can mount my own tires!! Looking for a balancer now

We bought both machines on Craigslist, sold one paid for both

Like I said I was hoping the $700 truck would have lasted the summer lol lol

 

[oklagp1200r]

@410Fortune
What is that big weight on the 4x4 for that you removed to gain access to the starter bolts?
I always wondered!

 

[Fix4Dirt]

@410Fortune
What is that big weight on the 4x4 for that you removed to gain access to the starter bolts?
I always wondered!

pretty sure they keep vibration down