347 RE-Power 1996 Limited AWD

As things are getting closer and closer thought I would update.

Started late last year, reading posts and asking questions. I decided to go ahead to drop in a built 347 into my 1996 explorer which has over 300,000km (almost 190,000 miles) on it. The truck still runs great BTW, and has been in the family since new and its been in my hands since last Oct.

First impulse was a cheap 1996 complete 1996 5.0L Explorer motor on fleabay. Shipped it to the engine builder to use as a donor.

It is a 347 built by Fordstrokers with a custom cam from Camshaft Innovations.

- Scat rotating assembly
- Mahle pistons
-Trick flow fast as cast 190cc heads
- comp gold rockers
- trick flow Track Heat intake.
- Torque Monster Headers built with the correct exhaust flange.

Other items of note
- 1" phenolic spacer
- 70mm accufab throttle body with modified throttle arm
- 30lb injectors
- 255lbs/hr fuel pump
- re-use the explorer intake elbow 70mm dia.
- black trick flow valve covers
- utilize some of my MAC intake

Supporting items
- 75mm Prom M MAF (Henson Performance)
- Wideband 02 sensor (Henson Performance)
- tuning (Henson)

Other to-do's
- exhaust will be re-done from the headers to cat back with mandrel bent tubing and new cats. Larger mandrel bent intake tubing to match larger diameter of MAF and TB.




This motor is being bolted to a Lentech 4R70W with 2600RPM 11.5" stall converter.

I'd like to thank many people for advice and tips but especially Don - CDW6212R for pointing me in the right direction with Fordstrokers and equally important was providing me with a custom made 28oz balancer with the explorer timing ring machined and pinned on there.

2010man for selling me his 1994 Mustang Cobra OEM crank pulley. This part is not made by ford anymore and has the same diameter of the explorer pulley but bolts to the custom 28oz balancer that Don sent me.

Also Turdle and tmsoko for answering some questions.

here it is at the engine builder


here it is at my shop, patiently waiting. mocked up driver's side header and intake.


Here is a used 70mm accufab throttle body next to a stock explorer 65mm TB. I modified the arm on the TB to match the location of the stock explorer linkage so both the throttle and cruise cables/linkages with match up.


I will post more updates as they come.

 

[turboexplorer]

Yup! For the Explorers, mine was at .81V-4.58V when I did mine on a scope here at school.

Almost all cars except dodge run from .5V-4.5V. For almost all sensors (Generic parameters you can check quick)

Yes DVOM=Digital Volt Ohm Meter / Multimeter

What elevation was your dyno at?

 

[crazyflights]

I need to do this to my engine hmmm the fun i would have.

reading thru everything, you mentioned wishing you could put a Manual in with RWD only, they have one. you just need a 5spd from 97-02 I believe F150 4.2 V6, 2wd, thats what I'm running except one from a 4wd. Now If Ican just build a stroker in mine.

 

[ford99_1979]

I need to do this to my engine hmmm the fun i would have.

reading thru everything, you mentioned wishing you could put a Manual in with RWD only, they have one. you just need a 5spd from 97-02 I believe F150 4.2 V6, 2wd, thats what I'm running except one from a 4wd. Now If Ican just build a stroker in mine.

At the rate you are going, i'm sure you will do something with your motor.

While I would like a manual with say a 4406 transfer case. I actually like AWD because we do get a good winter here and its mindless and safe. I rolled a ranger once because I was in 2wd but should have been in 4wd..... Guys with Rangers know how bad the rear drums tend to lock up when they are cold and wet. That led me to put a SSBC rear disk conversion on my 2nd Ranger.


Here is a picture of my first ranger that I rolled. This is after the repair.

Here are some pics of said 2nd Ranger and brake conversion. I loved this truck.

 

[techieman33]

I think for a 2wd the only option is a T-56, the gear ratios on the truck transmissions are crap for a street truck.

 

[pufferfish]

ford99_1979,
can you elaborate on what happened with your trans? i ask because when i researched for my project, i talked with a local trans shop and hughs performance. both of them said to leave the trans tune alone and handle the extra power with a shift kit and kevlar bands. you had mentioned henson working with lentech to tune the trans, which is exactly opposite of what i had been told.

 

[ford99_1979]

ford99_1979,
can you elaborate on what happened with your trans? i ask because when i researched for my project, i talked with a local trans shop and hughs performance. both of them said to leave the trans tune alone and handle the extra power with a shift kit and kevlar bands. you had mentioned henson working with lentech to tune the trans, which is exactly opposite of what i had been told.

This is an interesting question because I thought I was told the same thing you were told. But then when my 347 ate Lentech street bruiser #1. The finger pointing began. Who was caught in the middle holding the bag..... I was.

With that said, my tune from Henson DOES now have some shift strategy incorporated into it. And I have been driving for many months now with now problems.

So in my situation I needed tuning for the trans, some other people may have different experience with different shift kits/transmissions.

 

[CDW6212R]

The basic 4R70W is very strong, but a hot engine will push the limit and can uncover any weakness(old trans, worn, been towing too much, pre 1998).

The TransGo HD kit is good and fine for a stock to mild engine for a 4R70W/AODE. The consensus of pro trans builders is that that TransGo kit should not be used for a much more powerful engine, say 350hp or more. Beyond that the best choice is the Jerry's Mod, installed in a car VB only. Meaning don't do that to a truck VB, get a car VB and do the Jerry's Mod.

The computer programming is not needed for a stock engine, but beyond mild it's smart to do some work with the PCM. I'm installing a later 4R75W EPC, so the main pressure will be a hair higher all of the time. That will need less pressure to be programmed into the trans, just the normal thing James Henson is good at, fine tuning the timing etc.

Build the trans for the power level, add the few high performance available parts as needed. Install all of the Sonnax parts available, and the VB kit needed. I don't know about Lentech, they came around after I last worked on my last AOD.

 

[ford99_1979]

Roll Pan

Wanted to post up pics of my new roll pan from Can Do Specialties. I've had this thing for a long time, but finally got it installed over the holidays. The original and severly rusted 1996 painted steel bumper had to go.

My MAC exhaust tip was sticking out about 10" after so I got a new shorter rolled tip. I think it looks good. I have a powder coated (thanks Turdle) lighted license plate frame to install very soon so I can stay legal.

I'll get some better pics when I get the license plate frame installed and take some pictures with a real camera.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

welcome to the roll pan club! to bad you cant take the skirts off the sides. IMO, it would look way better.

 

[ford99_1979]

welcome to the roll pan club! to bad you cant take the skirts off the sides. IMO, it would look way better.

Thanks! You are probably right about the skirts. Maybe if the truck ever got fully painted I would re-visit that.

Feel like painting my truck? Not same color, change color :scratch:

 

[vroomzoomboom]

Thanks! You are probably right about the skirts. Maybe if the truck ever got fully painted I would re-visit that.

Feel like painting my truck? Not same color, change color :scratch:

oh god no! lol color changes are nightmares. you have to take the whole truck apart to do it correctly. besides, if i am not wrong, that is factory peal white correct? i do like that color on these trucks.

 

[ford99_1979]

oh god no! lol color changes are nightmares. you have to take the whole truck apart to do it correctly. besides, if i am not wrong, that is factory peal white correct? i do like that color on these trucks.

Yes it is the factory pearl white color. *IF* I decide to paint it would be most logical to stay the same color. I've just never been a big fan of this color. I resented it the day my folks brought it home in 1996. It has grown on me over time and with the rusty rear bumper gone, its more enjoyable now than ever.

I'll admit its kind of nice to have a vehicle that is not too nice as you don't worry about every little scratch and such. Not long ago I was at the lumber yard putting sheets of MDF on the roof moving them over to the saw area and not worrying about paint or scratches. With that said I need to do a full detail of the exterior and some touch ups.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

I'll admit its kind of nice to have a vehicle that is not too nice as you don't worry about every little scratch and such.

HAHAHA! ask joedirt about our trip to walmart this summer when i was there!

 

[ford99_1979]

HAHAHA! ask joedirt about our trip to walmart this summer when i was there!

I can only imagine how that story goes.

 

[ford99_1979]

New FORD update.

Picked up a 2012 Raptor last weekend. Unfortunately its not my Raptor, its my Dad's. He has no SVT dealers in his area and I have 3 in my area. So I did the leg work on this deal. The bonus is I get to drive it for a little while until he comes to get it.

Getting the black vinyl decal removed this week, 3M the front end, tint the drivers & passenger window, get a Leer fiberglass tonneau and a bed rug.

I'm putting the bug in his ear for an exhaust & intake at the very least and giving him info on the Roush Supercharger

Obviously its a very nice truck. Ride is great, sounds good stock, many many features and its very functional still. I got 3 car seats in the back row no problem.

 

[TekMan05]

Beautiful, what motor is in it? 5.4 or 6.2?

 

[ford99_1979]

Beautiful, what motor is in it? 5.4 or 6.2?

Its got the 6.2L. 411hp 434lb.ft

 

[CDW6212R]

Very nice. Make the engines bigger.

 

[ford99_1979]

HID Retrofit & LED fog/driving lights

Finally got my garage cleaned up and the courage to dedicate the time to finish off this mod I started before christmas.

HID Retrofit from The Retrofit Source. 35W H1 Bi-Xenon kit with 4300K (OEM color) bulbs. I'd like to thank Celly and others who paved the way for doing this.

I picked up new clear headlight housings with park/turn signals off Ebay. This perticular item also came with a pair of white LED lights that I adapted to fit into the stock fog light area.


Here is the stock replacement Headlight Housings before Retrofitting the projector bulbs.

Headlamp housing with projector retrofitted.

Here is the wiring harness. I had a few minor notes on this. The blue pigtail which gets the signal from the factory wiring telling the relay basically low beam or high beam had to have 2 pins switched. The orange and black had to be swapped because it comes as a 9004 and needs to be converted to 9007.

The other note about the wiring harness is the blue/black pigtail is usually for the selenoid in the projector for hi/low beams but as per the Retrofit Source Resource page, it says in some vehicles you have to switch pigtails for the orange and black. My explorer require those pigtails to be switched.

Since there are no dedicated "vehicle specific instructions" I thought I would make mention of these things so perhaps the next guy with an explorer can use this info. I also had to unplug the DRL module (daytime running lights for Canadian vehicles). It is located on the driver's side behind the bumper and just above the fog light. Its as simple as just unplugging the harness from the DRL module which I taped off both the module and pigtail harness so its not exposed to the elements. In case I had to put it back for some reason.

Finished install. Need to do some aiming but very happy with everything. The factory 1996 lighting was abismal.

 

[celly]

Lookin' good.