410 fortune - 5.0L EFI 4R70W drivertrain conversion

[Rhett]

tonight for heater box measurements. I will be notching the heater box while trying to maintain clearance for the tranny dipstick and also provide adequate airflow for the AC system.....the box will be cut, sheet metal rivited on, and the box fiberglassed and painted.

All right I am glad to see it going ok. Your whole project "stokes" me as the dude-types say. Is the tranny fitting in the tunnel ok, or are some modifications necessary with your BII?

I like how you don't believe in body lifts, hehehe. A man after my own heart, hehe Sometimes BL's help a little with clearance issues with those kinds of swaps though. With a little modding though looks like you're fine though.

 

[Hokie]

I like how you don't believe in body lifts, hehehe. A man after my own heart, hehe Sometimes BL's help a little with clearance issues with those kinds of swaps though. With a little modding though looks like you're fine though.

Would a 1-1.5" BL really be that bad? I bet it would give a good amount of 'fudge space' when doing a conversion like this

 

[Captain AirTime]

Would a 1-1.5" BL really be that bad? I bet it would give a good amount of 'fudge space' when doing a conversion like this

I agree with the body lift thing, and I also think that 4R70W is going to be a TIGHT fit! Where there's a BFH, there's a way! I found my T5 bellhousing to be pretty close, although my 5.0L was a good bit lower and farther back than the kit mounts place it.
Good tip on the filter relocator. Will you post what you end up using?

 

[410Fortune]

Yes sir I will! the adapter I got is built by Canton, its a billet aluminum piece, 90 degree elbow, uses standard threead 1/2" fittings, so getting some high pressure braided hoses shouldnt be a problem. I plan to run a FL-1a filter.

The seam on the transmission tunnel has been cut, bent back, and smoothed, ready for paint.

Still need to order a B&M shifter and also the AA adapter, looking into possibly adapting the 4R70W to accept a Dana 20 T case now however....Brett's got an idea......I would LOVE to run a Dana 20

 

[Rhett]

Would a 1-1.5" BL really be that bad? I bet it would give a good amount of 'fudge space' when doing a conversion like this

No it wouldn't be that bad...a little ol' 1" BL would be a nice idea for clearance issues. I know a 302 swap can be done on a 4.0L Ranger without a BL (don't know about Bronco II or Exp, but it's about the same) but no question about it, an extra inch there would help...

 

[Captain AirTime]

gotta love plastic fender liners, just cut or drill where you need access

New body mounts (if yours are as sacked as most I've seen) will give you about a 1/2" lift anyway. I had to repair the frame mounts themselves on my supercab, and was considering using 1/4" plate for a tad more clearance, but the new energy suspension bushings did more than that already, so I just used 1/8". IMO you should make it fit well, and THEN do the body mounts, that should ensure no contact in the rough.
The D20 is a good box, but marginally less low range reduction than your 1350/4, and typically weakened output shafts after 30-40 years of use. everything from output shafts to gears are available from the aftermarket, but not as cheap or as nice reduction as say a 1356 or a 241, or anything else you could adapt. Even an atlas if you don't mind the super low range and the price. If you drive hard, I wouldn't trust the 1350/4 or the D20 overlong with stock rear outputs (behind the 5.0L at least!)

 

[Diff Whack Daddy]

I'll have to agree. My 91 donor has a serious problem with the body mounts. I am going to replace them eventually, but as of right now, I had a hard time getting my 700R4 in there.

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

the 1356 would be a VERY tight fit between the floor and the frame rails, although I have seen it done behind a 4R70W is a 97 Ranger with no body lift.....yikes.

Jamie, a little off topic, so lets move this to PMs, but do you have any way to get in contact with this guy, or know more about his setup? I'm interested in picking his brain regarding fitting a full-size t-case into our trucks.

 

[410Fortune]

this is all I know about the 97 ranger with a 5.0L, 4R70W, and BW1356.......

http://groups.msn.com/MarlaTodd/ranger.msnw

 

[RedEB]

Holy crap, I can't wait to see how this project ends up!! I love BIIs and a V8 would make that rig unstoppable!!!
Good luck and I can't wait to see the results!

 

[410Fortune]

Update:

The engine is in, the engine mounts line up perfectly (thank you L&L) the dual sump mustang pan clears everything EXCEPT the duff axle pivot bracket. I could grind about 1/4" to 1/2" off of the bracket to clear, or I can add some simple washer style spacers on the L&L brackets to raise the engine up 1/2" or so, then it will clear perfectly....

 

[bmxking5]

Awesome, can't wait for the new pics.

 

[Captain AirTime]

raising the engine is the slacker way out
use the BFH (with or without heat ) or cut and TIG, or.... lots of ways to clearance an oil pan. In a hurry? drop it lots of times untill it clearances itself, then clean it up and weld up any holes.
I guess you are just tired of resesaling that pan, and refuse to take it off again LOL!

 

[wes8517]

well my friend Joe has a 93 Explorer 54 door with a HO block, AODE, and A/c on a Superlifted and Superrunner equipped Explorer with NO body lift........so yeah it can be done, he even kept the air pump at first!.......................................

a 54 door explorer? crazy!!!!!!!

wes

 

[james t]

raising the engine is the slacker way out
use the BFH (with or without heat ) or cut and TIG, or.... lots of ways to clearance an oil pan. In a hurry? drop it lots of times untill it clearances itself, then clean it up and weld up any holes.
I guess you are just tired of resesaling that pan, and refuse to take it off again LOL!

True. BFH clearanced my 351 pan. Wasnt enough, so the diff finished it off. No leaks, and easy.

 

[james t]

Hammer it with the pan on..... it will be less likely to warp the flange and leak that way. Cmon man, just do it. Dont make me post pics of mine as an example.....

 

[section525]

Air hammer. That should be relatively safe. It's easier to control the damage too.

 

[james t]

Air hammer. That should be relatively safe. It's easier to control the damage too.

What.... do you have some sort of "i cant control the force with which i swing stuff with" disease? Damage control = dont swing the hammer quite as hard. Believe it or not, many of use can make a dent of a certain size by either swinging the hammer a little harder or a little softer.

 

[section525]

Listen fawker.. swining hammers is for sallys. Let the compressor do all the work. Or use a BFH.. see if I care! I just perfer massaging. I can't believe I took time out of my dad to respond to this. :flipoff2:

 

[410Fortune]

UPDATE:

Okay oil pan has been "clearanced" with a ball pine hammer. I also chose to grind about 1/4" off the cast Duff bracket.

Firewall is repaired, dremmel removed all rust (ouch) and wire wheel all area's for paint prep.
Rust holes were repaired with fiberglass, I also used some bondo on the lip we bent back for the tran tunnel (smooth it out so I dont cut my hands on it).

The heater box was notched, a piece of flashing was formed to cover the hole and clear the valve cover. I pop rivited the flashing to the heater box then used fiberglass strips on the back side to seal it up. The front of the box will be covered in heat shielding so looks are not important.

Engine bay and frame a painted, ready to drop the 5.0L in for good.
The fan to radiator clearance is not adequate, so I will modify the radiator support to re-locate the radiator forward about 1.5".


The plan is to keep taking notes like this here of the daily events, then when its all done I will re-organize this thread to be a step by step, whats required, conversion "how to".