53 ford short box in need of engine and running gear - Explorer 5.0?

[Skid Roe R&R]

Picked up a 53 ford short box and need it to roll. Looking for a combo that I can put together at my local junk yard with some room for upgrade in the future. On a budget of course. : ( Thinking 95-2003 explorer V8 for starters but I am open to suggestions!!! Have a 2003 explorer but it's too nice to part out. Got lots of questions like, will mustang parts fit on that engine? How to get most HP per dollar? Shooting for 300hp. 4.0 turbo? 4.6? n/a or turbo? Can I put in a 5.4 and is that smart? I can fab parts with the best but have no TEC skills to tune this stuff. As mentioned any and all insight appreciated. Thank you in advance!!

 

[Mike65]

5.0 crate engine from Ford, or from a Fox body Mustang & a 5R55e 5 spd auto trans, or a T-5 WC 5 spd. Tons of go fast goodies for Ford small block V-8's.

 

[Skid Roe R&R]

After a little more research I found that some explorers came with the 5.0 (yes I am on a steep learning curve rite now) so ideally I'm looking for a 2wd 5.0 explorer. Does this make sense? Are any years better than others? Finding ~99's for $1000.

 

[RangerX]

Skid, I moved this thread into the 2nd gen modified section, you should get more help here than in the introductions section.
I could move it into the Need for Speed section instead, if you think that would be more appropriate...

 

[SoHK_alumni]

If at all possible, try to find a '96 or '97 5.0 Explorer or Mountaineer as the doner.

The PCM does not include PATS so you don't have to muck around with any of the security bits.

Also, the '96/97 uses a mechanical VSS for the speed signal. The '99 and later 5.0's used the ABS system for the speed signal. Pretty sure the '98 still has the mechanical VSS, but added PATS to the mix.

You'll likely need an earlier VSS with a pass through cable drive -- the PCM needs the VSS to properly manage the transmission but you'll probably need the cable too.