Engine Swap Questions

[diesel_s]

I want to do the 5.0 motor swap soon, very soon infact, hopefully around march or april if time and money permits. My question pertains to transmission choices...I found a mountaineer 5.0 V8 for a good price and i know i'll need the harness, pcm, fuse box (maybe), and a few other things i can't recall at this moment.... but will the mustang c6 tranny or the c5 tranny bolt up? I was looking for a transmission that will hold up to speed and rough driving, being that i race a lot and i know more about mustang trannys than i do explorer tranny's, and as dumb as it may sound, i find that i tend to over-think the dumbest things and make them a lot harder than they really are lol. I pick up on mechanical things very quickly, and like i said, i have an overthinking tendency. I guess associating certain motors with certain vehicles always is horrible. I do it and easily forget that when it comes down to it, its requires a few simple and thought out mods, but at this moment, because I have never attempted to bolt a mountaineer v8 to a c6 tranny, i am clearly over thinking. Other question, how big of a difference is there between the 5.0 in the mountaineers/explorers and the mustang 5.0's? i dont mean the new 5.0 either lol, i wish i could afford that sucker

 

[rhauf]

what engine does your 2001 have now? if its the SOHC then the horsepower is about the same (or in fact a little better) than a stock 5.0 with e7 heads.

only a few special order and such mustangs came with c6 transmissions. most had c4 transmissions (in the 60s and 70s) and in the 80s they went to the AOD. you are talking about automatics, right? c6 transmissions were the heavy duty 3 speed automatic which came in trucks until they went aod and e40d (for the 351w's) in the late 80s.

IIRC the 5.0 explorers/mountys came with electronic controlled (updated) versions of the AOD trans. such as aode, 4r70w, etc. i dont know much about the other ones like 4r55e and 5r55e etc.

5 liter ford engines are the same weather they are in mustangs, lincolns, f-150's or explorers, except a few minor differences, and these are little bolt on things, such as oil pan, accessories, fuel injection systems, etc. the biggest difference is in (i think 97/98) explorers have gt-40p heads, which are slightly better flowing than the e7 and earlier e6 heads which other explorers, f-150's, mustangs, lincolns, etc have. all 5.0's after 95 are roller cam. all explorer 5.0's are MAF.

be SURE you use the "computer", wiring harness, transmission, and fuel injection system that are compatible with each other if you run the newer stuff. otherwise you will have a mess. also you may need VSS sensors and stuff on your axle depending what system you run.

i think you have a lot of work in research alone for you here, before you start this project. keep in mind, 94% of engine swaps are never completed and the vehicle gets junked (ok i made up that figure but its probably accurate) this isn't a weekend job, even for a pro.

 

[diesel_s]

I have the 2001 Sport with the 4.0 Sohc that is on the verge of death...timing chain tensioner in the rear is going out, its sprung two leaks and honestly i never liked the motor. Too much of a hassle, i've spent too much money alone in parts repairing it. I was looking for a transmission that can handle speed honestly, I don't want to get something that will be out performed by the engine and then die every 6 months.. I plan on getting all of the electronics, etc...even running new fuel lines and what not. Both ways, my motor has to come out, its either a 5.0 swap or a 2JZ swap going in and being that i am a ford guy, i was the 5.0 swap. lol that 94% figure is way exaggerated lol, most engine swaps i have done myself in other cars or observed were started and finished...The job with all of the right parts and tools, i think can be done in a few days, i mean, we did an 2JZ swap into a 1992 BMW 525i in a matter of 36 hours. The people I have to work with me on this know more about imports than domestics and most of the domestics i know an have done work on were never swaps like this, they were always vehicles that had the option of the bigger motor and everything was basically bolt up then plug and play.

 

[2000StreetRod]

4R70W is robust

The 4R70W that came with all of the Explorer/Mountaineer 5.0L engines is a robust transmission in stock configuration. I suggest getting a 98 or later which incorporated improvements. With the 4R70W you will avoid a lot of compatibility issues with the PCM. There are modifications available for the transmission to keep pace with engine performance modifications.

 

[rhauf]

Well then it sounds like your on the right track anyhow.

I'd go with a carb'd 302 (or 351w if you can make it fit), put some good heads and cam on it, and get a built up AOD to go behind it. lots of performance (325+hp no sweat), high reliability, swap will be easy with no wiring BS to worry about.

and yes, i know the sohc engines have timing chain issues (as do most over head chain driven cam engines) so if you have the means, this could be a pretty cool swap.