nicholas394

hey guys, i have a 1996 f150 Eddie Bauer 4x4 with a 5.8 that has 198000. This truck has seen some rough days. anyway the engine and tranny are getting tired and it has a hard time pulling a trailer up any hill. I was wondering what it would take to swap over to a new 6.2 or 6.8? Has anyone even done this? or Is it even possible?

nfldfordman

anything's possible if you're willing to do the work, of which it would require a lot. swapping any engine into a truck it never came in is going to take a lot no matter what, unless it's one old school carbed setup to another. swap computers is a given. probably a lot of structure like cab mounts. as intricate and complicated as the new engines are, there's a lot of fuel system, electrical, computerized junk, etc. a trans to go with it is a good idea. I wonder if it has been done, never heard of it.

I know I would love to see it done though...

nicholas394

do you think I would need to swap axels? I want to have more power because I haul or tow something at least once a week and I drive up some pretty nasty hills. However I don't want to spend more than the cost of a bigger truck.

nfldfordman

if the axles are stock and the truck in general is tired, I'd want to swap axle as well with that kinda power being dropped in. it might survive for a good while, but not something I'd chance....

the engine swap alone is a huge job that'd cost a good bit and be a ton of work. I can't be sure of everything involved, but I know I'd update the rest of the drivetrain similarly to take the power, and some parts you'd need to to update even to be compatible, like trans.

replacing a tired old engine from a truck that age with a high displacement, high power modern one will run through the truck. if you swap axle it will likely have a different bolt pattern, in come new wheels. which carries to the front even on a 2wd if you want it to match.

if this was a truck you were attached to and wanted to mod to your dream truck, I'd say go for it by all means. if you're looking for more pulling power, it's not worth it. you'd probably save a good bit of money by buying a stronger truck, and a world of hassle. or, build up your existing truck with her current equipment. is the drivetrain actually getting bad, or are those hills and the load just too much? if that's the case, swapping rear gears (if you haven't) would make a MASSIVE difference. if the trans is bad but the rest is solid, it's worth replacing or rebuilding. et cetera.

flareside crazy

why not go with a 460 would be so much easier or even a 4bt would be a easier job then that just seems like to much of a pain in the a** to me

nicholas394

I don't know the degree of the hills exactly but it was about a 4000 pound box trailer from uhaul (big ****ing mistake!) I reached 4100 rpms a few times and got about 7 mpg. I'm still running the factory 3.55 gearing as well. From what I've read I think I'll just rebuild and upgrade my drivetrain and jump to a 4.10 ratio in the back and maybe do a SAS in the front. But I'm not entirely sure yet.

nicholas394

I really want to just upgrade the whole truck because when my family used it on the farm it hauled 3500-4500 pounds in the back and towed almost 30,000 pound corner haulers. So the whole truck is tired. It will still get up and go and runs strong when its empty but when I'm hauling it struggles sometimes.

nfldfordman

good idea, and being an eddie bauer she's worth hanging onto and doing up. you wouldn't have any pictures of her?

nicholas394

these are all within the past couple of weeks. i just put all terrains on it about four weeks ago.

nfldfordman

wow. great truck. body's in great shape. good luck whatever you do, she's worth building up for sure