MT406

Hey everybody

Can anybody help direct me to a good writeup on swapping an older motor/trans(78 i think) into my 93?


I have a 2wd 93 5.0 with AOD and the tranny is on its last leg. Slips constantly, hard shifts,ect..

And i have an old van with a basically new 5.0 crate motor/trans thats supposibly blueprinted & balanced. Came with receipts.
my efi is at 265k so if im goona pull the trans i might as well get a fresh engine in her as well. I THINK. I have a decent understanding of what will need to be done but would be awesome to find some walk throughs.. Idk if i just suck at searching but im having a hell of a time finding anything detailed

thanks for any help!!

Eric Fullerton

A 5.0 is basically a 5.0, so long as every sensor fitting ETC. gets transfered over from the 93 the truck should never notice. There are some evolutionary changes, & you may find you lack a port for a sender, (like the knock sensor) or it is in a different location. I'm sure Steve will be along in a minute to point out the error in my ways.

MT406

Awesome. Thanks for the reply!

Thats what i was thinking, but its my daily driver so i figure i should double, tripple check that i wont run into any quirks and have it garaged for too long. Lol

Upper/lower intake, dist, sensors, should swap right over?

I need to crawl under this van and i.d the trans. Im hoping i can make it work in the truck.
My door sticker says trans type T, which is the non-elec AOD, correct?
The van also has a 9bolt rear & same length drive shaft. Hoping it will work also.

My brother bought the 93 for $500 10 years & 150k ago and all i have done is a water pump & valve cover seals & breaks

BLDTruth

I think the biggest obstacle you will have to overcome (possibly) is the cam in the 78 crate motor - I would research the differences between the two before proceeding. Specifically you need the camshaft to produce enough vacuum at idle for all of the sensors in the newer truck to work properly. If that checks out ok, then pretty much everything Eric said. Make sure to keep all of the 93 wiring, sensors, intake, etc.

MT406

So theres my justification to throw a big cam in it 😈 lmao. Thanks! I will look into that

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

Around about 1982 the 5.0 imbalance changed from 28 to 50. That is the external balance weight for the engine.
So you will want to have a good look at that. If you can't use the front damper there will be issues with all your accessories. Trying to find the right parts to work around that could turn into a problem.
You would likely want to make sure the transmissions are the same because you can run into issues with the transmission mount crossmember, the neutral safety switch/ backup light wiring, shift linkage, the list will grow.
Not real big issues for a project truck that will be ready someday, but for a daily driver that has to be up and driving again fast that swap could become a real problem.

Eric Fullerton

That's a particularly bad idea, the fuel injection will only handle so much cam, and in a pickup weighing a couple of tons, it just doesn't work out well, unless you run insanely low rear gears.

MT406

Yeah i was just trying to be funny. I dont have the time or know how to do any internal upgrades

I got ahold of the vans original owner today and he says the crate motor/trans was for his 86 f150, but had problems with his wiring harness and gave up on it a few thousand miles after install. so he put em in the 78 van mostly to keep them safe. Never attempted to get it running.

So the engine is an 86. Which means it should go in smoothly?
i appreciate all the replies guys!

Steve83

Sure. Here's one: don't. It's probably illegal, even if you do it "right", so check thoroughly before diving in.

If you go for it, plan on changing AT LEAST the WP & timing cover (which includes dropping the pan). But generally, an older engine is a bad idea & should be avoided.Using that logic, you might as well get a fresh truck as well. Mine has over 860Kmi without rebuild, and runs like-new. If the engine is running right, just maintain it. The trans can be swapped without pulling the engine. But if the engine is leaking, I'd pull both & reseal the engine, including any other repairs it needs (probably mounts & planing the exhaust manifolds).Click this & read the caption:


(phone app link)

MT406

I live in Montana, we have free range basically, as long as we have legal plates and brake lights. I dont even need a windsheild or turn signals as long as i wear goggles and use proper hand signals when turning 😀

I have pulled transmissions & swapped engines, just always have used identical replacements. The engine in this truck is pretty beat. It would take some time & alot of work to get it running like new. It has been driven with a bad head gasket for about 6 years. Has a knock, leaks, exhaust manifold bolts broken off in the block, bent pulley, the list goes on. My long term plan is to rebuild it once its on the motor stand. It would be a great learning experience for me. I just need the vehicle running in the meantime. I will gather parts and do a full rebuild without feeling rushed. And hopefully find a roller in better cosmetic shape to put it in.

Awesome. Thank you, i have been searching for a vin de-coder and have had no luck. Seems like Ads outweigh usefull info on all search engines