1995 F150 everything into a 1978 F150
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1995 F150 everything into a 1978 F150
okay so I’ve searched and searched. I have a 78 F150 and I just bought a 95 and I’m going to swap engine, trans, xfer case, wiring, dash.....essentially everything. Has anyone else attempted this on here? It’s going to happen so I will take pics and notes as I go but just wanted some input... and for the purists....sorry but I want injection and overdrive...with my dentside...
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I put a '95 4.9L into my '83 Bronco (linked in my signature), and a '00 MGM 4.6L/4R70W into my '94 CV, and an '88 F150 5.0L/AOD/XLT into a '75 Bronco. They've all run perfectly for a few decades. If you do some Googling, you can probably still find Quint's writeup on putting an '02(?) F150 into a '78 Bronco. So yes: many people have done similar swaps; and yes: if done right, they work very well. But there are more that don't work well because they're not done right, so do plenty of research, and make your plan before you start.
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I’ve seen those write ups but they are each different from what I’m doing. 80-96(7) are pretty much the same save for the mounting tabs. Yes, a lot of tabs... and a 2000 is very different from a 95... I’ve done some swapping before. Probably the easiest was converting a 4 cyl auto 85 Fox body into a 93 5.0 stick. Not a walk in the park but fairly easy (welding dash tabs). I will be taking pictures but there will be gaps where the simple stuff is (labeling and removing wiring) and pulling the current drivetrain from the 78.
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I missed that you wanted to transfer the dash - that will be the hardest part. I've seen '92-96 truck dashes swapped into older trucks, and NONE of them looked anywhere close to right. Assuming the width inside the body is close, and the curve of the w/s is close, the only way I can imagine it happening is to transfer the '95 firewall onto the older body. It's not just the dash that has to mount - it's also the steering column support, and it requires very specific reinforcements to the firewall. Likewise; the wiring will only "fit" if the firewall has the proper holes for its connectors to mount on. These show some of what I'm talking about:
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