seriousmustangnut

I've built four 98-2000 Rangers with Explorer 5.0 engines and T5 transmission over the years. Sold the last one off a few months ago and I'm yearning for a little larger truck with similar setup. I wanted to buy a V6 shorty with manual to perform the swap.

I realize the F150 is considerably heavier and will not do awesome burnouts, but I'm not a modular guy and I strip 5-6 Fox Mustangs per year, so I have a plethora of 5.0 HO motors around all the time. Please don't try to sell me on the modular motor's power potential as I know it's got it, I just don't want it... at all.

PCM is not a concern for me as I still even have an Explorer PCM that has had all of the AT code removed, so I've only got to get the bulkhead mating connector on the F150 to match the Explorer if it doesn't already.

I've heard that the V6 trans will bolt up to the 5.0 pushrod engine. Any truth to this? I see this and the engine mounts as my only real challenges on a project like this.

Please waterfall your plentiful F150 knowledge down. Thanks!

DirkDiggler87

The 4.2 V6 manual trans will bolt up to a pushrod 5.0

I helped a buddy do this exact swap in his 2000 V6 F150 about twelve years ago. I'm pretty sure we used the V6 engine mounts as well.

seriousmustangnut

Hey thanks for chiming in! What did you think of the truck with the new setup? What did he think of the result?

Haven't been able to find much in the way of pics of what I can say for certain is a 4.2L block. Of the few pics that I think might be right, the threaded block mounting holes were very different, but as I said, I'm not sure they are actual 4.2 images. If anyone has pics of the side of their 4.2L blocks and can post them, I'd appreciate it!

Your buddy still available to provide more details?

DirkDiggler87

I should have been more clear in my first post but I didn't mean the actual motor mounts. I was referring to the mounting tabs on the frame of the F150. I believe they just happened to position the 5.0 in the correct spot.

I am still in contract with him and will see if he remembers more details. Unfortunately the forum we used to post on back then is long gone.

He was in a similar situation to you, his bro was really into fox body's and had a shop with all the parts sitting around. We were in high school at the time and he couldn't stand driving a V6 lol.

I remember the truck being pretty fun to cruise after it was finished but the M5OD is basically a tractor transmission so it had trouble keeping up on fast shifts. The engine didn't last very long because he put a nitrous kit on it and didn't really know what he was doing. After blowing it up he lost interest and traded the truck.

DirkDiggler87

Talked to my buddy finally, he said his brother fabricated some solid motor mounts for the 5.0

seriousmustangnut

I was thinking the block was very different externally, but as I said earlier I wasn't sure since I didn't have one to look at. Thanks for the follow up.

white89gt

Not too sure what you mean by this, but the M5OD-R1/R2/HD/RKE never made it anything but a Ford or Mazda.

DirkDiggler87

^I just mean it doesn't drive like the T5 that he referenced in the op, drives like a semi/tractor/truck trans.

white89gt

It's mostly because of the long handle. The T5 that came in the S10 felt like the M5OD does.... really long throw.