As vehicles with manual transmissions are approaching their demise, I refuse to succumb, lie down and let this happen like one of Pavlov’s dogs. Therefore I took an awesome vehicle with the right amount of bells and whistles and made it the vehicle that I want it to be. I enjoy driving. I don’t drive fast, but for me driving is an experience. I prefer driving a manual because as the interface between the engine and the transmission I hold an unparallel control over my personal driving experience.


I took a 2003 F150 Crew Cab King Ranch and I installed a manual transmission in the automatic’s place. It was a fairly lengthy process. I rate the process at an intermediate skill level for the typical neophyte dooryard mechanic. It was a great learning process. The truck is a 5.4L V8 and the manual F150’s manufactured are either a V8 4.6L or the V6 4.2L. I used a donor truck that was my daily driver in order to complete this project. It was a 2002 F150 Manual 4.6L 4x4 (referred to as the blue truck in this write-up). My intent was to use as many stockparts as possible. I am not into racing performance stuff for the fact that I did this to a cozy King Ranch.


When ordering parts I used a middle of the road clutch from a parts dealer. I recommend personal interaction as much as possible when buying parts in order to reduce confusion and verify that you get the right parts that you need. It is easy to click the mouse and get the wrong item. In addition you get ideas, experience and input from people behind the counter. The stock F150 Clutch Master Cylinder is chinsy and is made of plastic. After I broke it I purchased a better one made out of metal (I had no clue until I got home and installed it).It twists on in a counterclockwise rotation as I have more chromosomes than the average person I was thrown for a loop. When getting a flywheel and if you are putting it on a 5.4L; get a flywheel with an 8 bolt pattern as the Romeo 4.6L’s use a 6 bolt pattern and therefore use a ‘6’ Vin number in lieu of a ‘w’( I would have thought ‘w’ is for Windsor but it represents the Romeo engine instead).


OVER BUDGET and apply Murphy’s Law!!!!! A dooryard mechanic is a resilient and often clueless individual working in awkward and difficult conditions (for e.g. exposed to the elements on sloped and or dirt driveways). It is the dooryard mechanic’s relentlessness that wins the day. Once the truck is torn apart the professional mechanic is no longer an option until the truck is put back together (being in towable condition provided me security).


Interior removal work should be done with care, plastic pieces are brittle and you will need to re-use them and if you are pulling from a donor those parts are good spares just in case. I took apart the cluster and pulled out the instrument panel. I peeled up the sticker that says Park ReverseNeutral etc. and I painted it using Tamiya semi-gloss black and it matched perfectly. When it came to pulling the column shifter out there were a fewT-bit bolts and I couldn’t get to the back one because of a plastic piece over it that was part of the inner dashboard stuff. I cut the plastic off with a dremel and removed the last bolt without a problem (the plastic piece served no function). I removed the key removal lever (the thinger you have to depress to pullthe key out) out of the blue truck and put it in the King Ranch. I also took the plastic cover piece that goes over the column from the blue truck, painted it and put it on the King Ranch. I installed the key removal thinger because I didn’t want to leave an empty hole on the column. The paint was laying around the garage and doesn’t match completely. I’ll match it later, as I was more concerned about function and cosmetic stuff can wait (except for the stuff that is hard to get to).


About 90% of this process was ‘plugand play’. For example the hole for the clutch master cylinder was already there and was covered by a grommet. That grommet fit perfectly in the holewhere I pulled the column shift cable out on the floor. In addition the holes for the fluid reservoir were there too. I had to remove the niifty adjustable pedals from the king ranch and install the pedals from the blue truck. It was fairly easy. Don’t fight the brake master cylinder in order to try to clear it from the pedals. It is easier to remove the air intake filter, unbolt the brake master cylinder and pull it forward so that the pushrod clears the pedals. When installing the pedals on the King Ranch it does not however have a clutch position sensor connector. Don’t fret the truck will still start. I personally prefer it not to have a clutch position sensor. If you are going through this much effort to drive a manual truck you should be good enough that it should not matter. I used the manual transfer case from the blue truck and therefore had to pull the carpet back on the King Ranch, I removed the air duct to the back seat because it was located in the center of the floor where the manual shift lever goes. I cut the plastic off of the back portion and ran two rubber RV hoses that I taped with duct tape split them like a ‘Y’ in order to clear both the manual transfer case lever and the shift lever and taped the lines into the aft portion of the floor duct. The floor already has an outline for the manual transfer case and manual transmission. I used a fairly shallow jigsaw and cut a quasi-egg shaped hole, it works and isn’t noticeable because it is covered by the boot and carpet. Take your time and prep the truck to take the manual transmission. I found the prep work to be tedious and I tackled it a few hours at a time, it is also hot working inside the cab and rather uncomfortable.

Mounting the pilot bearing, flywheel, pressure plate, and transmission wasn’t very difficult. I had to clean out the cavity where the pilot bearing goes, there was a beige colored sealant of some kind. I used sand paper and a flathead to get it out. The flywheel and pressure plate go on like any other. I mounted the transmission, it wasn’t hard but cumbersome. The 4.6 V8 uses 8 mount bolts for the transmission whereas the 4.2 V6 uses 6. I was only able to put in 6 mount bolts just like the Haynes’ description for the V6. I am not worried about the two I couldn’tget in. It took about a day’s work to mount the flywheel and transmission, transfer case and both the fore and aft drive-shafts. When removing the drive-shafts the 12mm 12 point bolts were torqued by the Hulk. It’ll feel like you are about to rip your arm off. They may brake normal sockets. Use can use a box end wrench or an impact socket.
The exhaust was tricky as expected because the exhaust is weird shaped and corroded to hell. I used a wire brush adapter on an angle grinder and busted 90% of the rust and then I painted it while it was out of the truck with a basic high temperature spray paint to avoid further corrosion. Look at the exhaust and figure out which pipe goes to the header that should go on first in order to ease potential pain and potential re-removal and reinstallation. I used a jack to keep the transmission raisedfrom the transfer case and left the cross member off. I don’t like exhauststuff or the crap that falls in your eyes. I recommend wearing safety glasses or goggles whenever working under the vehicle.

Harness and electrical configuration was not hard, it was a matter of diving into the unknown as there is nothing out there on the internet about it. Take both the manual harness and the automatic harness and integrate the two. You will need to bypass the Digital Transmission Range sensor. Disconnect it completely. I can’t remember the colors to solder together off the top of my head but consult the back ofthe Haynes manual under wiring diagrams. It is cut and dry. I Soldered the wire that connects to the neutral and I cut and wired the connector for the reverse lights from the manual harness to the reverse light wires from the DTR sensor.Give yourself extra length when cutting the connectors from the manual harness because the automatic harness drapes over the transmission differently.The automatic harness Vehicle Speed Sensor connector wires are red. The connectors for the manual VSS and the automatic VSS are completely different and the sensors are both completely different. The manual harness VSS wires were brown or green. Solder them to the red ones. Itdoesn’t matter which goes where I learned. Both worked. Your Vehicle Speed is going to read twice as fast as it actually goes. Don’t worry the tuner that you will have to purchase will overcome this. Essentially cut the connectors for the VSS, reverse lights and the 4x4 low and solder them onto the automatic harness in their respect color coded locations. The VSS pins are not read by the computer in the same location and that is only reason why you can’t use the manual harness. The O2 sensorscan be left unscathed and they read the same.


I am sorry but you will have to get a tuner and a custom tune. The check engine light is going to post for the torque converter, and automatic transmission stuff. A tuner will delete these codes. The folks you get the tuner from can put your vehicle on a dyno and calibrate your speedometer via the tuner so no worries about the speedometer reading twice as fast and the cruise control works just fine. Remember that there isn’t a clutch position sensor installed any more so it won’t shut off the cruise control when you press the clutch like normal manual cars with cruise control. This is common sense but I figured I would just mention it.


The four wheel drive is going to be a little different. Whether it is a manual transfer case or electric transfercase, the front differential locks the hubs electrically. I have a combination. With the manual transfer case I engage the front driveshaft, but the front hubs don’t lock automatically like the blue truck did. I engage the hubs by using the selector **** on the dashboard and it locks them fine. I am happy with this as it gives me more options. I connected the motor from the electric transfer case and I zip tied it to a cross member and connected it to the connector it came from. I am happy with this set-up and I prefer to keep it this way.

HICCUPS !!!!!I encountered a few unforeseen obstacles with this particular truck not saying that this will happen to everyone and also one mistake was self-induced. The self-induced mistake was when I routed the line from the clutch master cylinder to the slave cylinder. It was too close to the exhaust manifold and melted in half. A more painful obstacle was a leaking fuel line from a braided portion over the transfer case. Either age and or over manipulation of the line might have caused this. I couldn’t fix this nor take it from the blue truck as I don’t have the right tool to disconnect it from the fuel manifold and I was rather burnt out on the project at this juncture.


Why a ½ ton pick-up ? I am a shortdude and a ¾ or a 1 ton truck is too big for me. A ¼ pick-up is too small for my needs. It is easier to find a manual 2500 series truck and bigger or a small light duty truck as a manual. My spouse is short as well, and two quasi-dwarfs getting into a 2500 series truck looks ridiculous. She wanted an SUV and I prefer a truck. I do all of the driving and I immensely prefer to drive a manual. Therefore we settled on a full four door crew cab pick-up. I found a King Ranch F150 with a bad transmission and decided to use that truck for theproject due to its beautiful interior and larger displacement engine. I don’tlike the new stuff they put in the automatic only trucks now like back-up cameras, navigation stuff and digital hooplah. I still like comfort and this is a perfect truck to be able to take on a long distance with a small camper. New trucks look too prissy to be called trucks in the first place.


The truck just passed inspectionwithout any issues. It runs and shifts smooth. I had friends drive it to tellme what they think and they said it felt like it was designed that way and thatwas exactly what I set out to do in the beginning. If any issues pop-up thatare related to the swap I will update the notes accordingly.

 

So twenty thousand miles later and a few updates. I was mistaken when I swapped the driveshafts. I had used the extended cab driveshaft and it was too long and the only reason I used it was because the universals were blown out on the crew cab. I thought that they were the same length when I set them on the ground next to each other. The longer driveshaft blew out the seals on the rear differential. I got a driveshaft for a crew cab from a junkyard and it fit better and haven't had any issues with it. In addition the four wheel drive switch doesn't lock the front differential. Wiring could fix that somehow but I intend to have a cable kit installed in order to lock the front differential. Other than those two issues the truck has driven as I expected. It doesn't have much top end and isn't partial 70mph plus speeds but it is the most fun vehicle I have ever driven.

 

This is only comment and not intended to insult you in any way.
I am happy for your accomplishment.
Keep in mind since you posted your project, comment has to be accepted at any level.
.
To me it would never be worth the effort, labor or expense for how one has to mix and match parts and control systems just for the level of use you wanted to accomplish.
I do not want to row boat a truck through the gears at every stop light and stop sign and slow traffic every time I drive any vehicle. My wife would not drive it even through she has driven standard shifts many years ago.
I've done a lot of hot rod conversions and race car builds over my life time so understand and appreciate what you have accomplished.
That's the simple practical bottom line for most people on a project like yours.
BTW, your truck does not have front 4x4 hubs. The lock is performed in the driver side CV axle unless you have a truck model above an F150.
Enjoy your truck and good luck.

 

Why does the truck have trouble at 70 MPH ? Is the manual an overdrive like the auto ? I had a manual in my 1976 and 1989 ........ but got OLD and decided on an auto for the last truck......... but I do enjoy your challenge !

 

I misspoke about the hubs, you are talking about with the lever near the driver's side axle. I was looking at getting a manual cable kit to pull it and engage the four wheel drive that way. I probably don't know the right verbiage. And I am not at all offended, no worries. Even when working on the project I got to the point where I didn't think it was worth it. I never worked on anything cool, I wanted something unique and I enjoy rowing through the gears, I know I am only thirty but it hasn't become a chore yet. I work on aircraft and I wanted the challenge as I had never done anything like that before. I didn't think I would do it again, but I just Frankensteined two Subaru station wagons in a similar fashion. I know the vehicles themselves are not worth it. It makes me appreciate driving the vehicle. I know it isn't practical, I would have never thought about it before having the space and weekend time I didn't have before. I think it was an experiment. I do appreciate your comment, thank you and I am open to criticism.

 

I don't know, it is just loud and the it tachometer reads about 2,200 to 2,300 rpm. It just feels higher than it should. It does need an alignment though and that would help how it feels at that speed I suppose. Thank you for enjoying my project. I originally looked at older Ford pick-ups because they are easier to find as a stick. But my spouse was not fond of that idea at all. Plus a lot of the old ones had dual fuel tanks which would be awesome !!!

 

But the 2003 CREW is a MUCH BETTER TRUCK !!