Ford F-100 Owner Seeks Crown Vic Swap Advice
Here’s some great advice on swapping Crown Victoria drivetrains, suspensions, and frames into old Ford F-100s.
Hot rodders are always looking for cheaper and easier ways to improve their rides. That’s essentially what’s driven our hobby for decades now, and it doesn’t figure to stop any time soon. In recent years, utilizing the suspension, drivetrain, and even the entire chassis from a modern Crown Victoria sedan has become popular for Ford truck owners. We’ve seen our fair share of Crown Vic swaps here in the FTE forums as a result. Those projects have also nearly convinced member Gyandell to do the same thing with his 1964 Ford F-100. But first, he headed to the forums seeking opinions from our community of experts.
“I want to spend some money and make my Ford F-100 more driveable. After reading the forums, it seems like a Crown Victoria conversion is a good way to go. I’d love to hear some suggestions from the experts here. What year model Crown Vic should I use? Can I use the full frame, rear end, transmission, and motor? Is there a better option, all the way up to just purchasing a custom built frame? Thank you in advance for any suggestions and help.”
As zachcj7 points out, which direction the OP decided to go in depends on what his goals are.
“What is your end goal with the truck? What are your specific issues with it as it is? Do you plan to still haul stuff with it? For the CV swap, most use one of two options. Swap in the full CV frame and drivetrain. Or use the F-100 frame and swap in the front suspension, rear end, motor, and tranny. There are pros and cons to both options and which one to go with is best determined after you know exactly what your end goals are.”
Fellow member Kenny Nunez gets a little more specific and offers up a few solid options.
“The easiest way is to use the CV clip, 4.6, and transmission. The Police 8.8 units usually had a 3.26 axle. Or you should be able to locate a complete banjo with either a 3.25 or 3.50 from an F-100. The ex-police units from ’03 to ’09 would be the best to find since they do not have the theft protection feature. I like the rear disc brake conversion from Master Power. Using the engine control electronics and powertrain control module would be the best way also since you want fuel injection. If you want to go with a 5-speed standard transmission, there are some vendors that can supply you with a standalone engine control computer.”
A couple of other members, including leeinphx, provide ideas on how to complete the swap without making your Ford a low rider.
“I’m not a fan of the lowered stance. So I did a modified version where I grafted the front 1/3 of the Crown Vic frame onto the F-100 frame. This let me set the ride height where I wanted it and I didn’t have to deal with the trailing arm bracket fabrication. If you do the standard installation of the CV assembly right to the bottom of your frame, typically you would need to notch the rear frame in order to bring it down far enough that you are not going downhill all the time.”
So far, there are tons of excellent suggestions on how to complete a Crown Vic swap in this thread. So head over here to check them out. And if you have experience with this Ford on Ford swap, be sure and chime in with your own tips and tricks, too!
Photos: Ford Truck Enthusiasts forums
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