Hey everyone,
The drivetrain in my truck seems tired (although still kicking), so I thought I'd start looking around for swap ideas and the thought of a 3.5l Ecoboost V6 seemed cool. If you don't already know about the performance gains, many websites list the stats along with fuel economy info. I'd rather not get into that within this thread as I'd rather discuss the logistics and issues that could come up from integrating a new engine into our OBS style trucks. Lately I've been toying around with finding a salvage '11+ F150 with the 3.5l Ecoboost to swap into my truck. In the process hopefully pick up some other creature comforts that the new trucks offer (sat/nav, bucket seats, backup camera, etc).

The first big hurdle is getting the ECU to work right. There is no stand alone ECU available at this time from Ford and the aftermarket seems to want about $10k to get things going. If I'm swapping over the wiring harness and all of the sensors from an existing truck, it should reduce the amount of fault codes that come up.

To complicate things, I'd like to retain a manual transmission in my truck. Apparently the only transmission that will bolt up directly to the 3.5l Ecoboost is the MT-82 found in the V6 Mustangs (and I happen to love the one I own). Ford built a hot rod with an Ecoboost for SEMA that mated to a T5 transmission using an adapter plate, but there's not a lot of information out about that vehicle. The other hiccup to go along with the transmission is finding a 2WD truck at the junkyard because I don't think the MT-82 is able to mate up with a transfer case.

Another potential problem is getting the electric steering to work. This is lowest right now on my issues list since I would either try swapping the entire steering rack into my truck or there are a couple aftermarket brackets to mount a power steering pump up. Worst case, I'll CAD up my own bracket to mount a power steering pump. Although it would be nice to have the electronic rack and not have to listen to a pump whine.
Besides those concerns and the usual motor mount/spacing issue, does anyone else know of other things I should look into before seriously going through with this?

Here are some Ecoboost builds that I have heard of:
Project Ugly Horse: Part 10 - Ford Mustang Fox Body Ecoboost Project - Road & Track

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/s...7380&showall=1

 

Interesting idea.. but I think you're gonna have to forget about using a manual trans because I don't see you making it work without the ecoboost automatic since control of that trans is so integrated into the PCM.
Electric steering probably isn't integrated into the PCM however so that may be something you could skip.. unless you want it of course.

 

Definitely a cool idea. As far as comparability goes though it may be way easier and cheaper to go with a coyote 5.0. You can get everything through ford to swap it into anything and have a pretty unlimited selection of mods and transmissions. Just a thought but the ecoboost would be cool and different

 

I'm worried about the integration of the PCM to the auto tranny. Although it's one of the things I'd like to try and accomplish if I decide to go down this route. My process to troubleshoot the issues would be to connect the manual tranny to the engine in the salvage truck. Run codes and get the pieces working together before attempting to integrate it into my OBS truck. At least that way I should be able to rule out what is wrong as a result of the tranny swap instead of the many more variables of swapping the electrical harness, etc into the OBS truck.

I thought about a 5.0 swap, but it seems like the big build shops and Ford Racing have this all figured out now. I want to do something that hasn't been accomplished yet, even if it will be harder to do. My truck right now has 6 cylinders, so that sort of adds to the cool factor (at least in my books) that the Ecoboost would also retain that same count. Sort of a passing of the guard if you will, since the 300 and other inline 6's of old were used in such a variety of vehicles for Ford and used for so many years. I think their marketing and long term planning for this new Ecoboost is similar thinking (although I doubt it will be produced for as long as the inlines were). Especially with fuel prices continuing to rise and the customer's demand for performance. Sorry if I'm getting off topic, but my heart is set on Ecoboost or no swap at this point.

 

I would think you could have a custom tune made to run a standard.

 

I like original ideas. What I'd do is get some steel and weld up nice sturdy stand for the EB engine to run on. Then go get one along with it's brains and wiring. Try and get it running right on the stand first.

If it works out, then you can figure out how to drop it in your truck and mate it to the manual trans while knowing that the hard part (getting it to run) is already done.

If you can't get it to run right on the stand, you just sell it and you've still got your truck untouched and ready to drive.

 

Would the output shaft be a problem? He could have a fabricator make him a bellhousing plate.

 

I nearly crapped myself when I saw the horsepower and torque specs and mpg's in these engines.

 

In the most common truck platform(crew 4x4) the ecoboost typically only returns mid to high teens overall in the real world, but there's no denying that when you combine that with the power that's available it's a remarkable power plant.

 

True, but a v6 pushing all that weight...Damn

 

Dixie, I like you're idea of getting to work on a stand. That would be simple enough to fab up and might help me plan out some motor mount ideas at the same time.

GuitarJesus, I would likely leave the stock transmission mounted up to get the engine working then worry about swapping to the manual transmission. Or did you mean that the computer is going to want to know how quickly the wheels are spinning? If the engine turns over in neutral or park, that would be enough proof of concept that it should work in my truck.

NoJoke, I think Ford got Detroit Street Rods to tune the vehicle in the link below:
SEMA 2009: Ford EcoBoost '34 Hot Rod rocks a V6 in style - Autoblog
It's possible to do, but the cost seems a lot higher than it needs to be. Supposedly a tune runs around $10,000 because the Ecoboost engine has direct injection. If it was only $2000, I wouldn't even be thinking about attempting to buy a whole salvage truck to work from. There are Ecoboost engines on ebay for around $3000 and a MT82 transmission for another $1000. The prices for the engine and transmission will drop as more new F150s and Mustangs are built with these parts.

Conanski, the mileage of a new 4x4 with these engines isn't the best, I know, but I'm hoping those numbers will be better in my 2WD OBS. The engine and transmission will likely add about 100-150lbs. Although the difference between the 12th gen and 9th gen F150s is about 1500lbs lighter. That should help up the mileage at least in the city where I would be mainly driving. On the highway, there likely wouldn't be as much of an increase due to aerodynamics and wind resistance. Our trucks are too much of a brick for that to ever overcome that.

Hopefully I don't sound too cocky about this being a solid build idea. There is a lot of things that I need to figure out before this is even feasible to becone a reality. This is a good start though. Keep the brainstorming coming!

 

I dont think a steering rack will work with the twin i beam front suspension. The geometry would not be right for rack and pinion.

 

A few other thoughts I have
-will the oil pan fit the obs front cross member?
-will modern auto or standard transmissions fit the obs tunnel?
-what will you do with your fuel system(doubt a 20 year old 4.9 system is up to the task)
-what will you do for gauges?
-will the radiator and intercooler fit the obs grill?
-does the new ecm need speed sensors in the rear end or tranny to run properly?
-you will probably need to upgrade the rear
-is the ecoboost heavier? Might need to upgrade the front springs if so

Sorry for all the questionI just figured it would all come up eventuallytu

 

You could do a divorced tcase for 4x4if the mt82 extension housing cant accomodate a married tcase.

 

What is a divorced vs married tcase. I hear these terms all the time but don't know what they mean. Is one bolted directly to the tranny while the other has a shaft in between them?