I have a 99 Eddie Bauer with the 5.4/4R100/3.73 limited slip 4x4. Drivetrain is in great shape but it's lived in Michigan most of its life and the body is getting rough. The frame is solid, save for the cross member at the fuel tank.

I recently came across a very similar 99 but with a blown engine. Truck is from down south so the body and frame are nearly flawless. Probably one of the cleanest I've ever seen. It's apparently been kept in a barn most of its life. The 4.6 is seized and the 4R70w had issues. Also has the smaller (and open) rear end.

Obviously my current ride has the more desirable drivetrain. I'm debating whether it makes more sense to put that body on my frame or put my drivetrain under that body. Not really sure what lines up and what doesn't. Has anyone done anything similar and have any advice?

I'm assuming that the computer from my 5.4/4R100 combo would have to stay with it.

Thanks in advance!

 

If it was me I would just swap the drivetrain, would be the easiest and everything would bolt up just a lot of work.

 

I heard that cross members for the transmission and other stuff don't line up?

 

It's a bolt in affair, the trans crossmember is different but every bolt hole is there. Ford left a lot of flexibility in this platform and only used one frame for all.

 

Ok... that's good news. So does that mean that the cross member is in the wrong spot and needs to be moved, or are the holes just in the wrong spot? How about the transfer case?

 

The cross member is different for a 4r100 its deeper and goes in the aft set of holes on the frame. It's all bolt in and the holes are there for everything.

 

Yep, I’d just swap the current drivetrain into the new body, only thing that might need to be done to make it run is relearn the security, but that’s about the only issue I’d see. Just need to make sure that when things are swapped, that they use the old vin to lookup drivetrain parts.