My 93 F350 has a 351W thats rather tired and crabby these days.

I was thinking of doing a 460 EFI swap, replacing both the engine and the SBF ZF with a BBF ZF, however I have not been lucky in procuring the BBF ZF at a reasonable price.

So, since I consider "parts are parts", I'm considering other options.

Today, I wandered through a junkyard that has rows of motors and transmissions, and found a complete powertrain from 2003 Navigator (5.4L) etc, and asked for a price. The price was very reasonable with all the accessories and wiring, and the computer was a mere $50 more since i'd be buying it all as a complete set.

I also saw many, many 4.6L's sitting around but I have one of those in my '99 intercepter. While this engine is really fast in the intercepter, its been eating ignition coils like they are free.

I also found several non-ZF BBF tranny's from older ford pickups, but I'm not sure what they are since there was enough goo on them I couldn't acquire the part numbers.

Anyway, i'm just babbling, my question really is does anyone know offhand what 5-sp would be found in the F250's of the late 80's? I googled around and didn't find a definitive answer. I'd like to know how much fabrication it would take to put it in with a BBF as well as the gear ratios, but I can't search for that until I know what the tranny is in and of itself.

particular these:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...=37527&width=0

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...=37528&width=0

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...=37529&width=0

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...=37531&width=0

Part number?
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...=37530&width=0

I took the above picture to my local ford dealer, and they said the part number belongs to a distributor. Um, good job, not even close.

Any ideas? Anyone good at recognizing this stuff by eyeballing it?

BTW, I did go here:
http://www.motivegear.com/tech_info/...nny_guide.html

And I am thinking its the same transmission as in my truck, or close to it, the S5-xxx based on eyeballing it.


Thanks in advance...

 

My apologies for bumping....

 

If i remember right the late 80's had Mazda's. They SUCKED! Stay away from them. Another option is to get a NV4500 (i think thats right) Grany low overdrive 5speed. used in Heavy Dodges and small # of Chevys. Get a bell housing for a 84 F250 4x4 with 460 this should (i think) allow you to get the two together. Advance Adapters should make everthing else you need for the swap. This is a very popular option in offroading circles. It's Not cheap but good.

 

Thank you very much for your reply... I bumped the thread because I left a deposit to hold it, but I have to go there tomorrow by noon if I want my deposit back and not take the transmission. I'd not have left a deposit, but another guy was ready to toss it in his trunk

I'm familar with the NV4500, I installed one behind a mopar 451 stroker years ago in an old D200 pickup, I'll do some research and see if I can make that swap easy enough. My crewcab is 2wd, so that just makes it that much easier. If I have to take 4wd bits, I will, and just not connect the front driveshaft to anything, I have no problem with that whatsoever.

I'm trying to get a more powerful engine in this truck, a transmission geared similarly to the ZF I have now, and retain some kind of overdrive so crusing unloaded on the highway I can get some decent mileage. Who knows, maybe I'll find a not-so-overpriced ZF for a bigblock...

 

Good Luck! I know the 4500 will adapt it just takes and time patiance. Hard core wheelers have adapted it to BBF's so it is possible. I will prob do the same when the E4od in my 89 goes away. With EFI I will prob have to change computers But a company in Canada Has that taken care off. Complete Stand Alone EFI system that is plug and play and fully programmable to any mod. level.

 

Thanks! It was a good lead.

The problem I'm having with this engine swap is I'm making it more complicated than it needs to me. I'm over researching the choices...

Since there is nothing wrong with the rest of the truck, I could put another 351W back in there. Either a junkyard one or a rebuilt one. Around here a junkyard one would be about $800-900 depending on the yard and what accessories are missing, and the mileage of course. A rebuilt one from jasper, atk, and local places all seem to be in the 1500-1850 range more or less.

The second option I was seriously considering is a BBF EFI swap, which will require the engine (same junkyard price range actually) but I'd have to replace the SBF zf wtih a BBF zf or fabricate the adaption of another transmission, or go the way you recommended with the NV4500.

Another option is $2500 for a complete powertrain of a 5.4L navigator, from and including the transfer case forward. 23,xxx miles on teh powertrain, remove myself, junkyard.

Another option for $3100 is a complete 2003 5.4L 5-sp powertrain from a 6000 mile wrecked 250 superduty thats been cut at the pillars and floorboards below, sitting on a pallet. Comes with everything I'd need for the swap, all I'd have to do is make motor mounts and fangle up how to mate my driveshaft to the transfer case, and just leave it in 2wd mode (my crewcab is 2wd).

I have access to a nearly free dodge cummins from a 2000 series 2500 pickup, but NJ isn't fond of gas to diesel conversions, the results of my DOT research turned out to be painfully scary...

Basically, I'm trying to replace a tired motor, increase gas mileage when the truck is unloaded, and increase my current towing capacity. Or at least bring it to where it should be. The towing capacity is awful right now because the engine is really tired, with 188K on it, thats all.

And whatever I get will have turbos down the road and GM EFI on it "just because" I can turbocharge with that. Did it once before successful on a 451 mopar stroker engine, using the carb as the throttle body That engine was in a D200 extended cab 1975 dodge pickup.

I could tow 10,000 lbs on a upwards highway grade at 75 mph and accelerate faster going uphill, no problem. Of course the mileage sucked... but thats another story.

what to do, what to do.

briefly, a vette engine and a six speed looked good, price was right, but I was worried about the tranny not surviving towing.

Unloaded, I'm sure it would be fine. But vettes are much lighter than my 7000lb crewcab

Anyway, more junkyard visits today.

 

Let me now what you decide and how it goes. When the E4OD in my crew cab goes I could use a basis for price. I hate Auto's. They have their place and strong points but I perfer manual.

 

Here is what I decided to do... and got hosed in the process

Grabbed an EFI 460 in a local junkyard for $200, stripped off the heads, intake and up, sold the shortblock (bottom end) for about the same price.

Then bought a 500cid shortblock from a friend, with all the go-fast purty bits for $1500.

Bought on eekbay for $600 plus $150 shipping a ZF BBF 5-sp 2wd transmission, but unfortunately it "got lost in transit" so they are offering me a refund. Now I have to hunt down another affordable BBF ZF. Ugh.

The rest of the turbo bits and EFI bits you're probably not interested in from a price standpoint because its mostly a kludge and you're probably not going weird/radical like I am

But anyway, you had asked what I was doing, and I ended up going "plain vanilla". The efforts to convert over to a 5.4L, as much as I wanted to, just wasn't going to be worth the hassle in the end. I did "borrow" a 5.4L and automatic tranny from a friend, pulled my engine/tranny out and shoved this in, and it fit easily. Cross member is in the wrong place, but fixable by welding brackets to it and the frame, forming a oddly shaped triangle. Exhaust obviously is a fabrication exercise, but not a big deal, but it does fit okay. Oh, tranny crossmember needs to be drilled out and moved a few inches, and a fabricated mount. I forgot if it has to move forward, or backwards.

Anyway, put my SBF truck back together and he's getting ready to put the 5.4L and the 4x4 auto tranny into a chevy S10. Its really not going to fit, but he does have a shoehorn, er, oxy torch