Thanks for the measurements. Those will help, but I'm still trying to get a core of an A/C pump to use for now. I think I found one.


Here's some pics I took of mine this weekend. It seems the 94 A/C MAY be smaller, but I seemed to have the room to make a big one like on my 91 fit.

A/C on my 91


Motor in the Ford and taking measurements

 

Ok - now we have the "weekend update"!

So... I spent a bunch of time on Saturday and Sunday working and I have little to show for it. It all goes back to that "quality fab" thing. I know dang well my swap won't be the fastest, but I'm trying to make sure it is the cleanest!

I spent a BUNCH of time making (and re-making) templates for and figuring out my motor mounts. As I have said before I want everything to be able to BOLT in and out. Therefore I have to have access to the bolts on this thing which is hard. After a couple tries, and some well placed notches and dimple dies I have seemed to do the trick.
I am half way done with the passenger side mount and about 1/4 of the way done on the driver. More welding time tonight.

I did have a look at the saginaw steering box on my dodge and I think I can make it work in place of that Ford 2wd on my truck not. So look for some cool mounts for that in the near future.

I also started messing with my core support ad I have to add some custom "touches" to work with my dual pass, aluminum radiator and my "drop center" fiberglass hood from autofab.

I'm excited to get back home and to back to work since I picked up the hole saw I needed for another dimple dies and some trick work on my core support - as well as the tube needed for my core support.

And now - what you have all been waiting for - THE PICTURES!!!!


Motor being set in the truck, checked for level and incline and blocked up so I could make motor mounts




Startings of the motor mount (other side is a mirror)



Test fit of fenders/hood to make sure I had room for the radiator, etc. before I started the motor mounts




Hood clearance issue on core support


Starting to mess with core support


Clearance of oil pan over CUT stock cross member


Some of my earlier, not so hot motor mount templates...


Messing with Pass side mounts/templates. I HAD to make sure I coud get to the bolts on this thing...


Pass side mount partially welded with top boxing plate set on. The dimple die adds bling points, but also allows access to the bolts!

 

Not a huge update today. I had to work a bit late last night so I didn't have much shop time. Add in the fact that there were 20+ mph winds and I couldn't weld on the truck - and it wasn't much fun to work out their either.

I did get that pass side motor mount in and the boxing plate tacked. I want to weld this while on the truck so I'll have to get to that later. I did get a chance to test out my dimple die hole - allowing for access to the motor mount bolts and it seemed to work pretty well


Since the weather was so crappy I stayed in the garage and messed with my custom core support mod a bit more. Nothing fancy, but all this little plate cutting and TIG welding takes more time that I care to admit



Here's a crappy pic of a semi crappy weld on the motor mount. I don't know why, but my camera ALWAYS foccuses on what is BEHIND my weld (see how clear the table is!?!?)


Also - I found a guy that will send me an old A/C pump for $20 shipped. It sucks to have to pay because that was supposed to come with my motor (along with the fan, tensioner and harmonic balancer) but the seller seems to be a flake/liar - which SUCKS. Either way I sent the $20 so I can get that thing and mess with that front x-member some more.

 

so i never relized you were in Costa Mesa, if you ever need a second set of hands let me know i can drive out there (i live in Irvine), i cant weld yet but i can turn a mean wrench....

 

I saw a while ago you were in Irvine. I was going to ask if you were ever up this way as there is a 67-72, blue long bed crew around the corner from me a lot.

 

i dont take my truck to costa mesa much.....does it have a roof rack and lights all over?

 

Nope - just stock. Still cool to see another one around here!

 

Another night in the shop with not enough to show for it.
I have decided I LOVE working on this thing. I was in the shop at 11:30 last night and I kept yawning I was so tired. I had to force myself to leave working and get some sleep. It seems like that is a common deal now. I only have a few hours a night and they go sooo quickly.

Last night the winds finally died down here, so I did a little more welding and tack welding on the pass side motor mount. I should start moving on the driver side tonight. Then I can move onto the tranny mount! I just need to find a tranny mount/bushing for the NV4500.




After 9:00 PM or so I have to keep the noise down so I moved inside to mess with the core support some more. I got a little more plating done and cut the tube for the top. Look for more "bling-bling" fab on this thing...

 

Hey, I really like what you are doing, I've got a 77 F-250 camper special waiting for a transplant and seeing threads like this and HRDRKN's get me excited to start moving on it. Anyhow I was wondering what you changed that caused fitment issues with the core support? Keep up the good work.

 

HRDROKN's thread got me excited about my swap too. I had been planning mine for a while but wasn't sure when I'd pull the trigger. An upcoming move (loosing my shop) made me try and pull it off now - to eliminate storing 1 vehicle (the dodge) in the future.

For my core support issues. 1st I am using a "drop center" fiberglass hood from autofab. There are pics a few posts above this, or you can check it out on www.autofab.com. The actual center of the hood is lower to create better visibility off the front end. This hood typically makes you drop your stock radiator, but instead of doing that I am running a dual pass aluminum radiator from fluidyne (used one off a race car). My core support mods will include hood pin mounts for the fiberglass hood, and then mounting brackets for the aluminum radiator.

 

did you ever call that shop i linked to on the first page. he could have made you mounts and discussed how he worked the core support and tranny mounting.

 

nope. No need to waste his time or mine actually.

What I was looking for in that was info on parts needed use my NP435 or to swap in the NV4500 - meaning bellhousing to use, etc. After researching a bit and looking at this stuff a little more I didn't really need to discuss any of it with a shop. I decided to go NV4500 for the trans, so that meant no searching for the motor adapter for the NP435, etc. Then with the mounts it's just a straightforward thing. I can figure out and build those - easy.

In all honsety from what I have seen shops put out for motor mounts, etc. - I'd rather make my own. Especially at what most shops charge for this stuff. I'd rather make them myself so I know they will be up to my overly **** standards. Plus there really isn't anything to figuring out or fabricating these things. In fact I have been contemplating making a jig for my stuff then I am done so I could replicate and sell them as a bolt in deal.

I highly doubt he messed with the core supports on any of the swaps because you really have no need to. Mine is based on a hood and radiator change. Most people just run the stock Ford radiator and are fine.

 

So I had a frusterating end of week and weekend. No work at all on Thurs, Fri or Sat and only had about 1/2 a day on Sunday.

I got a little done but not much. I again spent a bunch of time fighting with the steering box on the Dodge. I am using the saginaw steering box from the dodge on the Ford, and because the D44 front is in there now I need to rotate the pitman arm 90* to do so. I CANNOT get the $%&@ing pitman arm off the box. I have tried 2 diffetent pullers, heating up the arm, etc. No luck...

My next issue is the tranny mount. They gave me the wrong tanny mount/bushing at the auto parts store, so I have to take it back and get the right one. Since the tranny was a custom build I am going to try and contact the builder to figure out what the tailhousing is out of so I can figure out what bushing/mount to buy.
Plus getting the tranny under the truck to test fit it is going to be a pain. Since I have the truck sitting really low to get the motor in its hard to get the tranny under the frame rail. The motor mounts aren't done yet so I can't jack up the truck to make gettin the tranny in there any easier. I think I will get it, but it's gonna take a toll on my back!

Last D'oh! of the day... I took some time plating in that core support without looking at everything going on the core support 1st...(idiot). Now when I started looking at my intercooler mount I might need to cut out some of the metal I just put on to get the IC to fit as snug as I want. It fits ok now and would most likely work, but I am hoping to get an A/C setup on this truck, and even just an IC is a tough fit on this - so I need that IC back as far as possible.

Now for the pics.

Driver side motor mount


Core support top



Messing with IC mounting

 

i hate buying parts at most part places now adays because the stupid kids behind the counter dont get that the engin for my truck is out of a different truck....and mine is all ford stuff it must be 10 times worse for you with ford, dodge, and custom.....

looking good though

 

Yeah - it gets tough getting the right stuff sometimes. This tranny was a custom build from some big online source ( www.geartechhd.com ) so I emailed them to aks what mount I need. I had thought just a normal NV4500 mount would work, but I don't think the U-joint tailshaft is normal. 2wds seemed to have a slip shaft and the 4wds were married T-case setups, so I'm sure this mount is an odd one.

If I can't figure out what it is I will just make my own using the mount from a T-5 tranny or something cheap and easy to find.