Has anyone done this.
Put a 390 fe, into a 92-96 f-series truck.
Ive always wanted to because its my favorite truck due to the interior and the front end. I loved my old truck 92 f150 xlt 4x4. but it had a weak 302 that burned through more fuel than the 390's. I tried everything to fix the fuel consumtion problem. replaced lots of stuff exept the ecu which probably was the problem. i reset it. i tried allot of stuff and eventualy had it and sold the truck to my little brother.
Now ive seen on the web of 390's in a 85 f150. and it looked good.
And im not woried about wieght as id use as much aluminuim and a manual to cut back weight. but can the frames on the 9th gen handle the power.
I ask cause i found a deal on a 94 f150 for $500 and a 390 with np435 & np205 for $400
Stock(all iron) 390 weighs 625lb and 302 probably 500lb and some
I was thinking of boxing frame and adding rollcage for strength
Can someboby give me some insight into an ordeal like this.

 

As long as you can deal with emission requirements in your state, you should be able to make it work with some modding of the engine perches. It won't be a bolt in project but anything is possible with enough thrown at it. IMHO



John

 

Im Canadian and im pretty sure the dicktators would let it slide. I would just make sure to register the truck before the engine swap and then as far as insurace goes as long as you replace what you take out i think i shouldn't have an issue.
I dont think our emmision control is quiet as strict up here. i have a 79 with 400 and i removed all the emisions crap. ive seen alot of 7th and 8th gen trucks with removed emmision junk. Most of it doesn't work anymore anyways.

As for mounts and crossmember i can easily fabricate it. All the hours I logged in the Highschool shop were worth something.

 

I never looked to see where you were, most guys must think the internet boogy man will steal their gas for listing it, so they don't.

You will have to mock it up, so I would get as much of it bolted together when starting.




John

 

If they put the 460 in that truck (and I believe they did), it can handle the power of the 390. Stick or auto?

 

Was thinkin of going with a manual. The c-6 woud probably take up more room. Would put in a c-6 if I could find a 4x4 one. (they are hard to find in my area). dont know the internals of an auto good enough to swap tailshafts.

 

i believe the fe series weighs about 150 lbs less than a 460 and especially if you use an aluminum intake, we currently put a freshly rebuilt 390 out of a 74 highboy 4x4 into a 1987 f-350 crew cab 4x4, it had an old 6.9L diesel with 400,000 miles on it it was rather tired. we got the dog house back on last weekend and this weekend we will be finishing the wiring harness for the duraspark module and putting everything else back on, we kept the diesel alternator and newer power steering pump, this was mounted to a c6 that we also rebuilt, we had to custom make the engine mounts but it wasn't hard hopefully i will be able to upload pictures and give more info once complete plan on after this weekend.

 

I like this idea, the best of two worlds.

 

I heard somewhere else on this forum that the 390 motor perches where the same as the I-6 in th late 60's. would they keep the same dimentions for the I-6 they have in the 9th gen f150.

 

If your going with a manual trans look into getting a T18 4spd. WHY? Because Ford still put them in the late 80s-early 90s pickups. You can get the trans and all the linkage, slave cylinder, master cylinder, etc from the late model. All you'd need is a FE bellhousing from a late 60s/mid70s T18. Only thing you may have to do is relocate the crossmember, but that will take a test fit to be sure.

I never gave much thought about I6 perches. Makes sense...both early and late I6s are 300ci. The only problem is the 80s-90s trucks have wider frames.

Try doing some searches here in the FE forum. This transplant has been made successful by at least one FTEr, but I think it was an '85 model.

 

You might be on to something with the I6 mounts. It shouldn't matter that the frame is different because the mounts were designed to fit the engine from that frame.

I remember being at a local dealer in the 90s looking under the front of a new truck and thinking how much it looked like my 66. Not identical, very similar. Like looking at brothers and seeing family looks.

I think your project is very do-able.



John

 

Granted there is much I don't know, and much I have not seen, but, I've never seen a hydraulic clutch on these old trucks. You might have to invent a way to mount the hydraulics.

I do like the idea.

 

I'll have to look, but I think the slave on my '90 is mounted to the trans. Been way too long since I've done any major work under there and my CRAFT disease has gotten pretty bad. But even then, this should still be doable since the T18 was behind an FE from Ford. If someone sends me a few thousand dollars and some free time, I'd be willing to find out. I'd love to put a nice stroked FE in my truck.

 

I know I'm dredging up an old thread but this is the only one I've been able to locate that speaks directly at dropping in the 390 into this generation of F150.
I'm wanting to do the same on my 96 2wd, manual tranny truck and have only been able to locate info on the earlier generation trucks. Currently have the I6 with ZF tranny. Has anyone heard or personally performed this swap??

Please don't lock up this thread with the usual advice of "the 351 is the only way to go" or "you'll be put to death because you're violating every emissions law" nonsense. Tried and true 390 swap experience will be immensely appreciated though

 

Wow. This is a dumpster dive. This idea has on the backburner for a long time. But I was thinking of going for it the other day.
Dad has a 96 f150 4x4 reg cab longbox With the I6, minimal rust and a few dents.
My awesome brothers went hunting in it a few years back and wrapped the wiring harness around the front driveshaft. Motor ran awesome before, now barely runs. last year they went hunting with it somehow smacked a big rock off the harmonic balancer and bent the crank. then to top it off it starts leaking out the oilpan(piece of gasket ripped out. dont want to know).
Anyways so now i have a great truck to start with.
My cousin has a hopped up 360
But says he will let me have it. So im gonna go for it
Has a Good 2wd c-6. and im going to do a tailshaft swap even though my last one piled up in 5 min. i think it was bad trans to start with, I just put the last nail in the coffin.
This is going to take a few weeks to prepare for but will include a new post and a link to it from this post.

Anything is possible, it all about how much coin is in your pocket.
If i can put a 390 in a 79 f250(Nightmare) i can make it work in a 9th generation f150.