I'll try and make this short and to the point. My plan is to take the complete drive train from a 2005 E350 van and put it in a 1989 F150. I got both of them for free so I figure I got nothing to lose. I'll start with the van.
I got the van from a local television station after one of their news team rolled it going down the highway. They had a rear blowout and because it was so top heavy it didn't take much for the driver to lose control. Everyone came out of the wreck okay, but the van with only 40,000 miles was history. They brought it back to their place and only took out the broadcast equipment. I was making a delivery to the station and saw the van and asked what they had planned for it. They told me they couldn't get any scrapyards to come out there and take it away. That's when I told them I would take it off their hands and a few days later I had a wrecker go grab it and bring it to my house.
When I got the van home I got the V10 running and was able to see what damage might have happen during the wreck. To my delight, it ran wonderful. I then started deciding what to do with it. I originally was going to fix it up and sell it, then I was going to part it out. At one time I was strongly considering turning it into a 4x4 truggie. In the mean time I started scrapping it from the cab back to make what ever money I could off it. I was able to make $600 off the aluminum, $250 for all the copper wiring and about $150 in steel. I'm a pack rat when it comes to car stuff and I kept all kind of aluminum for future car projects and lots of thick wiring.I was all over the place on what I was going to do with it.

 

This takes us to the truck. It was my moms truck until the crankshaft broke and she was about to leave it in Orange,Tx. Problem solved, now I knew what I was going to do with the van. Thats when I got my trailer and went and picked up the truck.<table style="border: medium none; font-family: Myriad,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;" border="0" width="1024"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="border: medium none;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allownetworking="all" src="http://w765.photobucket.com/flash/tagWidget.swf?mediaURL=aHR0cDovL2k3NjUucGhvdG9idWN rZXQuY29tL2FsYnVtcy94eDI5MS93b3VkaWVpbnR4L3VzZXI1M TQ5NjlfcGljMzQ0MDNfMTI3MzQ1NjQ1Ni5qcGc%3D" width="1024" height="768"></td></tr></tbody></table>
So I had a plan and I took everything with a wire attached out of the E350. While doing so I labeled every wire and where it came from. Surprisingly, the 2005 van had pretty simple wiring. In fact there seems to be less wiring in the van than the 89 F150. I've now started dismantling the truck and have sold the motor and tranny for $75.<table style="border: medium none; font-family: Myriad,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;" border="0" width="1024"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="border: medium none;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allownetworking="all" src="http://w765.photobucket.com/flash/tagWidget.swf?mediaURL=aHR0cDovL2k3NjUucGhvdG9idWN rZXQuY29tL2FsYnVtcy94eDI5MS93b3VkaWVpbnR4L0lNR18xM Tg1LmpwZw%3D%3D" width="1024" height="768"></td></tr></tbody></table>

 

you will want to transplant the rear diff from the van into the F150. i would suspect it has a sensor on the top which feeds the tranny/computer speed info so they shift properly etc...

you might also look for a wrecking yard dash to transplant into the f150 so you have the proper gauges and such. will also make wiring easier.
awesome swap i must say

 

VERY interesting swap

The E-series does NOT use the rear VSS like the F-series trucks do. They use the speedo-style gear in the tranny, or the output shaft sensor, or both, but they don't use the VSS like the F-series do.

It's probably the easiest way you can do a non-direct swap with a V10 or other Ford modular engine without using the rear end from the donor, use the E-series tranny and PCM and wiring.

 

I have the Dana 60 axle with disc brakes from the van and plan on using it. I want to use it for a few reasons. Mostly because I want to keep the computer happy and keep the right gear ratio. I probably could get by with the 8.8. I like 8 lug wheels and like the way they give the truck a heavy duty look. I want a truck that is super custom but only a real gearhead would notice. For the front suspension, I'm hoping that I can find a F250 with front wheel ABS and use its front suspension for the F150, so that I have 8 lugs in the front too. I'm also hoping that I will be able to get the four wheel ABS to work.
As for the gauge cluster. From what i can tell, the van and truck gauge clusters are very similar in shape and size. I don't think the van cluster will just drop right into the truck dash, but I'm guessing it won't take much fabbing to get it in there. I'm thinking it will be easier getting the cluster to fit than it will be to get the heating and air conditioning to work.

 

Awsome swap! I am a hour away, let me know if you need a hand with anything.

 

Thanks for the offer. If I don't end up using your help I'll still give you a spin in it. Are you making it to the GTG?

 

I won't be able to make this one.
Are you going?

 

I really want to make it but don't know if I can afford the time or money

 

Same thing here.

 

I ran into my first roadblock. I'm still trial fitting, but it looks like it will fit if I notch the oil pan 4 inches. Got to look if that's even possible. Besides the oil pan, I've got about an inch or more of clearance everywhere else. Going to post my problem in the V10 section and see what people suggest.

 

Found out the 4x4 oil pan is what I need to get. This is the latest picture with the engine sitting on the K member. The V10 barely fits in there. There's only an inch between the valve covers and the firewall. The column shifter is useless now and will maybe have to go with a floor shifter. The steering pump is also only about an inch from the steering gear box. I'll yank the motor/tranny back out today and make up some motor mounts.<table style="border: medium none; font-family: Myriad,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif;" border="0" width="1024"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="border: medium none;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allownetworking="all" src="http://w765.photobucket.com/flash/tagWidget.swf?mediaURL=aHR0cDovL2k3NjUucGhvdG9idWN rZXQuY29tL2FsYnVtcy94eDI5MS93b3VkaWVpbnR4L0lNR18xM Tg2LmpwZw%3D%3D" width="1024" height="768"></td></tr></tbody></table>

 

Its a tight fit, but it should work. This swap has been done into P71s before, so you know it will fit in an F150.

 

Any way you can get some clear pictures of the top of the intake? Wondering if the E-series intake is different than the F-series, giving more clearance.

 

I can smell the tire smoke already.