93 F150 with 4BTA

[clarkwgriswald]

With the swap almost wrapped up, now is probably a good time to start the buildup thread. A few weeks before starting the swap, I found what I consider to be the perfect candidate: a 93 F150 4X4 with m5r2, 3.55 gears and 100K miles. It has XL trim meaning…… crank windows, manual locks, no AC, no carpet, no cruise etc. And it is relatively rust free for this area of the country.

Here it is .....just before the swap:


The hard part was finding a donor step van. There simply aren’t any for sale in SD. After considering a few vans 5-6 hours away, I got lucky and found one just 20 miles from my house. I bought it the next day: 81 P30, 4BTA with Allison auto and 125K on the clock. It was originally a Frito-Lay van, before a local plumber purchased it and used it for his business.

Just prior to dropping it into the F150, CPL 1848:


I began the swap in January and fortunately my brother, “cornfeed” on this site, allowed me the use of his 60X100ft shop. I pulled the front clip off for easier access during the swap, and I definitely don’t regret it. What little extra time it took to pull and replace the clip, was more than made up by not having to crawl over and around the fenders, core support, etc.

The 4bt was pulled through the side door. It took a little work to separate it from the big, clumsy Allison trans, but all-in-all it wasn’t too bad. I bought a Ford manual adapter plate, flywheel, and starter from a member of this site and sold the Allison adapter and starter to recoup some of the cost of the Ford parts.

Front Clip Removed:



300 Straight 6 Removed:

[clarkwgriswald]

I used Ford motor mounts and my brother built frame stands by modifying the stock Ford 300 6 stands. I also went with the commonly used Anchor biscuits. It is often said on this site that Ford step van motor mounts are a bolt in deal using 80-96 Ford 300 six frame stands. In my case they were not even close. Look at the pictures below. The first shows the 300 frame stands, note that the mounting surfaces are nearly parallel to the ground. The second picture shows the Ford step van motor mounts with a 45 degree angle mounting surface. Maybe there are different designs of the 300 6 frame stands out there? Can someone who has actually used 300 frame stands in their ford swap please enlighten me on this?

[clarkwgriswald]

Although the rest of the truck was pretty clean, the front core support was rusted around where it mounts to the frame. This wasn’t such a bad thing afterall because I had planned on using the 4BTA intercooler and it would not have worked with the stock core support. So, I cut out the cancer areas of the core support and, using 1.5” square tube, rebuilt the bottom portion. This allowed me to place the radiator and intercooler wherever I wanted them. The intercooler now sits where the radiator was and the stock F150 radiator is positioned behind the intercooler and down 6 inches to allow the intercooler inlet and outlet to clear the top of the radiator. I still have around 10 inches of clearance between the radiator and motor, plenty of room to install an electric fan that I had laying around my garage.


Here is the core support after I cut the cancer areas out:


The new bottom portion of the core support with radiator and intercooler mounted:


And with the front clip bolted back in place:


A side shot showing the radiator's new location along with intercooler placement:


And finally another shot of the radiator and intercooler along with electric fan:

[JakeDiesel]

lookin like a nice build

[clarkwgriswald]

The original design of the fuel system was to utilize the stock dual tanks and in-tank fuel pumps. I connected the tank feed and return lines with the injector return line at the lift pump using two brass T’s. The thinking behind this system was that, even though a high pressure pump is used, without a restriction (like a fuel pressure regulator) the fuel is free to flow back through the return line to the tank. However, within the first 200 miles, my lift pump developed a leak – the added pressure from the in tank fuel pump had ruptured the diaphragm within the lift pump.

This system made sense in theory, and I liked having dual functioning tanks, but it was time to put the truck back to the way the 4bt was designed to run stock. I pulled the sender and modified it with a piece of 3/8” steel tube, then ran 3/8” Gates fuel hose from NAPA to and from the engine. I still think with either the right fuel pressure regulator or using pre 89 Ford low pressure in tank pumps that you could make this work.

Below is a picture of fuel connection at the lift pump of the system that has since been replaced:

[clarkwgriswald]

For brakes, I decided to go with the P30 hydroboost. I cut the back end of the F150 vacuum booster off, ending up with a plate with the 4 studs that go into the firewall. I then cut the hydroboost mounting bracket and welded the two together. After elongating the mounting holes on the F150 master cylinder, it slid over the studs on the Hydrobooster. The rod from the hydroboost that inserts into the master cylinder had to be shortened by about an inch. The need for this became apparent after the first test drive.

Because I used the hydroboost from the van, there was no need for custom hoses, hard to find fittings, etc. All of the van hoses worked with the exception of needing to splice the hydroboost hose to the F150 power steering box hose. This cost $5 at the local CO-OP. So for $5 and around 4-6 hours of work, I have a functioning hydroboost system – well worth the effort in my opinion.

Hydroboost unit removed from the step van:


And mounted to the firewall:

[clarkwgriswald]

Downpipe clearance was a challenge. I used the stock downpipe, cut a section out and welded it back together. This helped to get the pipe angled down right after the turbo, but it still wasn’t enough. I ended up using a hydraulic press to get a steeper angle, however the cross sectional area of the pipe has been reduced at the bend. Since I began with a 3 inch diameter down pipe, there shouldn’t be a serious restriction to exhaust flow. I took a sledge hammer to the firewall and also cut out a section and then screwed in a piece of sheetmetal. This yields around 1” of clearance between the downpipe and firewall. For the rest of the exhaust, I scavenged some of the flex exhaust pipe from the van to route through the trans crossmember. The remainder consists of a 6 ft length of 3” pipe from a local exhaust shop, they even put a 45 degree bend in it at no cost. It exits in front of the passenger rear tire.

This picture shows the downpipe to firewall clearance:

[clarkwgriswald]

For simplicity’s sake, I kept the GM SI alternator rather than convert to a Ford unit. I cut the van alternator connector and spliced it to the Ford engine bay wiring harness. Both the GM and Ford alternators use a wire from + Batt and a wire from the ignition switch in the “on” position. So I spliced the corresponding wires together – the only problem I had was that I was getting feedback to the ignition switch, when I turn the key off, the engine will continue to run. As a fix, I bought a diode off of ebay that plugs in between the alternator and wiring harness, that took care of the problem.

In the future, I may upgrade to a 140 amp CS alternator from a mid 90’s caprice, as an additional benefit the CS alternators have a tach lead if I decide to add a tach later on. I bought a 1300 CCA battery from a local place that sells factory rejects. At $80, the price was right. I had the local NAPA store custom make a set of 2(0) battery cables – the guy that built them thought that they were overkill, but I plan on doing some cold weather driving and I don’t want to take any chances.

Here is the back of the alternator, the ebay diode harness (green and black wires) connects right in between the alternator and wiring harness:


The 1300 CCA battery, and it is heavy:

[clarkwgriswald]

Now on to the rest of the wiring.

I bought new temp and oil pressure senders for a 93 F150 and routed them to their respective wires at the engine harness plug. I wired up the fan using a relay and a temp switch, I also installed an override switch and located it in the ashtray.

For the vacuum operated heat controls, I used a powerstroke electric vacuum pump that I purchased off of a member of this site. Based on posts from this and other sites, it seems that this vacuum pump has a tendency to fail due to over use. So I installed a switch in the ashtray so that I can turn on the pump only when adjusting the heat controls.

I added a boost and pyrometer gauge, mounting them to the a-pillar with a universal dual gauge pod. I have everything connected except the pyrometer probe.

Within reason, I tried to keep the wiring as neat and tidy as possible. I don't like the look of engine bay wiring that resembles a rat's nest. I cut all wires to the exact length needed, soldered all shrink-wrapped connections, and routed everything along the firewall in 3/8" split flex tubing.

The Ford Computer is still in place, as is all of the stock engine bay wiring. The check engine light is constantly on in the dash....the computer must see a 100 things that aren't quite right. All-in-all the wiring on this project wasn't too bad.

The switch on the left overrides the electric fan switch on the cylinder head. The switch on the right controls power to the electric vacuum pump. I prefer aftermarket switches to be hidden, and since I don't smoke, the ashtray seemed like a logical place to put them.


Autometer Boost and Pyro Gauges:


A pic of the engine bay:

[clarkwgriswald]

I've logged around 700 miles after the swap and have been very pleased. So far mileage has been 24 mpg in mixed highway and city driving. I am keeping a fuel log and it will be interesting to see how it averages out long term.

The low rpm torque of the 4bt is amazing, night and day difference from the 300 6 that it replaced. On the highway, the 4bt really comes alive in 4th and overdrive, I can see up to 13 pounds of boost on hard acceleration. Driving at 55-60 mph on level ground I see 4 psi. Although I am happy with the 4bt performance stock, due to the affordable modifications available, I plan to tweak things a little. 12cm exhaust housing, 3200 rpm spring, advance the timing, injection pump adjustments, and DennyT fuel pin will be done as time allows.

With 3" exhaust and no muffler, the truck is loud. It seems to draw attention, especially to those that know a diesel was not offered in that generation F150. However, the interior noise is a little too much for my liking. One of the next projects will be to install sound deadening material on the firewall, floor, doors, back of cab, etc. Most of the nosie is coming through the firewall, so I'd doubt adding a muffler would do anything for interior noise.

With 3.55 gears, the .8 od ratio of the m5r2, and 29 in tires, I am turning around 2000 rpm at 60 mph. I don't mind driving the local roads at 55-60 mph, but interstate travel is pretty much out of the question. Eventually, I will need to either go to 3.08 gears or bigger tires.


And finally, I couldn't have pulled this off with out the help of this site. Before and during the swap, I have spent many hours searching the site.

Also, a big THANKS goes out to the members that have helped me out by responding to my posts and pm's. This is just a limited list of members that have helped:
my brother (cornfeed)
Ford4X4-JD70AB
sdstriper
mineitnow
CrewCab59
averagef250
BobS

[Ford4x4-JD70AB]

Your swap looks good. My front core support is getting rusty so I might do what you did and re-work it and add an intercooler. Did you leave room for A/C up there?

[dieseldude]

Hi nice build. I'm sure you will get a lot of use out of it.
You asked if someone had put a 4bt on 300 six motor mounts, I have and the older 300 mounts are different than the ones on your truck.

Mine are at a 45 degree angle and the 4bt bolts right in with the ford box van mounts.

[clarkwgriswald]

Originally Posted by Ford4x4-JD70AB

Your swap looks good. My front core support is getting rusty so I might do what you did and re-work it and add an intercooler. Did you leave room for A/C up there?

Thanks. I don't know if AC would fit, the truck left the factory without AC and I don't intend to add it.

[clarkwgriswald]

Originally Posted by dieseldude

Hi nice build. I'm sure you will get a lot of use out of it.
You asked if someone had put a 4bt on 300 six motor mounts, I have and the older 300 mounts are different than the ones on your truck.

Mine are at a 45 degree angle and the 4bt bolts right in with the ford box van mounts.

I wish I would have known this a year ago. You wouldn't happen to have any pictures of just the frame stands in the frame, or pics of everything bolted together?

[dieseldude]

The truck is together and running for the last year and half and I did not take any photos. (really didn't think anyone would be intersted in 4 cyl. conversions.) when building it.

I will try to get some photos of the mounts and see how they turn out.

[72gts]

Sounds like a good swap. How do you like the trany. Hows the gear spacing is first low enough?

[clarkwgriswald]

Gear spacing with the m5r2 is about as good as you could expect from a 5 speed. 1st gear is perfect for everyday driving. For pulling any significant amount of weight, a lower 1st gear would be ideal.

[militarytrux]

nice job, well done. I have a 4bt on the shop floor and the mounts that are on the engine are straight steel with the fluid mounts hanging straight down, they look like they would work with the 300 six towers that are in your pictures.
I've been thinking of a simillar swap into an F-150 4-door, still trying to figure out the best year to use? also did your engine fit up to the transmission in the stock location or did you need to move the trans? do you know if the ZF trans will work?

Dave

[clarkwgriswald]

Originally Posted by militarytrux

I've been thinking of a simillar swap into an F-150 4-door, still trying to figure out the best year to use? also did your engine fit up to the transmission in the stock location or did you need to move the trans? do you know if the ZF trans will work?

My personal preference is for the crew cab short box, they came along later in that body style...maybe 95 or 96. A crew cab long box pick-up is too long, in my opinion, to be a practical driver - hard to fit in parking spaces, etc.
I didn't move the transmission. The way the 4BT sits now is perfect for oil pan and firewall clearance.
The ZF would be a good choice, my brother and others on this site have used it.

[Sal]

Hey i am very interested in doing a swap like this. I am just curious on a rough estimate on what this cost you to do (including truck, finding engine, engine, etc..)

I am somewhat new to this and it seemed like with the truck you used it didnt seem to cost you as much as another truck.

Thank you for any replies!

[clarkwgriswald]

Originally Posted by Sal

Hey i am very interested in doing a swap like this. I am just curious on a rough estimate on what this cost you to do (including truck, finding engine, engine, etc..)

$1000 for the F150 and $2000 to complete the swap (after selling off what I didn't need: van body, engine removed from F150, allison and adapter, etc.) Now there are a few things not essential to the swap that I've done or will be doing within the next year: gauges, wheels/tires, paint, 12 cm exhaust housing, sound deadening in the cab, etc. that will add roughly an extra $1000 to the cost.

[Sal]

Thanks for the reply! After seeing how much you spent its relitivly not that expensive. I bet finding a van will be a lot harder than the f150.

Oh and another question, do you think the truck is underpowered at all with the 4bt? I was just wondering how accelerating was. it probably around 100 horsepower right? does the torque make up for it?

[clarkwgriswald]

Originally Posted by Sal

Thanks for the reply! After seeing how much you spent its relitivly not that expensive. I bet finding a van will be a lot harder than the f150.

Best to have patience when looking for a van and be open to travel to get one, took me almost a year of looking.

There are lots of late 80's to mid 90's ford pick-ups out there. So you can afford to be picky and buy exactly what you need - low miles, little or no rust, mazda or ZF 5 speed, .....etc.

[clarkwgriswald]

Originally Posted by Sal

Oh and another question, do you think the truck is underpowered at all with the 4bt? I was just wondering how accelerating was. it probably around 100 horsepower right? does the torque make up for it?

Feels stronger than the 300 6. The CPL I used in my swap makes 300 ft/lb at only 1500 rpm, per the cummins engine performance curve. Aside from maybe the 460 and 7.3 diesel, I doubt that anything else offered by Ford in 93 had that much torque at 1500 rpm. I do plan on the typical injection pump and timing modifications as well as a 12cm exhaust housing. This should help to wake it up a little.

[Sal]

Nice sounds like its gonna be a great runner when you are done. I was just wondering how do you think the tranny and such will hold up to all that torque?