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Hi All.

I would like to start a thread about swapping to a new generation Ford 5.0

There seems to be a lot of discussion about it on this web site but not a lot of technical info shared. Soooo I would like to start openly sharing what I have found and ask others if they could also share their info.

I AM POSTING INFORMATION AS I DISCOVER IT. PLEASE TAKE IT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. I HAVE NOT FINISHED THE INSTALL YET AND SOME INFO MAY NOT PLAY OUT AS I GET DEEPER INTO THE SWAP.

ENJOY! Thumbs Up!



Thanks To All.
Evan

Last edited by George P
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Bought a bare block to start a mock up.

The new block is a full 3 in. shorter than the 351C block. The dimensions on the PDF file shows that the engine length to the end of the crank pulley is also a full 3 in shorter.
This is ignoring the A/C I have no idea how the A/C fits into a mustang.

The new block shares the pattern of some bell-housing bolts.
Here I have it bolted up just for kicks.
quote:
Originally posted by agustaboy:
Bought a bare block to start a mock up.

The new block is a full 3 in. shorter than the 351C block. The dimensions on the PDF file shows that the engine length to the end of the crank pulley is also a full 3 in shorter.
This is ignoring the A/C I have no idea how the A/C fits into a mustang.

The new block shares the pattern of some bell-housing bolts.
Here I have it bolted up just for kicks.

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Bell Housing.

talked to Steve @ Panteras By Wilkinson

He sells Bell housings. Stock Modified Aluminum bell housings.

So moving forward again.
UPDATE. ALTHOUGH USING A STOCK BELLHOUSING (WITH MODIFICATION) IS AN OPTION I'VE DECIDED TO GO BACK TO MY INITIAL PLAN TO USE THE QUICK TIME / LAKEWOOD HOUSING. MOUNTING OF THE STARTER IS MUCH LESS TROUBLE THAT WAY.
Last edited by agustaboy
Sorry Evan. I must have got the last adapter bellhousing. Be aware that fully dressed the coyote is longer where the least clearance is available which is the phaser section of the heads. The rear of the heads is also flush with the bellhousing mounting face. This creates heavy interference both the inner fenders and the upper firewall. That being said, if you trim the inner fenders enough to mate the engine to the trans with it in the stock location there is tons of room between the balancer and the firewall. It would be tough to trim the inner fenders that far as you would be cutting directly into the control arm support brace. I would rather shift the whole works forward and just modify the firewall and axle openings.
quote:
Originally posted by PanteraTurbo:
if you trim the inner fenders enough to mate the engine to the trans with it in the stock location there is tons of room between the balancer and the firewall. It would be tough to trim the inner fenders that far as you would be cutting directly into the control arm support brace. I would rather shift the whole works forward and just modify the firewall and axle openings.

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I do not remember Steve Wilkinson ever telling me that he had done a coyote swap. I believe I read on the POCA forum recently that Pantera Performance in Colorado was doing them. Doesn't hurt to ask Steve though. I am sure he could do the work. He has done a few modular motor swaps with a couple 5.4 swaps currently in progress at his shop. Those required "some" engine bay modifications for fitment. Smiler
Yes, Steve is over in Italy for the next three weeks getting a bunch of cool original parts for all kinds of DeTomasos. I thought he told me he has already sent two 40 foot containers state side from his last italian adventure earlier this summer, and now I'm sure he's on the hunt for anything else that he can sell that is NOS DeTomaso. Anyone requiring something cool should give him a ring, when he comes back to the States.

Mark
quote:
Originally posted by Bosswrench:
Agustaboy, if you can, weigh the assembly as it sits. I have weights for the modulars but not the Coyote. I expect around 525 lbs without a flywheel.



I will as soon as I get a bit more organized.

I plan on putting a Boss 302 intake on it and flipping it 180 Degrees. I can use the stock throttle body and save a few $$
Agustaboy - careful with that intake and packaging. I did some dimensional checks when I was considering this engine package.

I looked at a tall boss intake, but is was a rapid prototype as it was not released yet and it was packaged in the back of a different car at the time. I took some dimensions as best I could to transfer them to the Pantera.

I came up with the throttle body being about 7 inches behind the decklid. However, I don't think my measurement were 100% accurate. You guys also talked about moving the block forward a couple of inches too so that would help.

Take some measurements before buying that intake.
Well My initial test fit suggests there is a chance that setting the engine/Transaxle in it's
neutral position ( 0in offset ) is a possibility. I used a bubble level on the motor to set it plumb. Used the intake flange on the heads as my reference point and then checked that against the bottom of the block where the oil pan would bolt up.

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Here's a pic of the motor with a 3 deg. nose down attitude. The heads are close to touching but still with a hair of clearance 1/16 inch?

3 deg. is way more than you would want but I think neutral to 1.5 deg and you would still have adequate clearance to the inner fenders.

BY THE WAY I have No oil pan on this block so that has yet to be figured in.

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Good point that I can't answer. Big, wide, tall engine that's heavy for its stock displacement! I would do whatever it takes to get that thing down as far as the frame would accept. Swap-shops cut and build box-reliefs into the back edge of Pantera inner rear fender wells for head clearance, and saw off unused lugs etc from heads where they interfere. This is needed especially for post-'80s Panteras because their square-edge inner fender panels seem a little larger than the smooth stamped ones used in '71-76 Panteras. I know of one GT5-S that needed boxes done for a pro 4.6 mod-motor conversion 15 years ago. Most of the extra tire/wheel width in wide-body cars is outboard so there is some room to do this. Changing plugs is easier than on a 351-C!
The real fit issues, (I.M.O.) are at the front at the firewall. If you want to start exploring this then you can learn a lot with just the block and the front cover.

I've cut the firewall so that it's symmetrical.
Extends as far on the drivers side as the passengers side. I have not changed the passenger side just the drivers.

In this picture the engine is nose down about 1 Degree. I think I can avoid notching the top of the firewall if I set it at 1.5 Deg Down. It will be very close so....not holding my breath.

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Last edited by agustaboy
You could have them make a pan to fit the chassis. That one there is a mustang style. Those tanks will not fit between the frame rails.
All it entails is mating the Pantera 10qt pan to the Coyotte flange. Why dont you call them? They may have already done one for a customer?
Its going to be cheaper than cutting up that pan, making it fit, then sending it out to be coated?

Having used both the Canton and the Aviaid pans, my observation is that the finished product of the Canton is noticeably better on the Canton. It is also less expensive.

Given the choice between the two. I would take the Canton. There is no difference in the engineering designs of the pans.

The Armondo is the most expensive now. Higher cost of living on the border in Texas I guess? More ammo needed? Have to ask Perry about that? Big Grin
Last edited by panteradoug
The Coyote can be dry sumped but would require modification/removal of the stock oil pump.The remote filter adapters would work nicely for inlet feed. I plan to swap the dry sump system off of my old motor onto the Coyote. I am debating cnc machining a dry sump pan to suit my needs. The pan is very tight to the frame rails and may not allow typical side exit sump pickups. As far as I know Dan never finished his swap. I know he was selling parts from it. Not sure exactly what happened.
Flipping the intake 180 deg.

Thus far this is looking pretty easy to do.

There are a couple of minor modifications to do.

There are 2 tabs at the back of the manifold. They are just points to zip tie the wiring harness to. Clip them off. Also there are 2 alignment dowels molded into the bottom of the intake. Clip them off and trim flush. I also found it necessary to take a disk grinder to an area that was contacting the 90 deg. water neck. just a 1/32 trim. There should still be ample plastic wall thickness.

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Urethane-insulated motor mounts in a Pantera are a bad idea. The heat coming off the headers will melt the urethane normally used, especially on the left side. Hall used to sell them and I've helped chisel a couple of mounts apart after open track events. The left side is particularly troublesome because the left mount needs to be taken apart in order to remove it from around the shift shaft. But when the urethane melts and flows like pudding around all the parts, the mount-halves cannot be easily separated. So you're left chiseling and hacking melted-and-resolidified urethane off while its under the header and behind the shift rod. No oxyacetylene torch was available or I'd have used it! I suggest synthetic rubber mount insulators. Urethane might work for Mustangs with different around-engine air flows but not Panteras. It does work on ZF mounts since the heat is far less there.
quote:
Originally posted by Bosswrench:
Urethane-insulated motor mounts in a Pantera are a bad idea. The heat coming off the headers will melt the urethane normally used, especially on the left side. Hall used to sell them and I've helped chisel a couple of mounts apart after open track events. The left side is particularly troublesome because the left mount needs to be taken apart in order to remove it from around the shift shaft. But when the urethane melts and flows like pudding around all the parts, the mount-halves cannot be easily separated. So you're left chiseling and hacking melted-and-resolidified urethane off while its under the header and behind the shift rod. No oxyacetylene torch was available or I'd have used it! I suggest synthetic rubber mount insulators. Urethane might work for Mustangs with different around-engine air flows but not Panteras. It does work on ZF mounts since the heat is far less there.


Do 180 headers where the tubes immediately curve up and away from the mounts. Big Grin
quote:
Originally posted by Bosswrench:
Urethane-insulated motor mounts in a Pantera are a bad idea. The heat coming off the headers will melt the urethane normally used, especially on the left side. Hall used to sell them and I've helped chisel a couple of mounts apart after open track events. The left side is particularly troublesome because the left mount needs to be taken apart in order to remove it from around the shift shaft. But when the urethane melts and flows like pudding around all the parts, the mount-halves cannot be easily separated. So you're left chiseling and hacking melted-and-resolidified urethane off while its under the header and behind the shift rod. No oxyacetylene torch was available or I'd have used it! I suggest synthetic rubber mount insulators. Urethane might work for Mustangs with different around-engine air flows but not Panteras. It does work on ZF mounts since the heat is far less there.



Ah good to know thanks.

Going to use a cable shifter to simplify fit issues.

180 headers are a plan for next year but I've got an "almost off the shelf" header that I'm looking at. I'll post it if it works.
I will wrap them and work in some sort of heat shield for the mounts.
quote:
I'm thinking of using some square tubing and welding it in like this paper mock up I have here.

Good, creative thinking.

I do however think it may require some serious revamping (or new fabrication) of the wheel house brace bar which appears to have its effectiveness (in anchoring the suspension and shock mounts) diminished by your modification.

Do you have something already in mind to keep the suspension anchor points well located, or am I not reading your photos correctly?

How much of the wheelhouse (inner fenders) are you intending to remove?

Confused
quote:
Originally posted by desert_detomaso:
quote:
I'm thinking of using some square tubing and welding it in like this paper mock up I have here.

Good, creative thinking.

I do however think it may require some serious revamping (or new fabrication) of the wheel house brace bar which appears to have its effectiveness (in anchoring the suspension and shock mounts) diminished by your modification.

Do you have something already in mind to keep the suspension anchor points well located, or am I not reading your photos correctly?

How much of the wheelhouse (inner fenders) are you intending to remove?

Confused


It may be possible to use the engine as the mount for the suspension. Formula 1 and Indy cars have done this successfully.
agustaboy, depending on how much interference you are expecting to the inner fender housing there are a couple simple tricks to move the engine and transaxle forward to consider that may be preferable to cutting into the chassis structure.

If you only need approximately 3/4" you can bend the tranny mounts into an "S" shape. This is typically done to move the transaxle aft, but I don't see why it couldn't be used to move it forward. If you need more than that you may need to fab new trans mounts. Ford Big Block swaps typically move the transaxle ~3" from neutral; I have not heard of problems with this amount of misalignment, but I would expect increased U-joint friction and stress with increasing misalignment.

You may also be able to move just the engine forward by putting a spacer between the bellhousing and engine. I have seen approximately 1" (?) thick adapters used with engine swaps. I am also using a QuickTime bellhousing and found it preferable to use a hydraulic throwout bearing rather than fabricating the clutch actuator slave mount.

For clearance up front I fabricated an alternator/AC mount and used an aftermarket pulley to suck these accessories as close as possible to the engine. I also used an electric water pump, mounted behind the radiator. I added 1/4" thick wooden strips (and longer bolts) to space-out the firewall access door.

Every Ford Big Block conversion that I have seen cuts into the wheel house structure, like you are planning. By using a few tricks I was able to keep the structure unmodified and fit the much longer/larger Big Block with the transaxle in the "stock" location.

Thank you for posting your project. It is fun to see your work and problem-solving.

Matt
Thanks Scott. Got the cable shiftier. WOW looks great Leather covered too!!!!! Going to need some of your CV Shafts soon as well.

NOTE To Everyone. If you are going to do a Coyote swap, making modifications to the stock shifting mechanism is probably a must. I want to set my engine as low in the chassis as I can so I decided getting one of these cable shifers from Scott @ sacc restorations was the solution for me.

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