Well, if you are going to do this, make sure the oil pansump on the 302 is the same as the 4.2. If the 302 trannys is a aod, the out put is the same as the 4R70W, so hang the motor/tranny combination with the drive shaft installed,the tranny mount should be the same, and then you can make up some kind of motor mounts. Fuel delivery will be a problem, exhaust will be a problem, but hey, that is just like a hot rodder doing a trans plant. Good luck, but gas mileage will be not as good. Buy one of those tranny rebuild DVD's, and spend the $150 on a rebuild kit, and rebuild your stock tranny. It's easier then what is ahead of you. good luck in whatever you do...Karl

 

if i use a carborated motor i dont needany engine management. i just need 9 psi of fuel and power to the coil and distributer and the motor should run. hook up temp sensor and my engine temp gauge should work, fuel gauge still works with a regulator at 9 psi for the carb. Trans needs no computer management either on carbed motor. I have both a econoline 150 van and ford tbird. both complete. you think itll work?

 

like i said from the get go, your hassel will be majorly electrical. since you have a complete donor to rip things from your one step ahead. i think you'll be able to get the motor and tranny to fit and run (its smaller than the 4.6 5.4 so there will be room around the bay). im just not familiar with what it will take to make the cab's wiring functional again. i assume your going to take your computer out and such.

 

He's going to end up gutting the cab and starting from scratch - That's going to be fun getting everything functional. I'm betting he doesn't unless he's an electrical engineer and if so - You would have to be a magical one

This whole thing sounds painful

I'm curious what the dash will look like if he accomplishes this.

 

meh if it was me i'd pull the dash out and run my own wiring to the oem wiring and splice it... but i'd be pissed if i was the guy who bought it down the road.

 

Have you seen the back side of the cluster - some of those wires are 2 and 3 pair - theres more than 20 all together - No way , he'll have to use the cluster from the doner along with everything else...

 

hm... sounds like an epoxy job to the back of the clear face.

 

why would i have to pull dash. im just going to unplug computer from tranny and engine. the 5.o motor and trans requires no computer management so where is my electrical problem. i can just leave the wire harness in the truck and run coil and distributer wires. The gauges arent ran by the computer or anything else in the dash.thats all ran by the fuse box. So wheres the probems do you think?

 

Sorry , I don't really enough about this swap. I started reading about what would have to be done and I don't remember where - I can't locate the info. All I know is, It's possible - But I haven't found anyone in past who's tried it, that didn't run into a major road block.

If you are by chance successful - document the information and how you managed each hurdle that you WILL meet in attempting this.

Just use the search bar to find others that have attempted this. You sound like you think it's easy.

Good Luck

 

For room and board in Hawaii.. I'll fix it for you. I'm very sloow , it might take about 6 months.

 

Well since the gauges are not ran by the computer, I mean can I have your speedo cable, oh that is if you can find it because it is ran out of the PCM from the TCM, from the OSS, and the tach is just a easy crank pickup, not going into the PCM or anything. Oh but all the gauges are controlled by modules, they are not like old school stuff and hard wired. But if you really want a carb. setup, they make a conversion and intakes for a carb'd 4.6/5.4. And you said you wanted more power, a stock or lightly modded 5.0 won't even think about keepin up with the 4.6L, and the year models you are taking them from are the weakest 5.0's.

 

I found out the thunderbird is a 96 and it has the 4.6 in it. Will that make it a little easier to swap. what might I have trouble doing?thanks for everyones imput.

 

Check the length of the tranny in the 96 Tbird, it just might swap in and your problem is solved!

 

thanks for everyones imput, ill take pics and document what I decide to do. Ill post them as I go. ill proably start this weekend. thanks