is his a 4x4? I know in the F150's they move the oil filters around if its a 2wd vs a 4x4 to make room for the front differential

 

Yes it is. 2008 4x4 f250

He also located a 2008 e150 van engine 5.4l would this work?

 

The van engine is a 2 valve.

 

There are so many variations of the 2v 5.4L and 3v 5.4L but all 3v's are for the most part interchangeable with the exception of swapping a few parts. Ford was notorious for changing little things with the same engine. The trick is knowing what you have to swap. For me, if that engine has low miles and was fairly priced... a simple difference in oil filter location wouldnt stop me. I am pretty sure you can use an oil filter relocation kit if that particular location is going to be an issue. I can't imagine them changing the block casting/oil filter location for the 2wd vs 4wd but I could be wrong.

 

Depends on how far you want to get into it. If that is an f150 engine. The timing covers are different. The one guy who did the 3v swap in his 01 proved that because of the different power steering pump (f150 vs 250)

 

Just strip the replacment engine down to a long block and rebuild it using the intake, oilpan, oil filter adapter, from the original and all other parts that are different from the original engine. I would replace the rear main seal while you have it where its easy to get at. If he has a 3v 5.4 in his truck any 3v 5.4 can be used to replace it by just swapping parts.