Any F350 experts on here? engine & transmission swap question

Heres what I'm looking at doing - I have 2 f350's, both 4 wd, both 137" wheelbase, both 460 ci gas. The '94 I bought new, its got 76000 miles, manual trans. frame is ready to break it's so rusty, runs like a swiss watch though. Recently bought an '88, auto trans, good solid frame [dump] same engine but uses a qt of oil in 300 miles, doesn't run near as good as the other, someone thought it a good idea to cut all the emissions stuff of it, including the cat. conv. I want to put the engine & manual trans from the '94 into the '88. If anyone knows any glaring reasons why it won't work, please speak now - I'm 63, done most mechanical stuff there is, own chain hoists, Hiab crane, wheel loader, etc. Anyone with any tips, etc please chime in - Thanks, Mike

Are you swapping the transfer case also along with driveshafts? as it might be a bit longer with the auto on it.... I have swapped stuff on a 88' and I also have a 97' but haven't crossed anything between the two... but I think the frames are similar so most stuff should be a bolt on swap. wiring will be different on some of it though, but nothing you can't hack together I think not sure on the computers... I am assuming they are both TBFI???

The clutch linkage will take some work, but at least you have a donor truck. BTW, I don't think an above 8600 gvwr had a catalytic converter in '88, I know they didn't in '86.

I did all most the same thing a few years ago. I did it for some one that had more dollars than cents. If you are realy in love with the 88 i would only put the engine in it. I am not a ford hater but ford and interchangeable parts dont belong in the same sentence. This is a huge job and it will take lots and lots of time and more money than you think.

just do it! What have you got to loose neather truck is any good in the condition they are in now. Would be nice to have someone a litter younger around for the help in tight locations. They would not have to know much as you can point and tell them what to do.

A few updates, Ronsil, I don't know what TBFI is? Something fuel injected I guess, both are. I hadn't thought about computers. If I had to, I could use the cab from the '94. The '88 is nicer, having had some work done on it & a paint job within the last year or so. I'd like to pull engine, transmission, at the same time. Can remove the cab if need be. Mitch, the clutch is a slave hyd. line, I had to replace the line a few years ago when it rusted out. The pedal etc. bolts to the firewall in the '94, not sure yet if the holes or indents are in the '88. These are both 11000 GVW. The '94 has a cat, not sure if the '88 did. Old Doug - I know its a huge job, last summer I cut 3' off the front of my 15' '74 C60 Chev grain body [dump] and installed a Hiab crane on it. That did go pretty smooth though. I really want to be rid of the automatic, it's sloppy, started in reverse twice on me, the linkage is bad enough it's hard to tell. The speedometer is off about 6 or 7 mph too, pretty sure someones done work in or on it at some time. Dwan Hall - I'm a young 63 - ha ha. I do get tired faster, can't do 18 hour days anymore. We were in Juneau last August, our 30th anniversary we came up on a cruise. Thanks all so far, hope to tear into this in a few weeks, have about 15 cord of wood needs to be on pallets asap. Will post some pics when I get going.

Yeah, TBFI Throttle Body Fuel Injection the clutch pedal mounts in an aluminum support structure(that handles all 3 pedals)in the 88' and linkages up to a composite hydraulic cylinder but I think you can change it to mechanical if you really want to... when I first read your post I though it said you were going to put the auto in place of the standard guess I should read better LOL.

Oh, and the 88' clutch uses a plastic line for the clutch hydraulics.

It can be done if you have the time and patience to make the swap. The frames on these trucks are essentially the same from 1980 to 1997, there are minor differences in the cabs but nothing that can't be overcome. You've got a donor truck so you can make on the spot comparisons as to what needs swapped. You may need to swap the engine harness and computer, in fact I think I'd do that anyway to be sure the engine and computer are compatible.

I can't remember if the clutch linkage is bolted in or welded, I went the opposite direction with my truck back in '97 and swapped in a C6 in place of the 4 speed. I also had a donor truck so it was just a matter of swapping parts.

update

Well, stacking all that firewood got boring after 3 cords, so I kind of snuck into this job for a few hours Sunday, a few Monday, and this afternoon it looked like this. I don't know why my pictures are so grainy ? Anyhow, I'm going to use this cab over, with the all thats plugged into it, the heater, emissions, speedometer is digital & the 88 is cable. Will especially make the clutch/brake change easier. I'm looking at getting the engine & transmission out of this frame next, exhaust system, etc.

The 87-91 clutch is different than the 92-97. I am talking about the hanger under the dash. You are reusing the 94 cab so this is negated. The only other issue I can think of is that the 94 may have the upgraded Sterling rear with a longer pinion shaft and larger yoke for extra support. A simple d-shaft shortening will solve this. If you use the '88 doors the wing windows will hit the 94 dash and you will not get full opening of it. I have a friend that is an ace with 80-97 Fords. I can refer you to him if you have any questions. Good luck, looks like a good project.

Check out oilburners.net. That site is about like this one when it comes to information. There are a lot of knowledgeable and helpful guys over there that know anything you could ever want to about the obs fords

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I can second that

Gooseidi said:

I can second that

Click to expand...

Goose you are one of them who has helped me out over there lol I wasnt sure if you were the same goose or not but after seing your truck in another post here i knew you were. There arent too many yellow and white crew cabs out there

Lol. Heavyequipmentforums is right there with oilburners. Both are great sites with great people willing to help others out. I can't say that about every site that I have come across. The OP has helped me out sourcing parts for my Trojan loader, I only hope I can give him a little useful information as a return favor.

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Heres where I'm at as of this morning - I pulled the engine, transmission & xfer as one unit, I needed a little more lift than I'd allowed for, as I wanted to make sure I had enough chain to lower it to the floor. Won't make that mistake again. In this pic, hopefully you can see the rust damage on my '94 frame. 20 years old, but only 77,000 miles. Goose will like the last pic - A 54 year old Trojan loader still gettin it done - I'll get the wheels, etc off this frame before it goes to the scrap yard, it's pretty bad. Last summer, pulled up the driveway with it here, there was a loud snap and the truck lurched to a stop. The back u-bolts had broke where the springs tie to the axle, the differential cocked enough angle to lock up the driveshaft. That would have been a mess had it happened out on the road.

Damn Mike, you're making good progress. The loader looks great too. Yours is in much better shape than mine but that's ok, I'm happy to have it around.

So you're basically doing a frame and cab swap? I hope you are saving the rears. Are they that bad rust wise? The D60 front will fetch $5-700 even in less than desirable condition. Check both rear axles to see if the newer one has the longer pinion support. If the ratios are the same you could swap the rear axle so that the driveshaft will fit. The older truck will have a king pin equipped D60 which is more durable than the ball joints. My ex logging truck has 300,000 hard miles on it and the king pins are still tight. I replaced an $18 plastic piece in one of the king pins, all original otherwise.

I have been working on converting a 2002 7.3 diesel f550 2wd auto to a 4x4 manuel truck. I am using a 1999 f550 as a donor truck for the parts i need. The 99 lost compression and i have always wanted a 4 door crew with manuel and 4x4. I could only find an xl 2wd work truck for sale. I bought a non running truck to build into what i wanted.

I thought i could completely rebuild the non running truck in two weeks. Everytime i turn around a major setback has happened causing me to loose days and days of work. The last setback occurred when i started my new rebuild motor. Oil was leaking from the hpop reservoir, i tried to tighten the lid. The engine kit came with the wrong gasket which had a metal spreader in it. The 99s front cover had the metal lip machined into the cover. Tightening the cover on the metal gasket causes the front cover to break apart and spray oil. I had to re pull the engine trans and transfer case and take the motor apart to fix it

I have had major wiring issues. The auto trucks computer depends on several things to run that are only on the auto trans. I had to wire in the clutch pedal switch, a second thermometer for temp for the manuel, the rear backup lights, the overdrive control switch etc. i would suggest making sure you swap the wiring harnesses also.

I would suggest opening your fuel tank cleaning the sending unit and filters and sucking all the water and trash out of the good tank.

I am pushing 4 weeks on this rebuild and i am still at it. Currently reworking the flat bed wiring.
I basically had to pull the wiring harness that went to the autos gear sending unit on the trans and rebuild it for the manuel trans. I found numerous old splices in the trucks wiring and cut out the crap and soldiered everything back to factory specs.

I could not use the 99 trucks wiring because the 2002
Truck had updates with 30 or so more horse power. The computer idm and cluster were all specific to each truck.

I disassembled both trucks and two engines. Every oring and gasket except on the ac system was shot on both trucks. I would pull the small parts off the motor you are going to use and i would replace every part that can degrade with time.

O.K., finally got back to this job, the '88 is in the operating room now. Nice looking truck, but it wasn't long it looked like this - I'll probably be pulling the engine/trans out tomorrow. There is some rust under it, not as bad as the '94 though. I'm probably going to clean it up some & spray it with the rust encaps. paint. The crossmember that the rear of the cab sat on is shot, i'll be using the one from the '94. Hope to sell this cab, it needs new floor pans, but otherwise it's pretty nice. So, more to follow -

My job here hit a speed bump of sorts, as I found the frame under the cab had rusted so bad, I wouldn't just cover it up. I replaced about 7 ft of frame on the right side, and tomorrow have to head to a yard and get a piece for the left. My front splice is just behind the engine mount, covered with a 7" wide gusset The rear is just under the front of the dump frame.

These pics are a few days old, just couldn't get time to post - I found a 'donor truck' an '87 I could get a good sound frame rail from, so about 8 ft got welded in on the drivers side. The '94 460 eng. & manual transmission went back in, with no issues at all. Followed by gas tank, and everything else. Only problem I found was the '94 driveshaft [had to use, it was the right length] Had the larger U-joint on it, and the '88 rear end took the smaller size. I took the yoke from the '94 rear, moved it to the '88, and all's well. On Thursday, the '94 cab got re-installed, and I forgot to get a pic before I rolled it back into the barn. Yesterday I fired up the engine, and today I did the hyd pump for the dump, and drove it home. Got a few more things to do, but all in all it went pretty good. I spent more $$$ on paint, grinding wheels, and welding rod than anything else [oxy & acc too]