Cause Im planning it finally. I did see a comment somewhere in one of these that someone was thinking of doing a conversion on their wifes mountaineer so at least one other person is thinking it. Even if it was just a passing thought.

Project base - 03 Mountaineer AWD V6 (may change if I figure starting with a V8 version will be of any advantage, but 02-05 Mounty either way) Quick background, truck has 245k miles on it, very nice body/interior, drivetrain showing its age. Picked up for $1000 with newer motor installed. Previous owner removed front driveshaft and differential/cv's etc. Wont know if that's going back in until I have more parts on hand and get tore down, measure everything out, mock up etc.

The goal? LY6 with 6L90E and possibly NV149 with upgraded differentials. Has manual temp controls and no message center. Plan to make HVAC functional(front and back) as well as keep VVT, cruise, etc. Going for a stock look and function for the most part. Studying the electronics before I dig too far in to it. Have thought about finding a suburban to donate everything from if I have to rewire the entire truck. Have already had the entire interior(dash and all) out of it for a complete interior color change and some electrical options etc, so its not a big deal to me to dive in if needed. Have done several crazy wiring mods/ rewires on other vehicles, countless engine swaps/builds, but this will be my first LS style swap. And my first attempt to make cross make interconnectivity play nice to keep most if not all things functional. Would like to keep the abs and SRS system for the safety end/legal stuff. Have several suspension upgrades lined up, as well as brake upgrade from an Aviator, just trying to get most everything together before I go in blind.

Either way, completely functional daily driver sleeper, or just newer rat rod sleeper its gonna be sweet. The 4.6 in these is alright, but its no ls motor.


And if I keep the AWD aspect..... even better.

 

If the a/c box is the same as the 4.6 you may not have an issue as the ls is wider than a 351 and narrower than a 4.6. Exhaust routing will be the hurdle depending on if you want in chassis or fenderwell exit headers(steering clearance and driveline clearance) But those are small things to overcome with good fabrication skills. If your suspension mods include lifting it, then a 3" body lift will gain you all kinds of room under the hood, a/c box and trans tunnel. If you decide to go fenderwell headers they will be a lot easier to fabricate.

 

I don't really have plans to lift it... have thought about it but have not committed to it. The hvac box, as far as I can tell is the same as the v8 trucks. All under the dash and out of the way. What I'm wondering is who or where to get ac lines made to reconnect everything. The compressor is currently on the driver side with all but one line connecting on the passenger side in the front then running along passenger frame to the bottom for the rear hvac and to the center of the firewall for the front. I really haven't done any measurements for things like header clearance or the steering shaft but knew I needed to plan for them. Once I gather parts I will be taking a ton of time putting it together. I know it's gonna a be tough fitting it all together and wiring it the way I want to, but I know it'll be worth it. I'm a chevy guy from the start but got a good deal on my 03 explorer and fell in love with the build quality and ride/handling of it. The Explorer had 207k miles when the trans crapped out and it wasn't treated all that great. Not a single squeak or rattle in the body. The Mounty has 245k and same deal. Even needing front end work this thing drives awesome. Just that pos ford power plant. Don't get me wrong it's good for what it is and is reliable but it's gutless. Has the built in timing chain rattle they all have. The weak trans that all need solenoid packs after 45k miles, built to fail servo bores... you get the picture. Even the v8 explorers/mountaineers have timing chain rattle issues and same trans issues. And still not real impressed with the power. None of the ford forums I've been to want to offer insight on wiring or anything since I'm planning the evil chevy heart transplant, but frankly for the price/power availability in stock form alone, reliability of the GM engine, etc. I don't have to explain to anyone here why i want to do the swap lol. I just can't justify putting another over thought, higher maintenance, more expensive to build, common problem ridden pos ford motor in. I mean, why have 20 miles of multiple chains with crappy guides and heads that eat spark plugs and on and on and on. I don't wanna build a motor every other year for this thing. (I know I know, some people will argue those points to the death but I want what I want and it's mine) Bottom line, my personal experiences being a car guy, a mechanic for 20 years, I see a majority of fords that have "normal engine noises...." rattles and knocks and ticks etc.

I know some ls series chevys have noises but it's easier to cure and still a better engine.