Teach me: Ford Modular swapability.

So my dad's truck has given up the ghost, and when I offered to buy it from him, he said he'd just give it to me. As much as I tried to pay him for it, he refused. So it looks like I've got a free truck, with a knocking engine.

It's a 2001 XL with very few options, and I love it. A quick Google search has the VIN as a W engine, AKA the Romeo engine. Truck has 216ish thousand miles, and is in decent shape, side from some rocker rust, which is normal.

I hop on Facebook Marketplace and right away I find a listing in my town for a 2007 Crown Victoria P71 engine. Photo shows the car as being mostly stripped, but the engine still in the shell. Seller claims 63k miles, and is asking $625.

However, before I look at it, is there anything I need to be aware of? I know these things aren't very interchangeable and I've not found much info on the P71 engine online. I know once they went to the PI engine in 2001 they didn't change much except for the flex fuel capability in 2010.

If the numbers add up, it'll be way worth the extra couple hundred dollars to have one with that few miles, this close to home.

Here is the engine in said Marketplace ad. The seller hasn't responded to my message yet.

I can be of limited help. I believe the trucks have a different intake manifold, but that's no big deal. Since you're swapping the whole engine as a unit, the biggest thing to watch for is the placement of the AC compressor, PS pump, etc. The timing chain covers are different between some motors and don't have all the mounting holes, idler/tensioner pulleys in the same place. If the accessory layout/timing chain cover is an issue, the water pump could be as well. I believe the water pumps changed in mid-01 (long vs short). You can swap one for the other, but need the right pulley.

As far as cross-platform stuff, that should be no problem. Just so long as I can unbolt stuff from what I have in the truck, and bolt it on to this engine, I'll be happy.

I know some of these are prone to exhaust manifold cracks so I think I'll go ahead and replace those while I'm in there.

In reply to BoostedBrandon :

I think the exhaust manifold cracks were mostly a 3v 5.4 issue, probably not a terrible idea to swap them anyway though.

Going to look at it this afternoon.

The CV will have the PI heads, I think. Mo powa! 

In reply to Floating Doc :

Though the '01 F150 should too...SAME POWAH.

Daylan C said:

In reply to BoostedBrandon :

I think the exhaust manifold cracks were mostly a 3v 5.4 issue, probably not a terrible idea to swap them anyway though.

They were every single 4.6 and 5.4 made up to mid 2002. The exhaust studs were notorious to rot away and break off. The manifolds themselves are heavy duty cast iron so they are usually pretty solid.

That motor has been sitting in a field, in the elements, and unprotected? 

HARD PASS!

kevinatfms said:

Daylan C said:

In reply to BoostedBrandon :

I think the exhaust manifold cracks were mostly a 3v 5.4 issue, probably not a terrible idea to swap them anyway though.

They were every single 4.6 and 5.4 made up to mid 2002. The exhaust studs were notorious to rot away and break off. The manifolds themselves are heavy duty cast iron so they are usually pretty solid.

The problem is exactly because that the manifolds are heavy duty cast iron logs.  Notice that the bolt holes are very large except for two: those two locate the manifolds, and the rest are a loose fit so the manifold can expand and contract with temperature.  That is also why the nuts are shaped a certain way and only get torqued to  IIRC, 15 ft-lb.

When those high clearance holes in the exhaust pack with rust, and the nuts rust to the manifold, the  manifold is now shoving those studs hard at the base and they snap off, starting at the rear where they are furthest from the close tolerance "alignment" holes.

Always use new studs, new nuts, clean the manifolds thoroughly, follow torque spec religiously.

In reply to z31maniac :

It's been covered by a tarp and it was relatively clean under there. Body was stripped because he had sold the chassis and the guy never picked it up. I would have at least left the hinges and good attached to the car to protect it, but whatever.

Got some numbers from it, going to cross reference it to see if it would work.

Some inspiration for you. F150 with a grassroots blower. Picture taken during the belt sizing game.

In reply to NOHOME :

That looks like a whole GT500 motor.  For sure it's a DOHC.

That price seems a little steep for an engine that has been sitting outside. You also have to ask why that Crown Vic was parted out. I've been burned too many times on craigslist parts so I'm  always leery of partouts.

Personally, I'd pull a junkyard engine from a truck that went there due to body damage and slam it in the truck. If that engine is kaput as well at least you can return it to the yard within a couple weeks.  

In reply to Knurled. :

DOHC yes I guess. GT500 nope.  My buddies garage is littered with these mod motors but I assure you none are high dollar versions. Other than the fact that they are Hippo-wide, they are kinda cool engines.

Be sure you know the original engine's origin.  Romeo or Windsor,  I believe. If I remember, one crank has 6 bolts, the other has 8. Only Ford would make (non) interchangeable this difficult. 

The cam covers have barcodes on them, and the part numbers match up to it being a reman engine.

Old dude claims the car ran great, but while putting around his yard it got stuck in reverse. So he pulled the trans and then sold the chassis from under the car. Those body parts are in storage, and some are on another P71. Guy claims he got the body ready to be pulled off so the buyer could roll the chassis onto a trailer. Guy seems really honest, my wife and I both know his daughter.

In reply to Appleseed :

It's a Romeo, so is the one in the truck (W VIN)

In reply to NOHOME :

I think they're super cool, they just don't fit in much more than what was designed around them.