Engine Swaps--Who's actually done one?

We write and talk all the time about engine swaps. I'm curious as to how common engine swaps actually are.

I'm talking about replacing the stock engine with a completely different type of engine, not removing a dead engine and putting a new, identical engine in its place.

Questions:

--What vehicle: make, model, year?

--What engine did you remove?

--What engine did you replace it with?

--Did you swap the transmission at the same time?

--Did your engine swap need DMV approval?

--What swap parts (motor mounts, radiator, wiring harness, etc.)  did you use?

--What was the most difficult part of the swap?

--What was the easiest?

--When all was said and done, did you end up with a better-performing vehicle?

--What would you do differently next time?

--Would you recommend your engine swap to other people?

For those who haven't done a swap yet:

--What engine swap are you considering?

--What's stopping you?  

Wow...78 views and no one's done a swap they want to talk about?

This kind of confirms my suspicion that a lot more people think about engine swaps than actually do them. I'm not calling anyone out--instead I just take it to mean that engine swaps are a lot of work!

Take another look at the last two questions:

For those who haven't done a swap yet:

--What engine swap are you considering?

--What's stopping you?  

OK, so here's my story:

I've done remove-and-replace engine swaps several times. The engines include a Dodge 360 small block V-8, a Ford 360 FE big block V-8, a Ford 200 inline six, and a Toyota 22R.

I was at the point of starting an engine swap in the Phoenix Project when I decided I had one too many projects and sold the Phoenix.

If there's an engine swap in my future, it's probably going to be in my '73 Ford F-100 4x4. It's old enough that I don't need DMV approval.

What engine am I considering? There are actually a few good candidates.

A built EFI-equipped 351 Windsor would be easier to get parts for and a little easier to work on than the 360 FE. I'm not all that convinced that the power gain would be worth the effort. The EFI would be great, but I can add EFI to the 360, too.

I've bounced around the idea of a 5.4 Modular engine, too. Good power, and much better fuel economy than either the 351 Windsor or the 360 FE. Mod motors are the SOHC type, so the cylinder heads are a lot wider than pushrod-style engines.

I've also considered a 5.3 Vortec. It's a potent powerplant that has great aftermarket support to back it up. Since it's a pushrod engine it's more compact than the Ford Modular engines. It's also been in production for several years now, and it's easy to find in the wrecking yards.

For those who want to start the Ford vs. Chevy grudge match or ask why I'd ever even think of putting a Chevy engine in a Ford truck, or who want to tell everyone why Chevy is better than Ford...go away. Take that somewhere else.  

OK, I'll bite.

For me there are a couple hurdles.  The first is the legal one.  I've talked to DMV about doing an engine swap and they are less them helpful.  Even their rules seem to lean towards, 'it's OK but we'd rather not'.  I haven't talked to a DOT Referee though.  I have been told by DMV that going from gas to diesel can be as simple as filling out a form but only if the employee feels generous or is impressed with a clean install.  Otherwise, they kick you down to the DOT Referee.

The other problem I have, and I'm sure many others have, is that their truck is their daily driver so having a lot of down time becomes an issue.

What I'd like to do is swap my 2.5L for a diesel though (or maybe a 5.3L Vortec E-Rod). But there is another problem.  There aren't that many legal swaps.  The popular Cummins 4BT is not legal as it is from a heavier weight class. Neither is the Isuzu 4BD1T for the same reason.  Since my chassis is a '92, the engine needs to be from the same year or newer which really limits my choices.  Not only that but CA has started doing emission tests on 2003 and newer cars and trucks!  So if I want a diesel, it will need to be from '92-'02.  The other problem is pickings are slim.  There is one glimmering of hope though.  The VW TDI.  It's a popular swap with the Sami's and has a good following in the VW community as well.  There is even a company that makes a kit to swap it into a YJ!

So what's preventing me from jumping aboard this gravy train?  Money.  Unfortunately, I don't have the funds available right now.  

As a young knuckle buster, my friends and I cut our teeth doing engine swaps in the early 80s  Started with a Buick 231 into a Mazda RX-4 with a TH350 tranny.  Then stepped up to a 392 Hemi into a Vega with a 727 TF auto and a full width 9".  Looked goofy as heck but ran like a striped posterior primate!  We then put a 302 in my '74 Pinto with a 3 speed manual, followed by a SB 350 into a Fiat X 1/9 and TH350, pulled a 305 out of a Monza and replaced it with an injected 350.  I then moved up to trucks by getting a '78 Blazer with a tired SB 400, replaced it with a warmed up 400, threw a rod after several years of wheelin', side note, 10.75:1 compression will catch up to you if you insist on running regular pump gas all the time, replaced windowed SB 400 with a 396 BB, replaced that with a nicely warmed up 454, then, before selling it to my son, replaced that 454 with a stock 454.  The Blazer had a total of 5 engines in it since I owned it, we sometimes contemplated velcro motor mounts.  Flash forward a decade.  Am now finishing a 4.6 swap into my son's '96 XJ, aquiring parts for a SB 350/700R4 swap into my wife's '93 YJ, and doing research and beginning planning phase of pulling the 5.2L Chrysler/44RE out of my '98 ZJ Limited in favor of a SB 400 and a 700R4.  Going to be a bit of fabricating for motor mounts and cross member but not too worried.  I've seen worse. (-: