The Process: Motor Swap – Pull

Building a 1992 Chevrolet S-10 extended cab hot rod mini truck, means lots of customizing and fabricating. Being inspired by the 1929 Ford T-bucket my father was building, I had destined to build my own project, calling it project Frankenstein (the name will explain itself as time passes). Running into fuel pressure problems is when the motor and drive train swap came alive. Wanting more power, this was the perfect time to decide on the swap. Rather than spending money to fix the truck, only to pull the motor in the long run, the search began. Having a good friend help in finding the pickup’s new heart, I was able to purchase a 1987 Ford F-150 in its entirety. Now, a 4.9 liter inline 6 engine will be mounted. Although no more cylinders are added, the positioning and size make all the difference. Going from a 170 cubic inch to 300 inches almost doubles the size of the engine, allowing for that much more horse power and torque output.

Beginning the process of swapping the motors can seem extremely overwhelming and impossible if thought about wrong. Removing the “cancerous” motor was a good start. Already having the interior completely removed, and bed off, meant saving steps. Stationed on jack stands for months to follow, the bulky original fuel tank needed to go. Draining all other fluids obstructing process too. Pulling off all coolant and fuel lines took care of this obstruction, as well as making a mess! Removal of the entire front clip (i.e. fenders, grille, radiator, and bumper) eased access to all parts of the engine. Remembering where each bolt belongs by placing them labeled bags and using repair manuals and catalogs as guides. One of the scariest pieces of a motor swap is wiring. Needing to unplug all senors and wired parts of the engine, and put them all back correctly again. Not having a bird nest of wires cluttering the view, the exhaust can be removed to create better access to motor mounts. Pulling the drive shaft, and transmission mount relieved final obstructions before having a hanging motor. Freeing motor mount bolts, the engine was finally hanging and pulled outwards from the front.

Having one engine free, meant repeating the entire process with the F-150. With snow coming, garage space became limited as this long truck took up any left over space. Crowding my father out of working on his project, he helped on mine. Freeing the F-150 of its motor, and achieving the goal to have both motors pulled by the end of 2015.

Starting 2016 with a “fresh start,” I will prepare the engine for install, and offer other segments of “project Frankenstein,” involving customization and fabrication on my hot rod mini truck.