Swapping a 3.5L Ecoboost into.....

walt460

New member
I have been collecting a lot of information on the 3.5L Ecoboost engine, in particular the F150's 3.5L Ecoboost engine and 6R80 automatic transmission.

I would be willing to share what I have learned, if anyone is interested.  Here are a couple of thought starters to consider.

1.  The engine is 28-1/2" wide across the turbos, the widest point, and 22" wide across the cylinder heads.
2.  The F150's 3.5L Ecoboost uses a rear-sump oil pan, the exact same pan as used on the 2011-2014 Mustang 3.7L V6 (which also uses the 6R80 auto trans).
3.  The motor mounting bosses on the F150 3.5L Ecoboost block are identical to those on a RWD 3.7L V6 block.
4.  The 2011-2014 Mustang's MT-82 6-speed manual as used behind the 3.7L V6 will bolt right up to the F150's 3.5L Ecoboost engine.  Later this year, Ford Racing will offer a "Controls Pak" for the F150 3.5L Ecoboost engine using a manual transmission.

Anyone have any thoughts?  Want more info?
 
A Mustang with a 3.5 Eco and an MTX would be quite a road course car.  You could tune it to have at least as much HP as a stock 5.0 and have a lighter front end. 
 
DJE624,
True, and since it fits into a 2011-2014 Mustang, it would fit into a 2005-2010 Mustang as well, and with a tubular K-member it would fit into a 1979-2004 mustang as well.  And it will likely also fit into a 1998-2011 Ford Ranger......
 
It's a fantastic motor whatever you put it in.  Very high power to weight ratio.
 
Yes it is an amazing engine.  It has 6-bolt main bearings, oil cooling jets for the pistons, a forged crankshaft, forged (powdered metal) rods and makes 365HP and 420 ft-lbs of torque and 90% of peak torque from 1700rpm through 5500rpm, on 87 octane fuel. 

A stock 5500# F150 Ecoboost 2WD with a 3.73:1 axle will run the 1/4 mile in 15 seconds or less.  Put that powertrain into a 3500# Mustang and it could run in the 11s and get 30mpg highway FE.
 
walt460 said:
DJE624,
True, and since it fits into a 2011-2014 Mustang, it would fit into a 2005-2010 Mustang as well, and with a tubular K-member it would fit into a 1979-2004 mustang as well.  And it will likely also fit into a 1998-2011 Ford Ranger......

wow you could make a ranger a absolute bullet lol sounds like a dream project.
 
Just find yourself a totaled F-150 with an Eco and a Mustang with a blown motor and you're all set! 

Edit-Or Ranger.
 
As of November, 2013, Ford had built 400,000 F150s with the Ecoboost 3.5L engine.  There are plenty of "totaled" 2011-2014 F150 Ecoboost trucks in wrecking yards. 

You can buy a complete powertrain drop-out kit for about $5500, which includes the engine with all accessories & turbos, the transmission, the H-pipe with cats and UHEGOs, the PCM and all the wiring, the steering column with key, the BCM (Body Control Module, which is a smart fuse box), the vacuum pump, the fuel pump and sender with the FPDM (Fuel pump driver module)

To swap this powertrain into a Mustang or Ranger, you need some other parts like a custom air-to-air intercooler, an oil cooler, a larger radiator, modified drive shaft, etc. so I would plan about $8000 budget to be safe.  Still a bargain for the performance that will result.
 
When I had one of my Contour SVT's a while back, I had considered an Ecoboost swap. But given that 3.5EB engines are still rather pricey, it wasn't too serious of a thought for me.

They came with the 2.5 DOHC, and the 3.0 DOHC is an easy direct swap. I figured there had to be some similarities between the 3.0 and 3.5 (Nautilus actually sells a 3.5 for them), in terms of block similarities, dimensions, etc. If it would work, I knew I'd need basically an SHO for parts, to scavenge the wiring harness and all supporting hardware.

If that wouldn't have worked, I wondered about just using the SHO exhaust manifolds and turbos, and bolting them onto the 2.5/3.0 heads. All the would require, I think, would be the same exhaust port bolt patterns, and enough room for them turbos.
 
Great project.  I'll be interested to see how it comes out. 
My son and I were talking about this for his 69 F150, but never got to it with Christmas schedules.
 
I have a 2006 Crown Vic Police Intercepter P71.  I'm getting close to doing some drivetrain upgrades.  Originally was considering a 5.4 2v engine swap with dual rear mount turbos, but with Ford Racing going to produce a Control Pack.  I'm thinking a Ecoboost 3.5 w/6R80 swap would be better option (power plus some fuel economy).

1. Does any body know if the 3.5 Ecoboost will use the same motor mounts as my current 4.6?

2. What is the height difference between the car 4.6 and the 3.5 Ecoboost?  Want a sleeper, stock hood needs to be able to shut. 

Not worried about width.  Think I'm good there.  I can always build custom headers and turbo mounts if needed.

3. How much bigger is the 6R80 vs the 4R70?  Wonder if trans tunnel mods will be needed?


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I think you guys are going to hit a brick wall on this one.
I would suggest you look at getting an EB motor then putting a 2010 Mutang V6 port fuel injection intake on it.
Leave the DI stuff on the motor but use the port fuel injection to fuel it.
Install a stand alone ECU to drive it.
Until Ford Racing comes out with that controller you're stuck and retrofitting a harness into an older car would be a nightmare as you need all the body computers talking to the ECM or it will freak out from my understanding.
Also if you are wanting more or big power fuel is the limiting factor on the DI setup, much easier to get big fuel with a port fuel injection and stand alone.
 
I was at SEMA this week and got a goo look at a F150 2.7L Ecoboost V6.  That engine is tiny!  It would fit into a Ranger along with the 6R80 no problem.  325HP &375ft-lbs in Ranger would be a sweet upgrade!
 
Oh, also at SEMA, Ford Racing claims their 3.5L Ecoboost Controls PAK will be available 2nd Quarter of 2015.  (M/T applications only)  I also heard that PCS will have a stand-alone controller for the 6R80 in about 6 months.

 
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