Welcome back to Hank’s Cars and Coffee. In Episode 4, we took our blown up Ford 5.0 and stripped the pieces we needed from it and dug into the bottom end to find the source of our rod knock. Not only did we find the rod knock, but we found a disco party in the bottom of the oil pan!
Once my curiosity was satisfied, I took some pictures, and had a few laughs before throwing everything back together and setting the engine aside. Around that same time, my buddy Chris came by off-camera to give some guidance on what the solution for fixing the cracks in the cradle should be.
Once Chris has left, I turned the cameras back on and started to go over what the current To-Do list has remaining. That To-Do list is written below.
Master To-Do List
- Patch Engine Cradle
- Weld cracks
- Add steel plate on top?
- Take truck bed off, put diesel sending units in
- Remove factory fuel filter, replace with hose
- CHANGE OIL IN ENGINE
- Bore scope intake valves if possible
- Install Injection Pump
- Replace vacuum pump gasket
- Replace lift pump gasket
- Fit throttle position sensor if possible
- Install Turbo and Oil lines
- Mount Transmission Adapter + Flywheel
- Mate Engine to trans, put 2×4 under engine for temporary support
- Measure/make engine mounts
- Run lines to fuel pump
- Make Glow plug harness
- Install IDI glow plug relay
- Install/make new throttle cable
- Install/wire vacuum solenoid shutoff
- TEST FIRE ENGINE
- RE-install front end
- Make intake
- Add electric fan (or use clutch fan if it fits)
- Plumb coolant lines to radiator and heater core
- Plumb intercooler piping
- Make exhaust
- Retrofit oil pressure sensor
- TEST DRIVE
- Get AC lines if not included in engine, make new hoses to retrofit into Ford system
- Pull RPM signal from alternator or factory crank sensor
In Episode 5 we will get a first look at the OM606 and start checking things off the list above.
If you’ve got questions about this swap, especially if you’re thinking of doing something similar, drop a comment or DM me at @hankejohnson or @hankscarsandcoffee on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. I’m trying to share every step in detail so that others can follow along—or learn from my mistakes.