2006 F-150XL Transmisson Swap

Hello all,
I was given a 2006 F-150 for my first vehicle. Its RWD, 4.2L v6 and an automatic transmission. It is a very light duty transmission, and being used as a farm truck, it was used to pull things that it should not have been pulling. The transmission has been rebuilt once before, and now the shaky shifting and noises are back. I am looking to fix this problem for good by putting a manual in it. Finding the transmission in a junkyard should not be that difficult, getting the clutch, shifter boot/handle, flywheel and all that good stuff should not be that difficult either. since the truck had an option for a manual, the square in the floor for the shifter is already there, just covered by carpet. I have looked into it, and have found that it should not be that difficult.( If i am missing something drastic, please let me know)
Now if i do not do this swap, the truck will go to scrap. I would like to know if it is economical to pull a trans from a truck that was rolled or something like that and swap it. I should be able to get it from a junkyard for pretty cheap, and i can do the swap myself (my grandpa will help me). Should i go for it and keep driving it (the truck has almost 200K miles on it) or just scrap it and try my luck looking for another (I live on a farm, it is required that i have a pickup truck or an SUV for pulling light loads like empty wagons or animals place to place, Getting to and from fields at planting/harvest and other general stuff like that. I also plan to either make my own headers or use the existing ones and do either straightpipes or at least a larger pipe. it currently has 2 inch pipe for the exhaust, which is OK i guess. i dont know yet if i will be replacing the entire system or throwing a glasspack in place of the muffler or what. Suggestions are appreciated!

Sounds interesting, are you gonna have a hydraulic clutch setup? Maybe you'll get lucky and find a trans with a slave cylinder on it.

That's alot of work to switch it over to manual, never mind the cost. You got the right idea it sounds like but there is usually hidden problems in the switch over. Plus the manuals might be just as weak as your automatic trans. Believe me, they do make those cheap too. Have to consider the fuel injection computer also because it controls the trans also, motor might not run right by just leaving the plugs off. Best bet is to repair the automatic that is in there and do some research on it to modify the insides. Plus, find out why the one in it keeps going bad. I would put a shift kit in it and see if parts from a better trans could be modified to change out the parts to make it stronger. Do the work yourself to keep cost low. Maybe mill down the pistons on the clutch packs to add more clutches and up the main pressure should do it.

I didn't even think about stuff like the transmission computer. Hmm, it probably would be a lot of work.

Just my opinion, but I can find $500 trucks that need minor work like a new coil or fuel pump or something that are 4x4 and new trucks have so much computer controlled stuff that if a conector gets corroded or a sensor goes out the thing won't run and if it has 200k on it already it probably won't last much longer. If it was me, I would sell it for what you can and get an older simpler truck. Fords with the E4OD (ones with the button on the end of the shifter for OD) are junk and I would not get one for pulling. Maybe trucks are worth more in your neck of the woods, but I would look for an older truck. I have got a 68 f250 2wd that I was able to get running with a battery and fresh gas, for $50 from my boss, I actually fixed his lawn mower and he gave it to me when I asked. it has a 4 speed. I got a 65 f500 4 speed for $240, I got it running with a set of points. If you are mechanicaly inclined you can get some good deals. And yeah in your current truck you need a manual computer or it will think something is wrong and the check engine light will come on.

i never though about the computers either. and i will probably pull the engine and scrap it, since the transmission has already been rebuild once. rebuilding it again, i mightaswell buy a new truck because it cost me 1500 last time. It actually wasnt me, it was my dad. but either way, its just sucky all around. i could probably sell the engine for something and sell the truck to a salvage yard in my area that offered me 1000 for it with no engine. I went exploring some nearby abandoned barns and in one i found a mid 60s ford f something. it has the flathead v8 and either a 3 speed or a 4 speed. there are no numbers on the shifter stick. its been sitting there for likely 30+ years, as it is sunk into the ground clear to the axles. it would probably be a lost cause, not like i could get a title for it anyway. nobody has any idea who owns the property, let alone the vehicle. Ive been looking on craigslist for stuff, talking to neighbors, nothing. Too bad i live in the middle of nowhere with old farmers as neighbors. Old farmers dont throw stuff away, they fix everything until it aint fixable in any way shape or form. One has an old ford that rusted so badly you can see through the bed on both sides. you can also see the engine from the side, as well as the legs, feet and pedals of whoever is driving. Dont know what it is, dont know what year it is, but he drove it until it literally broke in half.

There are plenty of trucks. thats what i want is an old 70s or 80s ford with either a 351, a 460(which is the engine in my thunderbird) or a 7.3 diesel. My grandpa has one of those 7.3s and its one helluva engine. i almost bought a 2001 f250 fx4 offroad with the 7.3 turbo diesel. all new glow plugs, turbo had just been rebuilt 10000 miles ago. it had 455xxx miles on it. it had the 5 speed manual too and a 5th wheel hitch, not that i would ever use one. it had been garage kept too, no rust. Unfortunately for something with that mileage, they wanted too much for it. If anybody has anything in the northern indiana area, please message me...ill have my license soon and i do not want to drive this little saturn s series...not that its a bad car, its actually a great little car but not something i am interested in driving to school in

For whats its worth, my uncle had a mid/late 90s Dodge diesel he swapped the auto for a manual. It worked just fine, but a check engine light was on.

I looked into doing a manual trans swap for 97-ish grand Cherokee, I found conflicting answers says it would work but there would be a check engine light one, and others saying the engine would not run right. Thats not something I wanted to risk so I didnt do it. Instead, I payed too much for a 97 Cherokee with a blowed up engine, but it had the 5 speed trans!

Perhaps if you can nab a cheap parts truck you could swap the computer and whatever wiring you would need for the manual trans. Seems like alot of work, unless the truck is in nice shape... but being that it was used on a farm it might not be so nice??

yea...it aint so nice. its had wagon hitches run into the tailgate, its been hit with a tractor on multiple occasions, it needs a new bed, mostly from hauling tile/corn bags. there got to be a lot of dirt gathering in it, and theres actually some corn growing in the bed. under the dirt the bed has rusted through in a couple different places. it was a practice vehicle for all the cousins, ya know just driving on backroads. Someone crashed it into a ditch and rammed the bumper up through the radiator, we pulled it down far enough to get a new radiator in it to make it driveable, its never had a real tune up and the oil has been changed probably 2 or 3 times its entire life. the plastic grill was nailed with something along the way, and at one point, for some reason it had been parked under the auger at harvest time and got a load of corn on the roof, which dented it a little. the rear bumper is rusting out, and it has noticeable underbody rust. ill probably drive it until the transmission goes out completely and leaves me stranded. after that ill sell it to the salvage yard and look for something else to drive. at the moment it is driveable. itll probably last me for a little while, long enough for me to look for something new. it was only 8000 new, and im pretty sure as much as it has been used we have at least gotten that back.

Wow, that truck sounds like it's worser then my Jeep I drive.

it aint bad for a first vehicle, because if i wreck it, its worthless, so i dont really have to worry about anything or be out anything. i mean a farm truck is a farm truck...where i go to school its basically expected you drive a rusty beaten up truck (i live in a big farming area, thats what everybody drives)

and i always have liked ford. had nothing but good luck with them. unlike the chevy sitting back in the treeline behind my house...

Amen! I'd pick a blue oval over a bad bow tie any day!!

As far as a car? Chevy. I drive an impala and love it. The Ford Taurus and Dodge Neon were disposa-cars.

Light duty truck? (f150/1500...half ton) Chevy. The 5.7 (350) and the 5.3 ls engines are phenomenal and easy to make power with, but the truck itself can't tow/haul/offroad well, its more of a daily driver or mower hauler. not much more.

Anything above? (3/4 ton and 1 ton) Ford Powerstroke. The 7.3 was bulletproof. The 6.0 and 6.4 had tons of performance potential with the emissions B/S removed (slightly illegal there but whatever). And the 6.7 is proving reliable and efficient even with the emissions crap. And the power stroke is surrounded by a great truck.


Clearly this is all my opinion, you all are entitled to yours

Hey bud you are forgetting about the Crown vic. maybe not the most powerful, or the best handling, but those were also damn near indestructible. Why do you think the police forces used them for so long? and the taurus isnt that much of a disposable car. they arent great, but they arent awful either. Never heard the bad bow tie thing before, but now that i look at it, it does make sense

I think Ford should build the heavy duty trucks and muscle cars, and chevy should stick to full size and compact cars and light duty trucks. because even their 3500HD trucks seem to be light duty. thats just me at least...

I got my liking of the blue oval from my grandpa. thats all he drives. Because he has a 94 f350 5 speed with the normally aspirated 7.3. dually with a very large flatbed on it. 2wd. He and i went to pick up a load of logs. 2 trailers, both loaded with at least 7 ton of logs, probably more. Sure, you could hear the engine rumbling harder than usual, but hey we never broke 3000 rpm and made it clear up to 65mph without a problem

As for the chevy sitting back in the treeline...it has had a rough life. in the 8 years its been on the farm, it has sat for 6 of those. the oil doesnt look like its been changed for a good 10 years, the transmission fluid is awful, and im sure i dont even want to look at the filters. the brakes are ridiculously soft and its stuck in 4L. so, it sits. it burned oil when i parked it...im sure sitting as it has been has not helped it at all.

TheGreenHornet wrote:

Never heard the bad bow tie thing before, but now that i look at it, it does make sense

You've never seen my Bad Bow Tie jacket? My grandpa got it when he bought my impala new 16 years ago...

I get my love for Ford from my Papa as well, same with Allis Chalmers! I don't mind Chevys though, I just prefer Ford. I find Chevy truck guys my age very immature and clueless when it comes to their opinions on the matter.

Anything is better than a Dodge though

True! Except the oldies. I like almost any American vehicle pre 1975.

you...i like you. and what a coincidence your favorite tractor is an allis. On the farm we run mostly old tractors...we have to 1974 International 1066's, a case agriking (i forget what model, but its got the duals, its the tractor we use to pull the auger cart) an Allis 8030 (i personally love the 1066 and the allis.

Nice man! Old tractors are better, does your 'ol Allis have front wheel assist?

i dont think so. its probably a base model version...honestly i dont know that much about it other than it has an inline 6 diesel and a 5 speed and a really nice clutch. those internationals have about the stiffest clutches of anything ive driven. theres no easing out on them. you can ease out about halfway, then it snaps in and jolts foward. they are probably just worn out. they are almost 40 years old

wait. are they 40? oh yea they are a little over 40 lol

i like how this went from a tranny swap in an f150 to tractor talk

Hahaha, well it is the off topic section. Yeah that 8030 probably has a Power Director transmission, super smooth take off. One of Allis' many innovations.

i dont know much about it. ive never really worked on it, because i havent had to. but we bought it for like 600 bucks with 6 new tires because it wouldnt start. it would crank and crank and crank. turns out that the injectors werent getting fuel. nobody bothered to check it, so they just parked it, then the guy died and it went up for auction. come to think of it, i dont really know a whole lot about our tractors. ive never worked on the old internationls, because thats not something you have to do very often if at all. the only thing ive done is had the starter on the case rebuilt. kinda been lucky i spose

600 bucks???!! What a steal hahaha!

No kidding! here in about a week or so, ill be spending every day after school running the disc with the allis. The farm is actually my grandfather's, but he is getting up there in years, so not its up to my dad and i to do the work! he runs the combine, and i run the disc behind him. but with school, i always get behind (no matter how much i ask him, he wont let me skip school to run the disc ) so ill just have to work fast and late.

And, i have made my decision on the f150. im going to head to the junkyard and find everything i need to convert to manual, and then do it when the transmission goes. if it doesnt work, then i can sell it back to the salvage yard. if it does work, then i got me a truck to drive again! that way, i dont have anything to loose but about 8 bucks in gas and a days work. I dont care about the lights on the dash, a check engine light doesnt bother me (its on anyways, probably for some sensor) right now there are 5 or 6 lights on the dash. i know the brake, ABS, check engine light, door ajar lights are all on. those are the ones i can think of off the top of my head lol