I went to take a look at a local Explorer yesterday. After speaking to the fella on the phone, I was told it's a 1998 Mercury Mountaineer with good mechanical condition and poor body/interior condition.

It was in a front fender and rear hatch collision, so the passenger's side front wheel/spindle is damaged, and the back hatch is crushed in. There is no visible damage to the engine compartment, even though nothing "crucial" is on the passenger's side where the impact occurred. The engine compartment was VERY clean and looked well-maintained, or never-touched???

It has one good wheel, one good spare wheel/tire, a good OHC and sunroof in gray, part of the Center console, and a good dashboard with EATC and a tach.

It has the 5.0L 302 V8 with 130,000 miles on it. It also has the auto tranny and 8.8 rear with LS.

Is $1000 a good deal for a drivetrain with such high mileage??? My plan is to keep looking and find something newer with less miles, and hopefully with a tan interior instead of gray, with more interior pieces intact so I can swap them into my truck.

Thanks for the opinions!

 

id say keep looking, find something with everything you want, get it all at once

 

I think that is an AWD vehicle not 4WD

 

Actually it's a 2wd...just like my truck.

 

well i got my 99 explorer AWD 5.0L auto for 500.. power leather seats and the like all in it as well.. i'm just swapping most of it over, building the tranny with a shiftkit, and throwing a ford racing cam in the motor.. and doing minor bolt ons for now. will go Ex express blown eventually

 

i would and then rebuild it

 

Sounds like a good deal to me. You can swap everything to the ranger..

 

Sound Sweet to me!! 1k for rear end (200-400 ina JY) and V8 (500ish ina JY) plus you could sell some of the interior parts.....sweet deal to me....

Personally Id buy it and Tear it apart and build the hell out of it, from the oilpan up!

On a side note my parents have a 99 EB w/ a 5.0 and it has around 165K on it and no signs of slowing down, no knocking or anything....purrrs like a kitten

 

I'm beginning to think this one may be worth it. I could get it rebuilt, although I have NO IDEA how much that would cost me. I'd like it to be a full rebuild from the pan up. Anyone have any ideas what that would run for an "average" shop? I have a neighbor who works at a performance shop, so I'd like to know what to expect him to quote me.

 

You can expect to pay between 60 and 80 dollars an hour plus parts... If you ask me, find a buddy or two that knows what they're doing and build it yourself! it would be a GREAT project! I think that's a damn good setup if you can just get the whole truck... You'll have all the wiring harnesses and everything.

 

depends, will your neighbor give you a good deal. I mean really it depends on what you want, factory replacement stuff or high performance parts. I would say no less than 500 bucks.....

 

i would rebuild it myself.. get the right tools and go into it.. thats what im doing

 

and you can find a 4x4 tranny and transfer case anywere to fit a 302.....even find one out of a F-series truck....

that is a heck of a deal......definately go with it and dont look back like D. said...

 

What's up with the 4x4 stuff? I'm a 2wd, and will be swapping from a 2wd. I don't need a tranny/transfer case. I also don't want to be 4x4 with this 302. It's going to be a stock-looking street-sleeper with one measly 5.0 emblem on the tailgate and a couple of large pipes under the bumper.

 

ahhhh then dont worry about it......i would get it....

 

yea im with everyone else....do it do it do it and do it again n dont look back

 

What's the status???

 

I've been busy with school, so I took the time to do some more research and search the local shops for the price of a total rebuild. I started ordering parts the other day, and expect to have a whole motor without the block and heads sitting at my front door in a few days! I got a quote for around $2K to completely rebuild the motor from the pan, up. Everything placed in it would be forged (pistons, rings, etc.) and the cams and valves would be replaced for higher performance units. Also, the block will be bored .030 over, and the head ported and polished to match new block ports...

I'm planning:

• Ford Racing aluminum Z series cylinder heads with 2.12 in. intake valves and 1.70 in. exhaust valves, rolling new Trick Flow Camshafts - 275/ 279, Lift .499/ .510
• EV1 Fuel Injectors, 24 lbs./ hr.
• A 100% ARP fastener conversion
• And hopefully a set of BBK shorty headers, once I hear back from BBK on fitament issues.

The end result would be a better-than stock performance motor with internals to handle lots of grunt.

I'll supply the performance shop with the bare motor and will clean up the accessories and wiring harnesses to resemble new condition while I'm waiting for the motor to get back. If I find any problems with any accessories, I'll just replace it for a new one. The transmission will be fine, since it was rebuilt recently. I'll probably also tear down the 8.8 and replace all the seals/bearings.

In the long run, everything that powers the truck will be new, except the wheels, tires, and brakes. Every piece of rotating mass will be new, except the axles and driveshaft.

I'm expecting a total investment of around $4K for the project. Based on the prices of the parts I've looked at, it's going to be expensive to make a nitrous-ready 5.0 look and sound good!

 

Did you end up getting the mountaineer or what?

 

Ha ha....no not yet. I decided to explore my options some, and keep an eye on the Mountaineer as my buffer. If I find something with lower mileage and a tan interior, I will forget about the great deal of the Mountaineer as I will be able to use the center console and OHC.