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Cab & Body Removal

Those in the know can tell you that there is little room to work with under the hood of a 6.0L equipped truck. While there are many routine repairs that are easily performed, most heavy engine repairs are either not easy to perform in chassis or require engine removal. Removing a diesel engine from any Super Duty, Excursion or Econoline by the book is time consuming and requires major disassembly of the front end of the vehicle. Some professional technicians discovered that removing the cabs and bodies from these vehicles makes the job much easier and as you will see, this has other benefits. These examples were performed by professionals; do not try this at home!

Removing truck cabs and bodies comes with an increased risk for bodily injury and even death. Attention to safety and ensuring that cabs and bodies are properly and safely secured should be a top priority.

Let us begin by setting the perspective on the subject. This is a 2004 Super Duty having it's 6.0L engine removed. It is big, it is heavy and removing it requires room and the proper equipment. Notice that the front of the cab has been completely disassembled to allow for the engine to be removed. This requires bending, climbing and a lot of lifting.

In similar fashion this 2005 Econoline has had the front of it's body disassembled for access. But this is only the beginning. In an E-Series the engine must be stripped of all external parts including the valve covers, the oil pan and oil pick-up tube. Once this is done in chassis, the engine may be removed for repair or replacement. It is not fun.

Due to weight distribution some bodies need securing. This method of clamping the body to the lift arms is probably the best, most secure and safest of those we have seen.

Working on an engine exposed like this is sweet! The chassis is the most ideal engine stand - perfect for cylinder head torquing. Replacing or assembling the engine and all external components can be done easily and verifying proper assembly is now visually possible from all angles.

This Super Duty Cab just raised shows how clean separation is. Think about it, this is how the factory builds them and there are actually fewer connections to be broken and reconnected than you might think. Even all of the heat exchangers stay bolted together and go up with the cap and out of the way.

One big benefit is that now the technician does not have to disassemble any of the body. Since access to the engine no longer requires climbing up and over the front of the truck, dents and scratches are less likely to occur.

Since an Excursion is very similar to a Super Duty the procedure is almost the same. There are however additional electrical connections and a fuel filler neck to contend with.

The unfortunate part of raising an Excursion body is that there are twelve body mounts that have to be removed. Many of which require the unbolting of rear seats and lifting the carpet to access them.

Raising an E-Series body is a rare option because a great number of them are used for vocational purposes. Many will have special bodies on cutaway applications like school busses and ambulances or even box trucks. These bodies will prevent raising the cab.

It is easy to see though that if it can be done, raising a van body is probably a more worthwhile venture. You might think a van is more difficult to separate but believe it or not it actually seemed easier.

These photographs are shown only to provide information and to show some real life examples of what a professional technician my encounter. It is hoped that it helps technicians in identifying possible causes and assist in the quick diagnosis of identified concerns. This is not intended to replace any official instructions, authorization or documentation of any Ford Motor Company Engineers, service manual, TSB, Service Message or recall.