distributor to coil pack change question

All the computer electrical parts need to be moved over to the other engine. The distributor is replaced by a magnetic pickup on the crankshaft to provide spark timing. Check to make sure the firing orders are the same. If they aren't you get to swap camshafts from the Explorer to the Mustang engine.

Remove the #1 & #3 spark plugs. Put your finger in #1 spark plug hole. Crank the engine over until you feel compression on #1 cylinder. Slowly turn the engine until the TDC mark and the timing pointer line up. Mark TDC on the balancer with chalk or paint. Put your finger in #3 spark plug hole and crank the engine 90 degrees. You should feel pressure trying to blow past your finger. If you do not feel pressure, repeat the process again. If you feel pressure, it is a HO engine.

No pressure the second time, remove spark plug #5. Put your finger in #1 spark plug hole. Crank the engine over until you feel compression on #1 cylinder. Put your finger in #5 spark plug hole and crank the engine 90 degrees. If you feel pressure now, the engine is not a HO model, no matter what it says on the engine.

Using a small carpenter or machinist square to mark the harmonic balancer off into 90 degree sections may be helpful here.

A 15/16 deep socket & breaker bar or ratchet may be used to turn the engine.

The HO firing order is 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8.
Non HO firing order is 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8

Doesnt the explorer has a distributor plug in it? I think it has one so the oil pump can still be driven off the cam. I could be wrong but look at the Explorer block and see if there is a plug where the distributor would go.

It should work.
You'll probably want to re-use the explorer heads, since they should be gt40 irons (not p's).
Change the valve springs, and have the heads checked out.
Then swap over the entire explorer engine setup onto the mustang shortblock, leaving nothing out.

I'll assume the firing order is the same, guys use mustang cams in explorers (physically in explorers, not mustang with explorer engines)

it can be done. I believe that there is a thread about it on corral. either way the crank trigger can be swapped onto the mustang motor and everything else will change over to. when I tore down my explorer motor the DIS was not hard to remove. I would imagine that it would not be hard to swap over to another engine. just take lots of pictures during the removal process to refer to when you put it all back together.