I don't have much to add but just wanted to say thanks for your post!
I have a 2002 Ranger 2.3 Duratec that spun a bearing (at least I believe, haven't torn it down yet) a couple years ago. I've been saving it to do this swap (or the 2.3 ecoboost) once I get the time and money to start. I drove it until it died with 265k miles on it, and I just loved it too much to give it to the junkyard for $100.
My hope is to find a ecoboost mustang from copart or somewhere as a donor, and see how much I can swap from there. I had been searching for a while to find a thread with some more details on someone who did it, and finally find yours a couple months ago. So thanks for all the good info, as it will come in handy down the road (don't hold your breath for my build thread haha).