Over the next few days I'm going to be doing some research and sticky this thread so any one looking to do the swap can get a good amount of information in one place and also so those lurkers out there that are afraid to ask questions can still get some answers. If anyone else has any good information to add just post it up here. PLEASE KEEP TH BULLSHIT OUT! Any off topic banter will immediately be removed.
To start things off, here is a good introduction write up by 5.0 Mustang and Super Fords.
To start things off, here is a good introduction write up by 5.0 Mustang and Super Fords.
Longtime readers may recall reading this story before. Swap stories are so popular we decided to rerun several in this issue.However, since we last ran this story, Doug Durham closed his business.The info in the story is still useful, of course.
The obvious question surrounding a V-8 swap into a four-cylinder Mustangis, why would you want to do it? After all, there are plenty of used 5.0Mustangs for sale in the paper and trader mags, so why screw around witha lame four-banger and go to all the effort of performing an engine swap? Well, there are two reasons. The first is obviously price. Lesser Stangs are much cheaper to buy than comparable 5.0s. In fact, whileshopping for a four-cylinder car to use for a big-block swap, we'vefound acceptable ones as cheap as $200! But, after buying a decent 5.0engine and trans, and all the parts required to perform the swap, thecost factor is almost a push. There must be some other attrac- tion,right?
Here's one you might not have thought about--level of abuse. Because they're so much fun to drive hard, 5.0s are driven hard--real hard. And because of that, the torque boxes get torn up, the body flexes and sometimes cracks, and overall, the car just gets beat on. And that's just the chassis. It's really a crap shoot whether or not the engine is mortally wounded. Now think about the typical drivers of four- or six-cylinder Mustangs. They ease away from stoplights, gently slow down for corners, and never, ever do five-grand clutch drops. Essentially,they never do anything to stress the car. They're wimps, by and large,but that means the basic cars are usually sound (assuming they haven't crashed them). And even if they do drive these cars hard, an 88hp 2.3Lis unlikely to hurt the torque boxes or twist anything more sturdy than a cereal box.
Swapping a 5.0 into the space once occupied by a four- or six-cylinder is not a huge deal, but it requires some effort in obtaining all thecorrect parts, especially the little bits you wouldn't normally think of. Once you've found the four- or six-cylinder car, the next chore is to find the engine, the trans, the 8.8 rearend, the 5.0 wiring harness(if going EFI), the MAP sensor, the computer, the vacuum canister, and a dozen other parts.Normally, the easiest way to do this is to buy a complete wrecked 5.0. Concerning the transmission, this story will show a five-speed application; if you want to use an automatic, it's much easier to start with an automatic car so you don't have to deal with swapping the pedals and such. As for the rearend, you don't have to get an 8.8 right away,but be aware that the four- and six-cylinder cars have the weak 7.5,which will not live long behind even a stock 5.0.
The obvious question surrounding a V-8 swap into a four-cylinder Mustangis, why would you want to do it? After all, there are plenty of used 5.0Mustangs for sale in the paper and trader mags, so why screw around witha lame four-banger and go to all the effort of performing an engine swap? Well, there are two reasons. The first is obviously price. Lesser Stangs are much cheaper to buy than comparable 5.0s. In fact, whileshopping for a four-cylinder car to use for a big-block swap, we'vefound acceptable ones as cheap as $200! But, after buying a decent 5.0engine and trans, and all the parts required to perform the swap, thecost factor is almost a push. There must be some other attrac- tion,right?
Here's one you might not have thought about--level of abuse. Because they're so much fun to drive hard, 5.0s are driven hard--real hard. And because of that, the torque boxes get torn up, the body flexes and sometimes cracks, and overall, the car just gets beat on. And that's just the chassis. It's really a crap shoot whether or not the engine is mortally wounded. Now think about the typical drivers of four- or six-cylinder Mustangs. They ease away from stoplights, gently slow down for corners, and never, ever do five-grand clutch drops. Essentially,they never do anything to stress the car. They're wimps, by and large,but that means the basic cars are usually sound (assuming they haven't crashed them). And even if they do drive these cars hard, an 88hp 2.3Lis unlikely to hurt the torque boxes or twist anything more sturdy than a cereal box.
Swapping a 5.0 into the space once occupied by a four- or six-cylinder is not a huge deal, but it requires some effort in obtaining all thecorrect parts, especially the little bits you wouldn't normally think of. Once you've found the four- or six-cylinder car, the next chore is to find the engine, the trans, the 8.8 rearend, the 5.0 wiring harness(if going EFI), the MAP sensor, the computer, the vacuum canister, and a dozen other parts.Normally, the easiest way to do this is to buy a complete wrecked 5.0. Concerning the transmission, this story will show a five-speed application; if you want to use an automatic, it's much easier to start with an automatic car so you don't have to deal with swapping the pedals and such. As for the rearend, you don't have to get an 8.8 right away,but be aware that the four- and six-cylinder cars have the weak 7.5,which will not live long behind even a stock 5.0.
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