4 banger for 5.0

[Billyf17 10+ year member]

I'm getting rid of my 4-cyl turbo in my 84 Cougar XR7. I already have the donor and most of what I need to perform the mod. The donor is an 8?, I think it's an 88, Ford LTD.

My question is, is there anyone on here that has done this mod or similar? Like a Ford 6 cylinder to a V8. Ford to Ford, not like Chevy to Ford or any other transplant.

What I need to know is, how difficult this is. I have some papers that say it isn't too hard, which I believe, but I'm not too sure about the wiring. That's my only concern.

Any help would be appreciated.

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[Jdg784 10+ year member]

Well, how well do you know your way around an engine? The more you know the easier it will be. An engine swap generally takes a decent amount of time and LOTS of know how. If you're trying to squeeze and v-8 in the place of your old 4 banger..good luck. You'll almost definitely have to do some serious engine bay re-working..like moving your firewall back and removing excess metal. If that's the case..don't even bother..

 

[Billyf17 10+ year member]

Nope, none, its they same chassis.

Ford was extremely future smart back then, they made all of there good cars the same chassis, the fox chassis. So all I have to do is swap everything from one car to the other. Its one of the most popular mods for my car....putting in the V8.

Believe me there is plenty of room. Someone squeezed a 460 in that thing!

The swap is no problem, its the wiring I might have a problem with. We'll see come spring/summer.

 

[zane 10+ year member]

Originally posted by Billyf17 Nope, none, its they same chassis.

 

Ford was extremely future smart back then, they made all of there good cars the same chassis, the fox chassis. So all I have to do is swap everything from one car to the other. Its one of the most popular mods for my car....putting in the V8.

 

Believe me there is plenty of room. Someone squeezed a 460 in that thing!

 

The swap is no problem, its the wiring I might have a problem with. We'll see come spring/summer.

Afraid that it is a little more involved than that.....

Plenty of room- yes.

Straitforward transfer of the parts- not at all.

XR7's and TurboCoupes came stock with a 2.3L MP EFI Turbo I4.

What type of fuel delivery does the donor car have?

If it is an 88, It should have the MP EFI. However, I have seen a good share that still use the TBI set-up.

Firstly- you will definately need to swap out fuel pumps, and possibly re-locate the fuel lines. Obviously, the XR7's pump was designed for fuel delivery to a 4 cyl engine. It will not be able to keep up to the demand of 8cyl.

ALL of the wiring to the engine and gauges will have to be changed. Gauges will also have to go, as Most XR7's and Turbo Coupes have either the digital display or the non-digital display that is ran from a circuit board rather than individual wires.

The wiring from the lights, stereo, actuators, will still work with a little integration.

Climate Controls likely will need re-wiring , or manual conversion to accomodate the differnt AC/Heater system associated with the V8 donar.

Your Electronic Ride Control will not function without serious modification; as it relys on the the ECM. Obviously- the ECM and PCM will have to be changed to accomodate the new engine. This can be carried over from the donor car- along with the complete wiring harness.

All the Vaccum lines/system will have to be upgraded as well.

You will need to swap front crossmembers as well.

Different Motor Mounts alone will not be enough.

On the 2.3L engines- the mounts bolt to the towers throungh the front and the back.

On the 5.0L engines- the mounts bolt to the towers through the sides.

The 2.3 crossmember towers are strait up and down.

The 5.0 crossmember towers are slanted to accomodate the larger V8.

In other words- there will not be enough room with the 2.3 crossmember to accomodate the 5.0.

As long as your springs are in decent shape- they can remain.

I assume that you will be switching transmissions also?

The stock A4LD transmission on the XR7 will not bolt to a V8.

IIRC- the 5spd manual option will bolt up with a different bellhousing.

All the shifter linkage will have to be re-worked as well.

You may have to carry over the driveshaft as well, depending on the tailshaft...

Firewall can stay right where it is though.. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

It looks as though it should be a fairly straightforward conversion. "Should" is the operative word. "Isnt" is the actual word.

Of course, it can be done though, and there are a good number of people that have done this swap.

It is a very involving process, make sure you have the time, mechanical aptitude, and extra cash on hand if you still wish to perform this swap.

There are also several people out there that will advise you to keep your 2.3L engine and build it up instead.

These engines are very durable and capable of some reall impressive power. The aftermarket does cater pretty well to this engine also.

A Gillis valve can instantly add increased boost and more power to your car, and for under $30.00.

I'd reccomend having a look at http://www.turbotbird.com or http://www.turboford.org.

They may also have a few other ideas about your 5.0 swap if you still wish to do this.

take it easy,

-zane

 

[Billyf17 10+ year member]

Hey thanks the help. I knew it wouldn't be THAT easy. The site I got the info from is reliable, but I think it was a little underwritten.

The reason I want to goto 5.0 is because, well, that is the type of person I am. I like the engine and the power it produces now, but for me, being as stubborn as I am, the torque isn't enough. I don't like the spooling up lag I get with the turbo, even though it is really small. I'll look into a Gillis valve until spring/summer.

As for the springs, they are crap. The car bounces over everything and keeps bouncing. I mean it's a smooth ride, but they are really worn out. I plan to get the V8 springs for my year Cougar before we take it out on the road.

The donor is FI but I'm not certain if it is TBI or MP, I'm not a carb guy either. As you can guess, I'm very picky. I originally wanted a HO Mustang 5.0, but I got a better deal on this car.....free. Eventually it will get the HO treatment plus some. I plan on making it Mass Air, stroking it up to a 351, and raising the compression, with new pistons of course.

I just ordered my ground effects kit too. So I'll basically have a new car come summer. I'm building up this car for my show car. My dad is going to get it painted with a ghosted design, which I have yet to create. Audio....uh yeah, nothing yet. It will get the "treatment" in about 3 years.

By the way, this is my graduation project (stupid PA law), so it needs to take up a lot of time, which is good. We have the tools, my dad is an ASE mechanic, and has his own workshop full of everything we need.

Thanks again for explaining what I need and what I should expect. It's a big help.

 

[Billyf17 10+ year member]

See that's what I thought, because the site says that all that is needed is the wire harness from the donor and everything plugs in. Hopefully it will be a short winter for me, I wanna get that beast in there.

Thanx for your help. Can't wait to do this!

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

Was the 4 cyl shot? If not that's a great engine you're letting go to waste. There are very few 4 cyl's that can touch Ford's 2.3T, fewer 6's, and only a few 8's. The '84 would have had a big turbo. All it needs is a good IC, good intake, boost control valve, big exhaust and some porting work and 300HP is easily attainable with $1,000, maybe $2000 tops. Makes you faster than just about anything stock outside of vettes and z28s.

 

[zane 10+ year member]

Originally posted by n2audio Was the 4 cyl shot? If not that's a great engine you're letting go to waste. There are very few 4 cyl's that can touch Ford's 2.3T, fewer 6's, and only a few 8's. The '84 would have had a big turbo. All it needs is a good IC, good intake, boost control valve, big exhaust and some porting work and 300HP is easily attainable with $1,000, maybe $2000 tops. Makes you faster than just about anything stock outside of vettes and z28s.

I would agree.

The stock IHI turbo on these cars I wouldnt consider a strong point however.

Most couldnt sustain 10psi of boost alone.

This is why the Gillis valve is such a popular option- it will often allow adjustment up to 18psi of boost with no other mods.

Still, if you really wanted to push the envelope, loosing the IHI in favor of a larger T3 would definately be worth the cash. Instant results!!!

take it easy,

-zane

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by zane I would agree.

 

The stock IHI turbo on these cars I wouldnt consider a strong point however.

Most couldnt sustain 10psi of boost alone.

 

This is why the Gillis valve is such a popular option- it will often allow adjustment up to 18psi of boost with no other mods.

 

Still, if you really wanted to push the envelope, loosing the IHI in favor of a larger T3 would definately be worth the cash. Instant results!!!

 

take it easy,

 

-zane

Hang on Zane - I'm about 90% sure the 84 xr-7 didn't have the IHI, it had the t3, but it DIDN'T have an IC, which as you probably know will limit the boost you can put to it before detonation. I drive the '88 with IHI and air to air IC. I'm running 16 psi (@2500+ rpm) on an un modified 2.3L with 203K on it. Some people are getting good results with the IHI at 18psi, but it's unanimous if you're after big power numbers the T3 (or bigger) is key.

 

[jlman 10+ year member]

The 84 should of came with the T-3 friends 84 SVO had the T-3 and 85 t bird coupe has it as well so i am pretty sure it does.