Engine swap on Mustang

[akumabito]

I'm looking for info on the possibilities of an engine swap on a Mustang. I want to replace the 5.0 engine with a 429CUI engine from a '68-'73 Thunderbird. Is it possible? Has it been done before? (Pretty sure it has..) Any major problems? What gearbox to use, Mustang's or Thunderbird's? Any sites about this subject?

Thanks a bunch peeps!

[flylwsi]

you can swap any motor into the mustang.
it's been done, and there are literally hundreds with motors that size.
you may want to find a mustang specific site to pose the question, or go to the mustang section of this site under ford...

[midlifecrisisvette]

Yeah, that would be pretty sweet, how much does that 429 put out? That's the best part about enigne swapping with Mustangs, or any muscle/pony for that, where there's a will, there's a way.

[flylwsi]

considering that it's a 68-73 t-bird, not much power. that's gas crisis time... so the power was dropping like a mother...

[parrish5o]

A 460 will fit quite easily into a fox body. Exhaust and motor mounts are an issue I know as well as height so a cowl hood will be needed to clear the intake/carb. Not sure all the details, check the Mustang section of this forum.

[George G.]

It can be done. If possible, use aluminum heads to reduce weight. I shoehorned a 460 into an 89 Mustang coupe and it was way nose heavy. Being that yours is currently a v8 setup, the stronger springs may help(mine was a 4cyl). You'll need to replace the headers, oil pan and motor mounts just to set it in there. Then you'll need to figure out what you want to do with the power steering. I couldn't find any conversion p/s pump that had the v-belt pulley. March pulleys might have some kit by now to convert all the pulleys to a serpentine belt type...not sure. I was running with no p/s. If you're gonna run with no p/s, you'll need to replace the p/s rack with a manual one cause it WILL ruin. If you're gonna build this motor up, I wouldn't use anything less than a C6 trans. There's a kit to use a T5 but I had numerous people tell me that it wouldn't hold up to the torque. To use the C6, you'll need to buy an adjustable trans crossmember or you can grind the tac welds from the stock one and slide the crossmember as far back as possible(You'll see what I mean once you look) and re-tac the welds on the member. There's also some modifications that you'll have to do to get a shifter to work with the tranny. I can't remember what I used but it was a B&M shifter. It fit nicely in the ashtray hole. You'll also need to get a custom driveshaft made to adapt to the 8.8 rear diff. As posted before, you'll need to cut your hood or find a cowl hood. I had to use a 6 inch cowl hood before it would close. I had a Weind intake and a 750 Holley DP and with the 6 in. cowl, I had to run that cheap Edlebrock triangular crappy air filter to shut the hood. Let me know if you have anymore questions. I should have some pics laying around somehere is you want to see. I never did "finish" mine to how I wanted it....kinda wish I still had it. Later and good luck.

[MagicRat]

George,
I would love to see those pictures. My wife has one of those 89 4 cyl mustangs too, that I would like to modify. I have thought of a turbo 4 cyl, or even a 302. However, if I am going to do the work, why not make it as extreme as possible.
I would have to get the wife another car though.
Why didn't you finish the project?

[George G.]

I guess I can't attach pics here. Post an email address and I'll send them to you. I didn't have much time to work on it anymore and I was really tired of spending money on it. I wish I still had it though. I ended up trading it for a 93 Lightning. If you're gonna use your 4 banger, change the front suspension before you drop the motor in it. You'll also need to swap the brake booster for one from a V8 car. If you plan to go with a carb. You'll need to also swap the fuel pick up for one from a pre-fuel injection Mustang...unless you're gonna use a fuel cell.

[Turbo_Raccoon]

there are a bunch of motors that will fit in a mustang

[shortexistance]

I say just put a 351 in it with a couple of turbos, or a supercharger. The engine is still on the smaller side and parts are easy to come by. When i got my stang it already had a windsor in it and thats when i just started throwing on parts. I was running low 10s and my axle snapped the first time I put racing slicks on it .


If someone knows of a good axle that can support 600+hp please help me out. My baby is sittin in the back yard.

[GTR2b]

I put a heavilly modified 351 Cleveland in my '81 Mustang that I had in High School. With that motor, it wasn't much fun to drive on the road due to how nose-heavy it was.

As mentioned earlier, since you're already dealing with a V-8 Stang, you won't have the headache that I did but IMHO, the BB Ford is too much engine in a Fox Body on the road. That and the 8.8 rear end will not hold up with even a mildly-modified 429-460.

Now if you just want to drag race the car, more power to you! It actually works well in the car (with a 9" rear) and I still remember the suspension setup that I used if you want it.

[Filthy Sanchez]

Originally Posted by shortexistance

I say just put a 351 in it with a couple of turbos, or a supercharger. The engine is still on the smaller side and parts are easy to come by. When i got my stang it already had a windsor in it and thats when i just started throwing on parts. I was running low 10s and my axle snapped the first time I put racing slicks on it .


If someone knows of a good axle that can support 600+hp please help me out. My baby is sittin in the back yard.

Yeah that's a pretty lethal combo, I had a friend (Rocky) who had a 351 windsor in his bored and stroked to a 454 with an Incon twin turbo set up pumped through a fortified T56 6 speed. He walked damn near everything he raced.