My son and myself are starting a project car together and we hope you guys can help with a few questions we have. Heres the story...we have recently bought an 87 T bird with 74k miles on it, and we would like to replace the existing 3.8l engine with a 302 out of a 79 Mustang that we have built up to be quite healthy. we want to stay with a carb set up for this build. From what i have gathered the tranny(AOD) will bolt up but may need to be beefed up a bit to handle the power, but will everything else work? I realize exhaust,motor mounts etc will have to be changed but would i be so lucky that the accesory brackets for the air,alt, etc fit onto the 302 block. And is the water pump simular to the design of the small block waterpump.I was told that ford interchanged most of those items with 3.8 and 5.0 blocks to save on costs.?There are many more questions that we have but if anyone has completed this same type of swap we would sure like to hear from you.Thanks in advance.
When you pull the 3.8 take the motor mounts and brackets off and bolt them to the 302. Direct swap.
the brackets off a 3.8 can bolt on a 302?
Since when???
The mount assembly is a three piece affair the uses the same lower bracket to bolt to the crossmember, but the insulator and upper are different than a 5.0 and will not bolt to the block...
Someone lied to you, unlike Chevys smallblock V8s and the 3.3, 3.8, 4.3 V6s, the POS Ford 3.8 shares nothing with a 5.0. Believe it or not, the Ford 3.8 is loosely based on the Buick 3.8 V6, which shared many components with their V8s.
They use the same motor mounts. Is the bolt pattern on the block side different?
yep, 5.0 are different than 3.8. :D
You've not seen the problems a lot of the guys seem to have finding the 5.0 upper for such a swap???
where did all of this come from? my 87 v-6 brackets are compleatly diffrent, and I know the motor mounts are diffrent.
When i swapped my 5.0 in i had to get the mounts from a 93 mustang GT, and had to use spacers, now i know in 86 they changed the cros member slightly so im not sure if youll need spacers, Question, the cross members where the motor mounts set is it straight or at a 45* angle if it straingt i can send you some used mounts from my 5.0 if its angled get the 93 GT mounts.
(http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3026&stc=1&d=1121967059)
Here's what '87 5.0 mounts look like for a Tbird.
They changed it in 87-88 and you can no longer use the mustang mounts. Here (http://"http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?t=3990") is a link to better mounts that one of our very own is designing. He does excellent work, and this would probably be your best bet as the factory motor mounts are pretty hard to find in good condition these days.
actually '86, maybe '85 1/2.:D
do u know where i can get a 302 5.0 motor for my t-bird 86 mode
i am aj willingham c_c_chopper yahoo messenger
I don't think I saw any replies regarding the fuel pump swap. Won't the FI fuel pump have to be swapped for a low-pressure "carb" fuel pump? You sure can't hit a carb with typical FI fuel pressures.
Fordman3
Yes if you are going to use a carb changeing the fuel pump is your best option, I just used an Inline pump removed the intank and replave witha peice of metal line. Not a hard change to do, just drain the tank............dont ask
V fan belt: CW water pump rotation.
Serpentine fan belt= CCW water pump rotation.
Unless you are using the dual belt serpentine setup from a Crown Vic etc(alt and A/C comp are reversed)... They use a std rotation pump...
WOAH.... HELLO the lights just came on...
If you're not running A/C and don't ming moving the Alt to the driverside, this would be a cheapie way to go when eleminating A/C...