New Bird! November 10, 2014, 09:10:55 PM Hey guys, I've been lurking the forum ever since I picked up my 1987 Thunderbird 3.8L a couple of months ago. I figured I'd get some much needed work done on the car before posting anything. This car sat in a barn for three years unmoved when I bought it. It was grimy, needed new paint, and needed a major tune up but really nothing major. It had minimal rust and body damage, the interior was perfect, and the car ran. By the way this car is fully loaded, power everything.Here's what I did so far:- calipers/rotors/brake pads- front wheel bearings- spark plugs/wires- battery- serpentine belt/AC belt- fixed leaking fuel line- fuel pump- repaired float (no reading)- adjusted rear drum brakes- stabilizer bar bushings- headlight restoration (but still working on it...)- fixed jammed passenger window- new rear view mirror- oil+filter/air filter+gasket- pulled off ler (going with glass pack)- mustang gt turbine wheels- 235/60 15 BF Goodrich Radial T/A in front- 275/60 15 BF Goodrich Radial T/A in back coming soon- tore out the original head unit, have new one waiting. I picked up this car because, aside from being a ford fan, I think this is among the nicest looking cars made during that era. I was also blown away with how comfortable it is, as I wanted something for long road trips that wouldn't kill my back. I find that these car can easily be made to look cool. Since I'm starting to get past a lot of the TLC that this car desperately needed I'm now thinking about an engine swap. I've read tons of posts advocating the 302 swap but am slightly intimidated by working with the car's computer and wiring so I've been leaning towards going carbuerated. I'm also on a budget and don't require huge power, just enough to make the car get out of it's own way easily. I'd appreciate your guy's suggestions or links to other posts in regards to my options. Now for some pix! Quote Selected
New Bird! Reply #3 – November 10, 2014, 10:26:19 PM Welcome to the forum and nice barn find. Look forward to seeing the progress. Quote Selected
New Bird! Reply #5 – November 11, 2014, 08:54:20 AM Go with 275/50's for the rear. They are a 25.9" tire as opposed to the 28.1" of the 60's, meaning speedo will stay accurate. 10.8" wide tires are a bit overkill for a 3.8 anyways. With a t-5 and a s.o. 302, i could barely spin a tire dumping it in 1st doing a one wheel peel. It would either straight hook hard enough to break the motor mounts, or sit and spin.My opinion, keep the cfi. You could always swap to fuel injection, over all there really is very little wiring that actually needs done. Getting the engine bay for a 302 is alot harder. The swap could be done in a weekend if you work quickly.My old 87 bird with a 302 was getting 27+mpg freeway with a 302. Could get over 600 miles range on a tank easily. Several times i drove it 1300 miles filling up once. Quote Selected
New Bird! Reply #6 – November 11, 2014, 11:10:25 AM Welcome to the forum. You are certainly in the right place. Nice car. WAY better than mine was when I got it. LOL. It looks like a solid foundation to build on. We're here if you need help. Quote Selected
New Bird! Reply #7 – November 11, 2014, 12:12:29 PM Thanks for the responses guys. If not a 302, would anyone suggest a fuel injected 3.8 from a 2000's mustang? I'm sure I could get one cheap and it would save me from having to change up my engine bay. Would I be able to keep my digital dash display or would I have to make modifications there as well. I'd be happy to get into the 250hp range. As for the rear wheels Haystack, I'm not too worried about the speedo being off a little. I love the way those 275/60/15 look under there! Quote Selected
New Bird! Reply #8 – November 11, 2014, 01:44:10 PM I loved my 275/60's but they rubbed just a touch with a few hundred pounds in the trunk and full suspension travel.A fuelie 3.8 is the same amount of work overall as the 302, minus motor mounts. There are some stout 3.8 combos, but id personally go 302. Quote Selected
New Bird! Reply #9 – November 11, 2014, 04:51:41 PM Based on what I'm reading I would need a new K member for the 302 swap. If so where can I get one? I checked all my local junk yards and cant find any t-birds. Quote Selected
New Bird! Reply #10 – November 11, 2014, 05:02:50 PM You shouldn't need to swap the K member, just new motor mounts. I swapped from a 302 to a 2.3T and it it just bolted in with the 2.3 mounts. Many here have swapped from a 3.8 and also used their original K member. I'm pretty sure all cars used the same K member regardless of engine, although the mounts varied. Quote Selected
New Bird! Reply #11 – November 11, 2014, 05:29:44 PM http://www.coolcats.net/modifying/ho_transplant.html Quote Selected
New Bird! Reply #12 – November 11, 2014, 06:15:24 PM Chuckw (who is also an admin on here) sells aftermarket motor mounts as well that are supposed to be much stronger. Quote Selected
New Bird! Reply #13 – November 11, 2014, 07:28:55 PM You guys are awesome. That's a great link btw Loaded. Do you guys know where I can get the 1986-88 factory wiring harness I will need for the swap? I'm pretty sure I can find everything else. Also, what's the difference between a speed density and mass airflow setup? Quote Selected
New Bird! Reply #14 – November 11, 2014, 08:37:27 PM I would watch the For sale section for somebody parting out a car. If all else fails and your budget allows, EFI 5.0 swap harnesses are readily available from Summit, Jegs, Ron Francis, American Muscle, etc.Speed density and mass air are the two most widely used strategies for measuring incoming air to appropriately mix the air and fuel. Most performance applications use mass air as it adapts easier to modifications. Quote Selected
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