hey guys im new here and was wondering if you could help me out with my v8 swap i just want some imput on what i should be looking out for. i have a 76 280 and want to drop a 85 h.o 5.0 out of a mustang. what should do about the drivtrain and suspension?

 

go here, it has been done countless times. also "JTR" jags that run makes a mount kit for them aswell as an install manual. it should be fairly strait forward. now the rear diff and suspension can more then handle a 5.0 motor, so dont worry about that.

 

okay cool and was thinking that the 85 motor would be good cause its a full roller and is still carb. so i dont have to deal with all the electical

 

if you plan on using the car for more then just a weekend cruiser i would suggest using the 89-91 EFI system, as it may be EFI, but dam is it a good system.

 

it will be just a weekend car for sure i drive a 90 mustang with that system and love it. that jtr only had a kit for chevy conversion.....and what tranny should i go with? i am thinkin just a world class t-5 should do.

 

yeah, a t5 should work fine, i forgot the JTR only makes them for chevy, im sure someone though makes a mount kit for a 5.0 motor, all i would do apart from normal body reinforcement is to reinforce the front crossmember and the front frame rails...

 

okay that sounds easy enough and the headers should be fine? caue when i got aftermarket headers for my 5.0 they were a very tight fit.....i def. am going shorties to make it easier

 

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from what i have read headers clear just fine, i would deffinetly research it more though, to see all the pro's and con's

 

heres a page on it, its not a 5.0 motor, but its pretty close if not bigger.

http://lainefamily.com/240Z_V8_Conve...s/image002.jpg

 

they had a guy making ford 302 cross members to fit in the z. he no longer makes them but if you search on hybrid you can find his name and look up his old website. i do believe he has the dimensions so you can make it with ease. i really wanted to do this but i have a 84 4x4 ranger that im going to throw a 302 in. yummy

 

I have a stroked 351w that is not much bigger than the 302. I prefer the engine myself for the added stroke and torque. Not that the 302 wouldn't do nicely.

But, with the build on that engine, stroked and bored to 408ci, Eagle crank, and h-beams, with Keith Black Pistons, big cam, big heads, I am looking at around 500 ft lbs, and 500hp. That is if I go light on the carb.

I thought about putting that in my Z, but I want to drive it daily, and the 5-10 mpg is going to be killer. haha

 

I was wondering how much room was between the hood and top of the engine. Every one always says if you can drop a small block in a car you can drop a cummins ISB in it. But I believe the ISB is slightly taller but the intake manifold sits off to the side and the turbo off the oposite side. I am pretty sure the rearend would have to be replaced with a heavier duty one seeing the torque the motor would put out. A modified cummins can put out upwards of 500 horse and nearly 1000 ft Lbs of torque. And still get in the high teens low twentys for fuel economy. Another issue is a transmision short enough to fit under the low car. Please give back any input you may have I'd like to see if this is at all possible.

 

people have stuffed V-12s into s30s. anything is possible, it all comes dow to how much money you have to **** away on a project.

 

You could make a 9000 ft lbs of torque like the engines i work on, but the diff would never experience that kind of torque. There is only so much traction possible on the rear tires. Now... Besides the fact that with the gearing to make the lower RPM's usefull, you will also see less torque, and more rpm's.

If you were to take a healthy cummins, with slicks, I would be worried. I have seen people thrash the crap out of the stock rear end and small block V8's, and they held up way better than I thought they would. But, you have to calculate how light the car is too.

I am a diesel technician. It would be a blast to have a strong Cummins in a Z. I say go for it. Only thing in the way of any engine swap, is time and money.

 

Yeah that is the biggest question I think you would have to cut out the center hump an make it wider and taller to fit a 6 speed or even an old 47re which even then doesn't hold up to the torque but on the positive note you would pretty much have to take the battery most electronics and put them in the back. So that could add some wieght. But still not enough and I have enough trouble keeping tires on my truck as is