Hey Guys,

Its been awhile since I have been on here and I found myself back here. I think really it just to the point that all of the other sites frankly have ticked me off. Most of the other sites if you try to help someone or disagree it becomes a pathetic joke.

So now I am back to the tried and true site.

Ok, so here is the deal I decided awhile back as some of you might remember to take my 2003 Mustang 6'er in a since to the next level. This is were I have seem to come the point where it seems as if I have run my head into a brick wall.

As crazy as it seems I for the past month or so was going to pull the motor out of the car and sell it, the transmission and rearend and do something a little different.......Well not little, lets say 5.0 different. I have done pretty much all the leg work but I don't know at this point what has stopped me. I honestly believe that it could be pulled off. Not the easiest thing in the world but hey, nothing is easy really.

Now here is where I guess you could say I got hit with a logic that I didn't expect. A friend of mine and my parents were standing in the drive way talking and my Mom of all people said "Why are you going to basically totally gut a car and put a 5.0 in it, when the 3.8 is close to stock power you said as the 5.0 was when it was stock". After sitting and thinking about it she is right. I think the want factor is trying to out way the need in a way.

Here is what I know about the 5.0 swap:

I can use any 5.0L I want from 89-95. I will need the full engine, ECU - now on the ecu - if I would want to run a newer (lets say a later model type 4R70W or equivolent out of a 99-04) I would have to use the ECU out of a 1994-1995 as the wiring would be easier (all you have to do is swap some of the connections and hard wire some other things, the transmission - if it is a 5 speed, and an 8.8 rear end out of a 99-04 GT. Really there isn't as much custom work needed as some would think, most think that to make a 5.0 in a 99-04 is totally not possible unless the car is used strictly for racing. As I have found out through Mustang parts sites, aftermarket parts sites, racer sites, probably 50 phone calls to Mustang parts guys.

Here is the breakdown of conversions or parts swapped needed:


*5 liter engine
*ecu
*transmission
*8.8 rearend
*Aftermarket 5.0 k-member - (AJE, PA Racing, Team Z and a few others make them). You could also from what I was told from a dealer tech that you could buy the UPR or Steeda units and make them work by having custom motor mounts made.
*You would also have to make or figure out how to make customs lines for the heater hoses, coolant lines and if you wanted to keep it - the A/C. You are also going to run into this little gem that I found rather strange but after firsthand measuring it myself, you run into the brake master cylinder issue? This I think I have a 70% idea of what to do to make it still fit.
*You can use the stock radiator as it is the same one used in the GTs - from what I am told.

Now I am sure by looking through this list there are some other odds and ends like the driveshaft and a few other things that most of us would assume in this whole thing anyway. But I know for a fact some of you have probably thought of it or maybe thought how are you going to make it work. If you haven't it is the gauge cluster. Well for that I have found an answer. One that I litterally couldn't believe until I seen it myself!!! Really, there is a guy here around me that is somewhat local and he had I believe he said a 347 in a 1999 couple (a former v6 car). Here was his solution and I did see it with my own eyes and it worked. He took the gauge cluster out of a 1999 Cobra and hard wired it into the system - don't ask me how, becuase I am still scratching my head. Everything works except I think the temp and the tach. For those he has an aftermarket autometer gauge for.

Ok, with all of that I rough estimated prices:

5L out of a junk yard (locally non-running condition but nothing wrong with the block or heads) with transmission he quoted = $500.00

Summit Racing 4.040 Rebuilt kit (uses stock rods and crank) = $550.00

New Trick Flow heads, intake and cam package = $2,500

Assuming it would need a new water pump and a few other things say 3,500 more.

Then you would need a transmisssion T-5 rebuilt with belhousing and clutch at best would be 1,000.

So in totally and assuming that there are no glitches that would require outside help you are looking at a minmum of around $11,000.

The benefit of a 5.0 (need there be more said) and yes, I did check the cost of the engine and need parts for a 4.6 are more expensive. The engine along is almost or is double the inital cost of a 5.0.

What would you get from this I had a really good idea but just wanted to make sure that my math was correct, with that top end kit and tune you would get some where in the 360-370 horsepower at the engine figure.

Now with that being said I know that there are a few of you on here that have some pretty narly lower cost v6'ers, so what I am asking is what do you think? Please vote on the poll and then give me your ideas.

Please also remember to be reasonable and within reality, I already know that atleast right now the realm of this swap will not happen. I am looking to spend a few grand maybe more but not all at once.

It is not that I dislike my six, it gets great mileagem, the power isn't terrible but isn't great either once I drove it enough to get use to it. But I think that it is time for a little upgrade of sorts.

Here is the list of mods I have done:
CAI
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
True Duals w/ H-pipe and 2.25" piping.
*I had Flowmaster 40's on it and didn't care for it, imo they droned to much at cruising speeds and the tone just got old imo. So I cut off the mufflers and in a haste just put piping in there to eliminate the mufflers and I have to say it was the biggest mistake ever. The car is way to loud now at really anytime but idle (once the car is hot) isn't unbearable. But WOT and gettin' on it are riduculus. So now I am going to go with the orginal plan and put MAC Flowpaths on it sound good and deep like Flowmasters but with a more aggressive tone.

The car has also been tuned a few times don't know now if it really made that big of a diffrence.

Thanks for reading and your input, Rumblin_6.

 

How much do you have to spend and what do you want the car to do

 

I see that you have a price set at about 11k

to be totally serious I would say sell the 6 cause you have a 03 and I bet you can get 6k for it if your miles aren't to high and then look for a nice mach 1

then spend around 1k on a nice nitrous setup and walk cobras all day long with a good set of tires

 

No...... The 11k was for the swap. I forgot to put that I think, sorry. I would like to put a little bit here and there with it. Plus it is for now my DD. I would ideally like to put a few hundred in it at a time. Even if like lets say an idea was heads cam and intake I could by the parts as funds allow and then over a long weekend 3 days or so swap it out for the new parts.

Here is the deal, I wanted a GT but even though I am over 25, the insurance around my parts is due to so many people not having insurance and the high rate of serious wrecks. I am over 25 and I a have never had a wreck or a ticket - my insurance premiums are through the roof. Also you have to take in the fact that the insurance lady lied and is charging me for a GT basically.

Plus right now I am not able to do the work yet. Right now I am more or less gathering opinions and trying to see what the other options are. I woke up one moring and basically lost the use of one of my arms and some of one side of my body and since the end of January I have been sort of out of commission. So this is kind of to keep me busy and give me ideas so that when I can, I can starting working on it again.

 

Change insurance companies get a posi, gears (3.73s) and a 75 shot of nitrous

you can do this in stages and it will only run you about 2k max and your car will feel like it's a whole new machine

 

That would be a nice start.

 

word...thats what I did lol and i love it

 

I dunno man, i understand the desire to do something different, but for 11 grand, hell, you could buy a used 89-92 5.0 stang with the good ol forged bottom end for lets say 4k for good condition.

another 1,500 for the anderson Motorsports quick kit 1
Headers, xpipe, catback, UDPs, CAI, TB, Spacer, Mass air,

then the quick kit 2, 2,500
PP Typhoon intake, n-51r cam, valvesprings, TFS heads, pushros, roller rockers, valve covers, timing chain and all the grommets and spacers and such..

that is gonna run you about 8 grand and has been dynoproven to 321rwhp.

Then another 3 grand and you can run about 14lbs of boost with a supercharger, i dont know what the numbers would be but im sure you would be well into 400rwhp
'
thats 11 grand right there, maybe less if you get a good deal on the fox.
and you would still have the 6'er for a daily driver

 

Or you can stroke the six to a 4.3 with forged internals / badass crank throw in a cam.

Total cost: 3 grand

Then throw a tma turbo single stret kit for 3,500

Grab an 8.8 from a 99-04 from the junkyard or something for..probably $300-$500

Throw a bigger stall in the transmission - $350ish depending on stall

Port/polish Heads & Intakes for about 1 thousand

And have a mean *** motor on a crank no one has been able to break and run 11s or 12s all day probably.