I think I'm going to Build Up my Car

[theFordguy]

A while ago, I was on here asking about what the cheapest cars are to build and several users said Fox Bodies.
I have a Fox Body as my daily driver but that wasn't what I wanted to build at the time.

Now I'm thinking that I really want to build it and tear it back down.

So, if i want to do a cheap junkyard V8 swap, preferably Ford, what should I use?
I would like decent power out of the motor, and I would also like to put a 5 speed in the car but if necessary I'll stick with an automatic if money comes to be an issue.
I've been told that Ford explorer V8s were great swaps, but I'm not entirely sure.
I know I'll need a motor, a transmission, a different wiring harness, and I want to swap in an 8.8 rearend and do a 5 lug swap.

The car is a 93 LX Hatchback with a 2.3L with an automatic

What else may I need?
All help is greatly appreciated

[pro67coupe]

Google is your friend. There is a ton of how to swap stuff on there

[bs46488]

I've been thinking about doing a Factory Five kit car eventually and was considering using a New Edge Mustang as a donor. Sure they aren't the best, biggest, or fastest....but they also aren't the most expensive.

A slightly used New Edge will knock off the 5 lug, 8.8 rear, and 5 speed off your wish list.

I had a 2001 2V Mustang that I put a Vortech supercharger on it. It was a fun car to drive! Sure a 4V motor of the new Coyote would be better....but it would also be double or triple the price.

I'm not up to speed on PA laws, but out here in CA you need to worry about DMV and smog issues for a swap like that in a Fox body.

[Jetfixr320]

Find a 92.5 or 93 Mustang 5.0 donor car. It's engine harness will plug right into your car if you plan to keep the EFI.
You will need the fuel line and brake lines from the donor as the V8 cars are plumbed different then the 4 cyl cars. The V8 car will have bigger front brakes and the struts are different also then the 4 cyl car. You can keep your K frame.

If you keep it EFI, there is a difference in the O2 sensor harness between Auto and manual cars. But it's just a matter of moving a jumper wire and it will prevent smoking the ECM.

You can go on Ebay and find 5 Lug conversions or do a junkyard swap with ranger axles and lincoln rotors also.

Hope this helps.

[theFordguy]

Thanks for the info
So you're saying that if I were to go and find a 92.5-93 Ford 5.0, my 2.3 engine harness will plug right in and go?
What else would i need to change beside the fuel lines and brake lines?

Do i need to change the ECU and ECM?

[Jetfixr320]

The donor 5.0 engine harness will plug into your car's harness and play nice. Some of the earlier cars had a fuel pump relays under the drivers seat. Your car's current 4cyl harness should have the fuel pump relay in the engine bay. The 92.5-93 5.0 engine harness will have the relay in the engine harness.

Front struts and spindles if you want the V8 sized brakes. The rear axle from the 5.0 and the quad shock mounts. Transmission crossmember from the V8 car. Also the 5.0 gas tank possibly, the fuel pump in theory should have more flow. I had issues with my car after completing the swap. ( I kept the 4cyl pump as it was new) I had checked autozone and they showed the same pump for 4 cyl and 5.0 cars. So, I didn't swap tanks or pumps. Either I had a weak pump or it went bad. But a New pump later fixed the poor performance of the car.

I also used the gauge cluster from the V8 car since they have the 140 speedo.

Yes, you will need the V8 ECU/ECM. Your computer will need to be for a auto or manual car also, and the jumper wire in the o2 sensor harness will need to be pinned correctly for the manual or automatic ecu or it will cause the ECU to fry a circuit in it. The information I can pass on can give you the details on the wiring.

I found it easier to buy a complete beat up rusty V8 car to use as a donor. Sourced all my parts and scrapped the body after completing my swap. If you buy a donor car that hopefully runs okay and use the complete drivetrain, engine harness and ECU you should be okay.

It's not a weekend job or at least it wasn't for me. I cleaned and painted the engine compartment, bottom of the car, changed bushings and ball joints etc. And it took me about 3 months of my days off.

I think I covered it all but feel free to hit me up for other info.

Steve

[theFordguy]

Its been awhile since I last responded and I thank you for telling me what you did

I have decided that I am going to attempt to build up my Fox and I have a few more questions mainly because I dont think I will be able to purchase a donor car.
I know of a good place where I might be able to get the parts I need

I know i need to get a 92.5 to 93 5.0 motor.., but I was wondering..
What transmission should I look for if I want a 5spd? Or should I stick with Automatic to keep things simple?
And what driveshaft should i use or buy to make the swap simple?
Also, I would like to do a 5 lug swap and was thinking about using a 94 mustang rear end, would this work?
What may also be a cheap 5 lug swap up front that would still allow me to have decent braking?

Other plans that I have include:
A/C delete
Smog pump delete
Manual rack and pinion
Front and Rear Anti-roll bars
Upgraded rear control arms
shocks
lowering springs
Those are just some ideas and may take awhile for me to do, but I felt like i should mention just in case I might do something wrong
Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it

[Jetfixr320]

What is your budget? I saw several possible donor cars on CL in Pitt.

[theFordguy]

What is your budget? I saw several possible donor cars on CL in Pitt.

Well, Im only 17 and I dont have a whole lot of cash, so Id say at max $1000 for either parts or a donor car.

In a perferct world Id love to find a 94-95 gt that runs with a 5 speed and I would just use everything off of it, suspension and drivetrain and just use its wiring harness and pull my car apart apart, alot of work but I dont know.

[theFordguy]

My ultimate goal is to get my car done before I go to college.
The college has a motorsports club that goes to autocross and track day events and I would love for that to be my way to get into AutoCross

[groho]

Before you spend a single penny on anything, contact your state motor vehicle dept and find out what their rules and smog laws are on engine swaps, especially since you're going to a V8. If the car is going to be trailered, don't worry about it. But if you plan to run it on the street, insurance, registration, you MUST check the law. In CA, the smog requirements follow the year of the vehicle, so any eng change must meet the smog requirements for that year car and all the smog hardware that came with that year car. Engine changes require an inspection and verification by BAR (Bureau of Auto Repair) who goes through every nut and bolt, check valve, etc, to make sure you have all the parts and pieces for that vehicle. If you do your homework, it will be a piece of cake to pass and register the car, if you don't, you will have a major and costly headache to deal with to qualify to drive it on the street. I know this first hand, and again you do your homework it won't be a problem. I've seen too many gearheads do eng swaps to find out later they can't get it registered on the street, end up selling the car, or making it a track only car. The catalytic converter, ECU, smog pump are all required items in some states. If you're building a track car, gut it, build it, race it, but you still have to get it to the track and back.

There are two parts to a smog test, one sniff test, one visual inspection. You may pass the sniff test after an eng swap, but you'll fail the visual inspection because you have a 5.0 in a car that's supposed to have a 2.3L, that's when life becomes a headache if you haven't done your homework.

[theFordguy]

Before you spend a single penny on anything, contact your state motor vehicle dept and find out what their rules and smog laws are on engine swaps, especially since you're going to a V8. If the car is going to be trailered, don't worry about it. But if you plan to run it on the street, insurance, registration, you MUST check the law. In CA, the smog requirements follow the year of the vehicle, so any eng change must meet the smog requirements for that year car and all the smog hardware that came with that year car. Engine changes require an inspection and verification by BAR (Bureau of Auto Repair) who goes through every nut and bolt, check valve, etc, to make sure you have all the parts and pieces for that vehicle. If you do your homework, it will be a piece of cake to pass and register the car, if you don't, you will have a major and costly headache to deal with to qualify to drive it on the street. I know this first hand, and again you do your homework it won't be a problem. I've seen too many gearheads do eng swaps to find out later they can't get it registered on the street, end up selling the car, or making it a track only car. The catalytic converter, ECU, smog pump are all required items in some states. If you're building a track car, gut it, build it, race it, but you still have to get it to the track and back.

There are two parts to a smog test, one sniff test, one visual inspection. You may pass the sniff test after an eng swap, but you'll fail the visual inspection because you have a 5.0 in a car that's supposed to have a 2.3L, that's when life becomes a headache if you haven't done your homework.

This may sound odd, but the car is currently registered as a West Virginia car (my Dad lives in WV and he has me on his insurance and it will be swapped over to me once Im 18), so I dont know how it may affect things, since its a WV car and would later change it to a PA car

[theFordguy]

In WV there are no emissions test
Where I live in PA, there are emissions test

[joemac]

I think the big three choices would be SBF, Mod motor, or LS. You could most likely find a parts car/donor for under $1000 and do the swap. You'd need a few extra things for the mod motor I believe. The LS would probably bust your budget but is hard to beat and I'm a Ford guy too. I give credit where credit is due.

I would think that with your budget you would definitely need to find a complete donor, as it will have everything and can be found for under a grand. If you are choosy and troll the online classifieds you can even find a mod motored car within your budget but it will be much harder to find.

Another option I just thought of is turbocharging the 2.3. You can get to 300hp with a couple little additions and use most of what you already have.

[Jetfixr320]

Unless you have a 2nd car to drive while you do this, it wont be a weekend job to do it right. And $1000 wont go a long way in my opinion. Save some more cash for a donor. But, some of your donor car parts will need some refurbishment or at least mine did. New ball joints and bushings.

Another donor option is finding a Thunderbird turbo coupe and swapping it's drive train in. 4 cyl turbo.

You could update your suspension and wheels/tires to get your car to handle better?

Your car appears to be pretty clean. Normally the 4 cyl car bodies are pretty solid. No stress cracks in the floor pans behind the driver seat and the rear control arm boxes are not damaged.

If you can keep it licensed in WV, you could just go to a carb'd SBF engine.