Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

After doing much staring at things around here, reading 2.3T build topics and performance tech here, 4yp, stinger, turboford, etc. I've decided that I think I'd be happier with a V8 again.. I miss my WS6 too much. :D

I put aside a little chunk of money tonight and I'm gonna keep adding to it until I have enough to start cranking with this. The nice part is I will still be able to drive my car with the 2.3T in while working on a lot of this so it wont be down the ENTIRE time like I thought. Looking at what I wanted to make HP wise with the 2.3T it was going to end up costing me a pretty penny and be a little less reliable than a built 5.0 HO (not to mention completely different 'feel', which is just preference but after driving a bolt on LS1 for years.. well.. yeah. I want a V8 again). I'd rather put the money into an engine with MUCH less mileage - my 2.3T has 205,000 miles!! Anyway..

That's the plan. So far I know I'm gonna need:

- 5.0 HO, full engine
- 5.0 harness
- 5.0 ECU
- 5.0 engine mounts
- performance clutch
- World Class T5 from v8 car
- ???

Stuff I plan to do for sure:
- new fuel pump
- performance headers
- couple good lers and just dump it at the rear axel again (I love it loud)
- good air intake of some sort
- ???

Stuff I would LIKE to do while I am at it if I can afford it (but can do later on):
- performance cam
- ???

Leaving question marks in things as this is an open list that I will make changes too often as I get new ideas, suggestions, people telling me how retarded I am :D (this is my first engine build, and I'm learning along the way with the help of my father who knows what he's doing), find out more stuff I'm in need of to get it to work, etc.

So.. suggestions, comments, hints, help? :bowdown: Am I completely off my rocker for wanting to 'ruin' a "Turbocoupe"? :hick: Once I have more money saved up I plan to just turn this in to my build thread and go with it. I'm committing to it. I need to learn this stuff while I've got the chance with my father and I only have a couple more years here! I've learned a little bit with him but time is wasting away on us and I don't want to miss a chance to work on something like this in his garage and pass that hurdle in life of doing something more advance with a car than just changing suspension, brakes, bolt ons, some minor body work (and I helped paint one car, we've got a gun for it), wheels, and fixer upper things like repairing things and making stuff look nicer - which is the only things I've done. I have never done anything more advanced than those things and I want to learn while I can. I didn't get a chance to work on a car with dad when I was a kid and now I'm in the unique position to get to do it at age 25, post-military, and attending school for a couple more years.

Enough of my rambling for now. I really don't know when to shut up sometimes, especially when I am excited about something. :rollin:

I got my first H.O engine from a Mark VII.The current engine is from a Mercury Mountaineer.Great foundation.H.O cams can be had for cheap. The Explorer/Mountaineer engines already have great heads (either the GT-40 or the GT-40P heads). The "P" heads have been great for my car so far.There is header clearance to think about,but,with a good used set of BBK unequal length shorty headers and 90 degree plug boots,you'll be golden.These engines can be found as cheap,and sometimes cheaper than an H.O engine depending on where you look.Mine was a SUPER low mileage and I got it for $125.00. Plus,you'll also have the nice intake and 65mm throttlebody (easily converted for Fox body use by swapping the throttle cable lever....15 minute job. of course you'll need the accessory brackets,balancer,oil pan and pickup,but,those are also easy to find. If I can help in any way,let me know.

Thank you very much Vinnie! I'm sure I'll be hitting up this thread with lots of questions over the next few seasons. :D

tell ya what, im buying everything new so when i get my old cam out ill sell it to ya. and ask alot of questions they might be some i might ask soon.

I'll have to see what I end up with in whatever engine I find first before ordering or buying anything else. :) I'll keep you in mind though.

lol well when you find one i hope it cleaner than mine is... :hick:

Are you going to go auto or standard transmission?  You will need to know that direction as well.

Darren

I plan to stick with my TCs T5 transmission. Have no interest in an automatic.

You'll need a V8 T5. The first gear on the 4 cylinder T5 is useless with a V8. Plus I'm pretty sure the T5 in the 86 TC wasn't a world class T5, which mean it would die pretty fast behind a V8.

Adding that to my list.

The '86 TC has a WC tranny but it'l still have a short life behind a healthy V8... At 4.03, 1st will be like a granny gear...

The WC moniker only refers to the type of syncro's and that the gears run on needle bearings instead of brass bushings... A 4cyl tranny will always be weaker due to the lower gear ratios that require more teeth on the gears, so they have to be made smaller...

Not only that but with 205,000 miles on the current tranny I'm sure its a good idea I get another one.. :D

Thanks for the advice guys!

Why not be on the lookout for another car that needs an engine or something? That way youre not wrecking a good TC for "yet another" V8 swap, and youll have both in the end to compare. I think youd be surprised what a well done 2.3 can do. The 2.3 would also make a better daily driver.

If I got a third vehicle I'd have to sell my TC, and I really don't want to. I love my first car too much. :) I have to have a 4x4, and my truck is my daily driver. I'd just rebuild my TC stock if I wanted to DD it instead. 2.3T can be impressive.. but not with my capabilities here, and with 206,000 miles on that engine it worries me every time I drive it that its going to break (again). If I am going to spend the money, I'd rather fix my current car to a reliable, and more powerful, setup rather than trying to squeeze more HP out of my 206,000 mile 4 cyl.

This doesn't make any sense? People daily drive v8's all the time and before I did other funky things to the car, I was getting some 24-25mpg average out of it. With the gearing I've got now, I get 18 city/30 highway and average about 22 with 1/3 those miles being stop and go traffic for a 10 mile stretch. Not gridlock most of the time.

I think if you drive the v8 like an i4, you won't notice much difference at the pump. With the additional friction, yes there's a difference but I think it's relatively minor these last 30 years since FI became widely used.

I do agree that TC's should be left alone though ;)

History on the T-5's:

http://www.moderndriveline.com/Technical_Bits/t5_history.htm

It refers to Mustangs but it is nice to see what was installed and when if you are looking for one especially if you are doing a V-8 swap.  Tremec also has the service manual in .pdf on their site here:

http://www.ttcautomotive.com/English/media/pdfs_autogen/T-5_Service_Manual.pdf

Darren

Plans canceled. This isn't and will never happen. End of thread.

What happened ??

Well.. it looks like this thread is back on. I'll explain in a bit when I feel like taking the photos off my iPhone (yeah, I guess you can see where this is leading).

Oh no, tell me its not wrecked...I hope that is not the case.

Darren

Details Man...details !!!!

ugh.. well, when the car accident happened Tuesday I missed an important meeting about a job I got. I finally was able to have a new meeting today. I wont be getting any extra pay now so I don't know where I am going to save for this. My goal currently is to just get the car back together and running even if it looks like a patchwork quilt of parts. *sigh*

This dream is going on the back-burner until a miracle happens or some idiot totals my car again. =\

My Sport about a year and a half ago....a "patchwork quilt of parts"......

(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc205/Vinnietbird/000_1034.jpg)

Time and patience goes a long way.

And money :hick:

Yes,money helps.If you look around really hard,and aren't in a hurry,there are deals out there. I'm noticing that parts are getting harder to find,and prices are going up. No aftermarket to speak of either.Hit the salvage yards and grab what you can,while you can.In some cases,it really is cheaper to buy a decent parts car than to buy a lot of parts.

If you do find one of these cars at the yard the parts all look like hell because the car was beat to death:hick:. At least that's how it is by me.

Yards are hit or miss around here
Right now my local yard has 4 fox cars 2 88 birds an 88 xr7 and an 85 LS the 3 88s all have near perfect interiors (all red)
 All are 100% rust free.. actually one of the birds looks nicer than my car.:D

Not just parts, but cars too. Yesterday was the first time I have EVER seen a TC in person. (I was excited.) I parked right next to it as soon as I saw it:D

You just ain't been lookin', between the '87 & '88 TCs, Ford built almost 60,000 of the things... The Four eyes are somewhat less common, but none are rare...

I'm tellin ya. I know you guys have shiznit tons of em, but I have never seen one before that. Not in the JY's, not on the road. It actually was starting to surprise me, cause it seems that they're all thats ever for sale online, and they're all you guys talk about.
I can count on two hands the total amount of fox catbirds I've seen at all in the last two years. (9) Only 5 did I actually get to look at for a brief moment. That includes mine, and JY cars.
And I've ever seen only 2 Marks. None in a JY.