need advise

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need advise

March 18, 2006, 11:20:05 PM

hello i have a 78 cobra ii that needs a motor and a perfectly good 5.0 in a 88 cougar (no title). but the cougar is loaded with options and is a designer series model, i heard these are sort of rare and would hate to destroy a rare parts car. to put the 5.0 in my ii i will have to get a front sump pan,high pressure in line fuel pump, do a LOT of wiring and fab a crossmember for the aod tranny. should i just sell the cougar and get a older 302 and c4 tranny or keep the 5.0? how much would i get out of the car? and how much hp is a stock 5.0? thank you.

need advise

Reply #1 – March 18, 2006, 11:25:10 PM

Post some pics of your cougar (the cobra's awesome too) the 'designer series' is probabally a dealer add on. If you destroy a good cougar someone here Will find you...

Oh, and welcome!

need advise

Reply #2 – March 18, 2006, 11:26:54 PM

If I remember correctly the 88 had 155hp and 275ft.lb. of torque.

need advise

Reply #3 – March 18, 2006, 11:48:33 PM

The SO 5.0 in the Birds/Cougar is rather asthmatic, the heads, throttlebody, cam and exaust flow poorly. They do run fairly well up to 4K or so but are out of breath after that... Can be made to run decent by upgrading it to HO specs. You would need injectors, throttlebody(and EGR spacer), upper intake, headers, computer, etc. Not chainging the heads this would put you at 200Hp('86 HO specs) up grading to the E7 would give you 225hp(waste of time/money IMHO, get some real heads go aftermarket).

As far as value, not much.

I take it you don't currently have a engine in the II that could donate a oil pan etc.?

need advise

Reply #4 – March 18, 2006, 11:50:37 PM

Here's whatya do:
sell me the cougar for....say...100 bucks, and I'll give you a 302, a 351w a 460, hell, I'll give em all three to ya, to put any one ya want in the Cobra II...
All I want is the Cougar, and I won't even tear the car itself up....
Just "borrow" it's engine, transmission, and engine wiring harness....
Car will be perfectly fine...

need advise

Reply #5 – March 19, 2006, 12:05:30 AM

Because the 5.0 in the '88 Cougar is a dog (like TurboCoupe50 says above) I'd recommend against swapping it into your II. Not because I want to save a Cougar, but because it just isn't a very good engine to go through all that trouble for. You'd be better off starting with an HO 5.0 from an 87-93 Mustang or 88-92 Mark VII. You get a full 50% more horsepower right off the bat.

Here's another idea: Try to find an 87-88 Turbo Coupe and swap the 2.3 turbo into your II. 190 horsepower (stock), very reliable, lighter and physically smaller than a 302 (I know how tight the engine compartment in a II is with a V8) and since the II's (and Pintos) had 2.0/2.3's stock, you'd have a very easy time finding swap parts (I realize later II's had 302's, but they're not easy to find)...

need advise

Reply #6 – March 19, 2006, 04:10:48 AM

Quote from: 78cobraii

hello i have a 78 cobra ii that needs a motor and a perfectly good 5.0 in a 88 cougar (no title). but the cougar is loaded with options and is a designer series model, i heard these are sort of rare and would hate to destroy a rare parts car. to put the 5.0 in my ii i will have to get a front sump pan,high pressure in line fuel pump, do a LOT of wiring and fab a crossmember for the aod tranny. should i just sell the cougar and get a older 302 and c4 tranny or keep the 5.0? how much would i get out of the car? and how much hp is a stock 5.0? thank you.

the mustang II chassis uses a special front sump pan to clear the steering rack and a special bellhousing/flywheel/converter for the small trans tunnel.

I doubt the Aod will fit with out substantial mods to the floorpan and transmission tunnel.

It is possible to swap it all in but will be alot of wiring hassle to keep the f.i off the cougar. not to mention the fuel system.

where are you located? I used to have a 77 cobraII i swapped a 351w into.:D

i enclosed a pic below before i returned it to its factory White on red colors.

need advise

Reply #7 – March 19, 2006, 04:33:52 PM

thank you all for the advise.(and to think i originaly bought the car to put the 5.0 in my v6 ii) i believe i'll just sell or trade the cougar for an older 4bbl 302/351w. the cougar isnt in perfect condition, it has no rear springs the rh window won't roll up all the way and the vinal top is riping apart. but compared to the cars i'm working on, its in good shape. the cobra isnt worth looking at either, someone striped a lot parts off it before i got it (but i like a good challenge) and no, the car has no engine but was a v8 car. what's the normal price range on a 4bbl 302 or 351? and how tight was the 351w in the ii? its tight enough in a v6 ii. thanks again. oh yea i live in weaverville nc if anyone wants the car.

need advise

Reply #8 – March 19, 2006, 09:45:56 PM

Quote from: 78cobraii

thank you all for the advise.(and to think i originaly bought the car to put the 5.0 in my v6 ii) i believe i'll just sell or trade the cougar for an older 4bbl 302/351w. the cougar isnt in perfect condition, it has no rear springs the rh window won't roll up all the way and the vinal top is riping apart. but compared to the cars i'm working on, its in good shape. the cobra isnt worth looking at either, someone striped a lot parts off it before i got it (but i like a good challenge) and no, the car has no engine but was a v8 car. what's the normal price range on a 4bbl 302 or 351? and how tight was the 351w in the ii? its tight enough in a v6 ii. thanks again. oh yea i live in weaverville nc if anyone wants the car.

the 351w is pretty tight. no one makes a oil pan for it in the II So the only other option is to shim the engine mounts up till the oil pan clears the steering rack.or offset rack bushings

on a side note if your lucky enough to have a 4spd car a t-5 is a direct swap.