v8 2002

[thorgan]

At the encouragement of nicktahoe, I'm posting up my project. Here's an intro shot so everyone will have an idea of where I'm going with this.

Tom

[thaddeussmith]

how on earth are you planning to fit that tranny??

[tinkwithanr]

gotta love a good-ol pushrod V8.

I'm sure Jason will love this.

[thorgan]

This project has both short term and long term goals.

The car:

It's a 1970 nothing special 2002 factory automatic transmission car that we picked up for $800. I think that the previous owner was going to send it to a recycler if he couldn't sell it on Craigslist.

Short term:

Get the engine and trans mounted keeping the car as stock as possible. Maybe drive it around a little until the rear end granades. Use a carburetor to get it running because the engine has 250,000 miles on it (I picked it up for free!!!) and I'm not looking for it to run really sweet just yet.

Long term:

Rear Suspension - Since I don't expect the rear end to handle the torque, I've acquired a Lincoln Mark VIII IRS which I intend to narrow and adapt to the car. It's an unequal length double a-arm design that I hope will be an improvement to the stock IRS. I'm toying with the idea of using air bags as the springing medium. I've previously built a '69 Ford Bronco with air springs all around and it's proven to be extremely effective and quite handy for all manner of different uses. The track width will be sufficient to fit 17x10.5 rims with 275/40 - 17 tires and I expect to have to install mini tubs for these because I don't want to run flared fenders. I want to keep it as tidy as possible because I also don't want to lose the rear seat.

Front Suspension - There are inherint limitations to the MacPherson strut design so I'm going to engineer an unequal length double a-arm system for the front. I'm currently looking at the GM F-body (Firebird/Camaro) lower control arms, Wilwood Mustang II spindles, and aftermarket adjustable upper control arms from SPC. The track width will be close to stock but my hope is to be able to fit 17x9 rims with 235/40 - 17 tires

Engine - At about 110 lbs heavier than the stock 4 cylinder, the Ford 5.0 is still a really lightweight option as far as v8's go. It's quite a bit lighter than the Chevy small blocks (the old iron) and has the distributor at the front for good firewall clearance. Aluminum heads shave 50 of those lbs and moving the battery to the trunk makes it a wash. There are aluminum blocks available but I don't have the $5000 necessary to use this option and it only shaves about 20 lbs. Fuel injection will be TFS manifolds with high-flow injectors controlled by a stock A9P or A9L Ford computer. Heads will also be from TFS. The rotating assembly will be a 331 stroker from Coast High Performance with pistons for about 10:1 CR. I looked at other, newer, engines but kept coming back to the Ford because it is such a compact design and the 2002 doesn't have very much room.

Transmission - is a 4R75W from a 2007 Ford F150 4x2. I picked this tranny up for $100 from a guy that thought he had totally grenaded it. I took it apart and discovered that a snap ring had come off of a shaft inside. This is a common failure for this tranny and luckily didn't end up taking anything else out. The tranny will be controlled by a Beaumann Engineering controller which can support 2 distinct user-programmed shift schedules ("standard" and "sport" or whatever you want to call them) and/or paddle shifters. My wife and I have had lengthy discussions about the transmission selection and have opted for an automatic. Since all of our other vehicles are manuals, we felt we should have at least one auto in the event that one of us gets injured and can't drive a stick. I race motorcycles off road and she does a lot of running so injuries are likely.

Odds and ends - I expect to have to reinforce the body for the extra torque of the engine. However, Mrs. thorgan doesn't want an obtrusive roll cage buggering up the looks of the interior so I've got my work cut out for me here. She had the brilliant idea of installing a retractable soft top so I've put her in charge of figuring out that whole modification.

The intent is not to do any sort of racing with this car. I just want something that's really fun to drive. However, I intend to build it in such a way that, if I do decide to take it racing or if I send Mrs. thorgan to Bondurant with the car, it will perform well.

...and here's where I pull on the flame suit for the Ford parts in the BMW.

Keep in mind - I'm a Ford guy and people have been putting Chevy parts in Fords for decades. I'm over it.

[thorgan]

how on earth are you planning to fit that tranny??

The car, being a factory auto car, has some extra room already. I've cut out a section of the floor on the passenger's side and it's proven to be enough. My intent is to mount the powertrain about an inch or so to the passenger's side to offset the fact that I'm 230 lbs and Mrs. thorgan is 130 lbs. Plus, this gives a little extra room for steering and brakes on the driver's side.

[thorgan]

Looks like it'll fit...

[thorgan]

I think the brake booster's gonna have to go...

[thorgan]

The big ol' 7 quard oil pan I picked up from a guy on Craigslist might be overkill.

This pan might also be forcing me to mount the engine a few inches farther forward than I really want so I'm looking for a smaller 5 quart front sump pan. It'll give me more room for a radiator and a steering rack.

[thorgan]

I was wandering around at the junkyard the other day looking for ideas for the steering when I encountered a Mustang GT. I started looking for stuff I could use when I noticed that someone had already removed the exhaust manifolds and placed them on the hood...and they weren't the stock ones! They're 1-5/8" primary diameter shorty headers! About a $250 value was mine for $35 each. Score!

[thorgan]

Well, that's all I've got for now.

This weekend will bring nice junkyard scouring weather so me and Mrs. thorgan are planning a date at the Pick n Pull tomorrow. Going to try to end up with a power rack and pinion with the right dimensions, the lower control arms off of that Firebird I saw there on Monday, a hydroboost brake setup, and other odds and ends.

Tom

[nicktahoe]

That's what I'm talkin about! Can't wait to see this thing on the road. I call first ride after Mrs. Horgan.....

[thorgan]

Sure thing...but only after I try my best to keep "this thing on the road" from being a safety nightmare. Then I'll send you out with Mrs. thorgan driving...he he he.

[Frenchee]

Wow what a cool swap.

Keep posting!!

Did u make the engine mounts?

[thorgan]

Wow what a cool swap.

Keep posting!!

Did u make the engine mounts?

Not yet. I'm still looking for a standard front sump oil pan in case it'll allow me to position the engine farther back. I've got a little room to the firewall that I want to use up for better weight bias and more room for a radiator and fan.

I also want to reinforce the crossmember a bit for the added weight and torque.

Tom

[justinevert]

I have heard that the new 2011 Mustang V8 is the same weight as the old E10 engine (around 320#) Of course the rear diff has to be tweaked to handle 420 HP

Something to consider down the road?

Keep us posted.

Justin