Hey guys, I found a great deal for a 1986 mustang gt with an HO engine and 5speed, complete car. I was wondering if swapping that engine/tranny would be a good fit for my 75 maverick coupe? From the research ive done a lot of people recommend from the year 87 and up but wanted to know if there was a significant difference between the year as far as being able to swap it into mavericks. Im looking at buying a complete car because i think itll be easier for me to make the swap and all the corresponding parts. Instead of piecing it together later as i go. (this is my first swap) Any inputs are much appreciated, thanks!
Swap will be no different from the later years, assuming you already have a 302, many of the parts will have to be reused from it... If not you'll be scrounging...Only difference in '86 from the '87 & '88 are the heads, upper intake and throttle body, those parts are worth 25Hp... The '86 does have flat top pistons, with Trick Flow heads(no valve reliefs necessary) they run great... There have been similar swaps in the past maybe someone can provide a link...
Thank you for the quick reply! Right now im running a straight six so i know i will have to get different mounts as well as different braces and such. I just wanted to make sure that the engine itself had no issues with fitment etc. Correct me if im wrong but from the research ive done most have no problem and its almost a plug in play as far as fitment and mounting.
Fox rear sump oil pan won't fit Maverick, also need a front sump pickup plus the pan, additionally the timing cover will have to at least be drilled for a dipstick and tube... The serpintine belt system can be used but I believe you'll need a compatible reverse rotation fan... If you go carb you'll need a intake, distributor, carb linkage etc... If you stick with EFI you'll have to figure out a fuel system, plus the '86 harness is cumbersome to work with(another area the later Stangs re superior) ... You'll need Maverick specific exhaust system components, Fox headers won't fit the cramped Maverick engine compartment... The T-5 won't fit without a custom transmission mount, also you have to decide how to configure the cable clutch.... Probably a dozen other things I'm forgetting but that's a start... As you see it's far from a plug & play swap... I've been there for at least the engine swap, the 5.0 in my Comet is from a '91 Stang...
Great info thank you so much. So you would definitely recommend waiting for a deal for a later year to come up? Im not in a rush there are still other things i can work on meanwhile.
Perfect, thats what Krazy Comet was making it sound like. Seems itll be way less of a headache if i just wait a bit and purchase a 90+ mustang and swap from there. Thank you so much for your input guys. Youve helped tremendously.
The '86 IS roller and as far as mechanical swapping is no different than '87-'88(or really thru '93)... As mentioned the '86 has a bastard wiring harness, I would not recommend using it if considering EFI ...
Ideally which year would you consider than, i would like to have EFI. I want the best MPG while having a 302 haha
If you are going to keep the engine nearly stock, '87-'88 with the speed densely EFI system... In '89 Ford switched to mass air, those don't run quite as hard as the '87-'88... If major mods(heads, cam, etc) are in the cards go with the later mass air, that system can adapt to non stock components whereas the speed densety is really only happy if they are stock(especially the cam)... BTW Calif '88 used the mass air system, seldom see one one east coast though...
you are amazing lol. Thanks for the info, ill keep that in mind. I actually just found a deal on a 97 mustang GT. Maybe you can give me your input on it? http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/cto/4754412693.html
Run away from anything with a 4.6L(Stang from '96 up)... Without major engine compartment mods(cutting out shock towers, Mustang II suspension etc) they won't begin to fit a Maverick...
So strictly stick with something thats 1990+ and 302 5.0? Looks like i got my work cut out for me in finding that. Really appreciate the info!
There isn't enough difference in the '87 to '93 to make one vs other a deal breaker(or even the '86 if you are getting a screaming deal, later harness are easy to find).. If you later want to swap to mass air on the earlier engine it's just seven wires that are added or change position, plus the MAF meter and ECM... The '94 & '95 are also possibilities but I've never owned one so I'm not really familiar with those, harness is no doubt more complex than earlier models... If you were using a carb the '85 with 5-speed would be the absolute best candidate, first year roller, last for carb... Problem is they have become cult classics, you won't likely find one cheap... BTW Stay away from the '85 EFI(automatic), as those don't have roller cams, nor do any '84- earlier(that is at least if engine is orig)...
