Hey guys I'm thinking about swapping my I6 for a SHO V6, and I was wondering if anybody has any idea what (or if it's possible) needs to be done to do this? I've got a C4 auto tranny, will it bolt up? Any other concerns/ideas? Thanks for any input! Mat
This is something that I would LOVE to see done. There are several SHO's in the junkyard by my house and I have been eyeballing those engines every time I go there. Taurus' weigh more then Mavericks I believe, and I know those SHO's aren't exactly slow. If they have the same bolt pattern as a 3.8 then they will bolt to your C4 as long as it has the 302/351W pattern. I have no idea what you would do for a flexplate though. I would imagine it would have to be something custom made. I also think you would have to shave the shock towers or maybe even do away with them all together. It would be a job, but I think it would be well worth it for a daily driver.
Guy at work has an SHO. Looks like it'd be less work to swap in an EFI 5.8 than to make that monster Yamaha V6 fit.
I personally want to put a 3.8 in a Mav. My friend has a '92 Sable with one and it don't have a problem moving that heavier car. It looks like a miniature 302 with 2 cylinders cut off.
I'm planning on going that route, but a different SHO engine came into play. :evilsmile so its gonna have to wait for mav #3. you can use a bellhousing from the aerostar(think thats the right van thing) I plan to use a 5 speed. you will probably want to turn the intake around so it feeds from the front, versus the air entering from the firewall(youll have interferance issues) oil pan? thats something youll want to change , as well as you wont want the exhaust crossing over hitting things. I'm making headers when I get to that point.the shock towers I'm going to say are optional, I measured a long time ago, I had planned to ditch them, but not because I needed to for the swap.(again, its been a while since I've done all of the measurements, so I may be off- my head is clouded with other details on the currant car) there are a few others incedentals that need to be worked out, most wernt major issues. the computer/and harness is one such item. just need to be simplified. not a major obstickle, time consuming yes. the weight is similar to the 302, a little less but only marginally. bone stock they love to rev. and make power all the way up. a few small changes and you can have an honest 300 horse motor that will run smooth, get decent milage and be alot of fun....it wont be a drop in swap as you probably know. a manual will make this more fun to drive and will help for gearing since youll want a steeper gear in back to get it moving. I believe the taurus final drive ratio on our sho was 4.10 with the 5 spd. good luck with it if you decide to go that route. it will be a 1st(unless I get mine started and done before someone else gets to it) you can pm me with any other questions, I'll try and help with the "little" bit of nothing I know.
RadMav, something I have been wondering about is these engines are originally sideways in a front wheel drive Taurus. If you turn it around aiming head on would you have to modify the oil pump pickup since the engine would now be leaning to the rear and the oil will be sloshing to the rear instead of the side of the motor on heavy acceleration. Don't want the motor to starve for oil. Probably not really an issue, just one of those little things I have been thinking about for a while now.
I guess I didnt clarify that well enuf, I know youll have to change the pan and pickup. how he goes about it is up to him. I planned make a new pan using the rail off a stock one and build from there .
Ya, I was wondering if anything would be affected by changing the positioning of the SHO from transverse to straight... Any suggestions on a tranny to use? I think throwing a 5-speed is a good idea, that way you could utilized all your HP/Torque... I got the original 3-speed auto in there (it's starting to putz out on me ) which will need replacement. Might as well do it all at once! Anybody know what'll fit in there? (Interchange wise?) Thanks for the input!
Here's a web site with some good information for this swap. http://members.cox.net/rdgrauman/Healey.html
I had a front wheel drive SHO. I personally don't see how it could work, but I didn't look at the website. IF it could be done-I'd love to test drive it. Seth
Great website! Man how cool would that be to have one of those engines with a T5 behind it in a Mav. That would just be the ultimate daily driver set up for a Mav IMO.
Awesome website! Hmmm... it's so tempting! The junkyard down the road's got a good 3.0 V6 SHO for $550.00. Said he could get me a T5 as well. I just might have to do it...
I read an article somewhere where they put a sho motor in a splash ranger.5spd.Ran low 13's on radials.More time & money than I'd care to throw at a v6 install,and besides those SHO's sound aweful with a loud muffler(I had a '92)JMO
