1995 mustang 4v swap

Dillon95

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so im new here so hopefully im posting this right but my name is kaleb and i have just recently bought a 95 mustang with the 3.8 v6 and i have a 1993 Lincoln Mk VIII that has a blown trans and no title so i wanted to put this 4v into the mustang. the motor from the lincoln runs great but the trans is done so i was hoping that i could put this 4.6 into the mustang but given that the 95s came with the 5.0 i know that it wont directly bolt up and i was hoping i could get some help with the swap. any information is appreciated. please don't tell me to sell it and get a 96 or buy a 5.0 because i've heard it enough and i don't have either of those things i have a 95 and a 4.6. now the plan is to swap the motor and get a t-45 trans to put in it and mabye put the irs from the lincoln onto the mustang. i just wanted to bascally get a part list together so this with go as smoothly as possible. this is my first swap on my own car so i dont wanna fuq anything up and have to fix it later. there is a few things that i would like to know. first can a reuse the k member from the mk8 and would it be possible to use the irs from it also. thank you so much for reading and any help will be greatly appreciated.
 

lwarrior1016

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Let me start by saying, welcome to the forum. We love that you are here and we are willing to help with any and all oddball projects you may come up with. All that being said, and before I get too deep in to this, I have a few questions.

What are your mechanical capabilities, can you do all the engine and trans swapping by yourself or will you need to pay someone?

Do you have the needed tools or the budget to get the needed tools? And do you have an area to do the work?

Do you have a specific budget in mind or are you trying to do this as cheap as possible?

On to some swap answers! Firsts things first, the k member and irs from the Lincoln will not swap. It sucks, but it’s true. You have to get a cobra irs to make that swap happen (I have one in my 98). You will absolutely need a k member for a 4.6 mustang. Either a stock one from a junkyard or an aftermarket one (this is where the budget thing comes in). The Lincoln oil pan will not work in the mustang so you’ll need a mustang oil pan and oil pickup tube. You will need mustang headers or exhaust manifolds. You will need mustang air conditioning parts. You will have to swap the brake booster off your car in favor of a hydro boost setup (complete from power steering pump to power brake setup and steering rack with all the lines) from a mustang or go manual brakes and steering (manual is what I have lol). You will need 4.6 mustang motor mounts. You will have to get mustang coolant hoses. I’m sure there are some other things needed in there.

The t45 trans will work out just fine. If your car is currently an automatic, you’ll need a clutch pedal assembly and the cable setup. If it’s already a stick, you’re ok. Your driveshaft will need to be changed. The Lincoln shaft will not work.

And the biggest issue is going to be how you plan to control the engine electronically. I do not believe it will be as easy as taking the ecu and wiring from the Lincoln but I could be a little off there. You’ll need to get wiring diagrams to see what is controlled by that ecu, and you may end up not being able to tune it later and you’d have to replace it anyway. There are much better aftermarket options.

I hope I didn’t scare you off. Let’s get this thread going though. I’d love to watch the swap happen.
 
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Dillon95

Dillon95

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First I have all the capabilities and tools to do the swap. My father owns an auto repair shop in town here so I have a lift and all the tools needed. And I wad trying to do this as cheap as possible but if there's is something I need I will buy it.
Thank you so much that actually helps a lot yes the mustang is manual so that helps me already lol but I figured I'd need to buy more mustang stuff. I am not keeping air conditioning but I keeping heat powerstering and assisted brakes. Would it be cheaper to buy a donor car like a 2001 Mach 1 or cobra from like Cowart or something to get this swap done? Cuz I'm only a high-school student and don't make a lot of money so I do wanna try to do this as cheap as possible
 
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Dillon95

Dillon95

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Oh and if anyone is looking for a t5 trans with 160k miles shifts good I have one if you are interested
 

lwarrior1016

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If you could get a Mach or cobra cheap, that would be the easiest thing to do. You would then essentially swap EVERYTHING from the donor car. All the wiring, computer, gauge cluster, etc. If you cannot find one cheap then this can still be done but it’ll take a few trips to the junkyard and some extra work.
 

88stang88

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I would look for a donor car myself. You are going to end up spending a couple thousand in parts just to do the swap when you could get a roller for less that will accept the engine as a drop in.

Either way welcome to the forums and ask away with any questions!
 

Chip66

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Considering I'm in Missouri, that probably won't work. Shipping might be as much as the trans.
 

Venompower

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Any reason you are interested in a 4.6 DOHC? Seems like you could build a 302 stroker for less and it would ultimately be easier to complete? Blown 347 seems to be a popular build...
 
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Dillon95

Dillon95

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Any reason you are interested in a 4.6 DOHC? Seems like you could build a 302 stroker for less and it would ultimately be easier to complete? Blown 347 seems to be a popular build...
a couple reasons. 1, i already have the 4.6 dohc that i got for free with low miles. 2, i am a broke highschool kid that already has a motor and doesnt have money to spend to buy a 302. 3, i am more familiar with the 4.6 layout and i like it more than the 302 platform. 4, not a lot of people have done this which makes it somewhat unique and yes it would cost less and be easier to buy a 302 and put it in there but this has been a dream of mine for awhile to swap a 4v into a sn95 since i was like 12 and the opportunity came up in a $300 95 mustang that was close to me and i took that chance and i am not looking back i will finish this the way i have dreamed of as a kid and i am not going back on that promise i made as a younger kid. but you are right it would be so much easier in every way to put a 302 in it, but im not doing this becasue i want it to be easy yk? i have an ls1 that i could put into and that would probably be easier than the 4.6 with more power but im doing this the way i wanted to in the first place so i wont use that ls1 till i find like a 89 camaro. also people would be mad at me if i put an ls1 in a mustang.
 

joe65

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i like the idea of the swap, but as other's have said its a pretty intensive swap and can be done. You might consider selling the 4.6 and buying a 5.0 motor for it. The 4.6 teksid you have should bring ok money. Maybe enough to get the 5.0. I've just basically finished a 5.0 swap into a ranger that had a 2.3l so i know that going to the old 5.0 really isn't very complicated. Just saying.
 

Venompower

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a couple reasons. 1, i already have the 4.6 dohc that i got for free with low miles. 2, i am a broke highschool kid that already has a motor and doesnt have money to spend to buy a 302. 3, i am more familiar with the 4.6 layout and i like it more than the 302 platform. 4, not a lot of people have done this which makes it somewhat unique and yes it would cost less and be easier to buy a 302 and put it in there but this has been a dream of mine for awhile to swap a 4v into a sn95 since i was like 12 and the opportunity came up in a $300 95 mustang that was close to me and i took that chance and i am not looking back i will finish this the way i have dreamed of as a kid and i am not going back on that promise i made as a younger kid. but you are right it would be so much easier in every way to put a 302 in it, but im not doing this becasue i want it to be easy yk? i have an ls1 that i could put into and that would probably be easier than the 4.6 with more power but im doing this the way i wanted to in the first place so i wont use that ls1 till i find like a 89 camaro. also people would be mad at me if i put an ls1 in a mustang.
The reason I asked is because for a broke high school kid, whose father owns an auto repair shop... it will undoubtedly be cheaper to locate and build a 302 which will simply drop into the car, than it will be to convert everything over including any differences between PCM/Engine Harness/Body Harness... you are already ahead of the game with the 302 route because you could sell the 4.6 DOHC and put that money towards sourcing an engine.

That being said it's your car, and I wish you the best. My suggestion before you move forward is to start studying the wiring diagrams for your year along with the wiring diagrams for a 96-98 Cobra.

Edit: Strike what I said, I thought it was a 95 GT, my new suggestion is to sell everything and buy a used SN95 GT/Cobra... there will be a ton of differences in pretty much every part of the car. Unless you are gutting it for a drag car, you have a ton of work ahead of you along with a ton of parts you will need to source/buy/install.
 

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