Another Split Port Swap: need help

[VhantaBlack98]

Alright, I know the split port swap has been done before. People have taken pieces off later 3.8L's and pieced the swap together. That's great but doesn't exactly help me atm.
I have an ENTIRE 2000 3.8l V6 and everything that attaches to it, includ8ng the harness and dirt it came with.
I plan on just dropping the whole thing into my 1998 mustang base. I'll have the ECU from the same car I gutted here soon so I should have the entire brain and heart from a 2000 to out in my 1998.
I really need to know what all needs to be changed given the fact I have everything already. I knowbthe fuel return line in my 98 needs to go, and i know ill need to get the ecu flashed because it's out of an automatic while i have the T5, but I'm struggling to see other issues that might prevent this being a direct bolt up plugnplay swap. Any help would be appreciated!!

 

[shovel]

V6 ecu's are cheap on eBay, might be easiest to get a manual 2000 ECU.

 

[07GtS197]

I would skip the ecu altogether. You might have issues with other modules due to changes in software from year to year. Delete the imrc’s and see if someone will tune your ecu.

 

[96blak54]

I really am interested into them split port v6. I wonder how far they can be took naturally aspirated and turbocharged. Im gonna research it now! Give me something to do while at work

 

[shovel]

back when v6mustang dot com was still a forum there were a few people who were getting around 300 crank horsepower naturally aspirated from 3.8.s and 4.2's.. but they worked hard to get there and I'm not convinced it's worth it. That really seems like it's the absolute ceiling for getting horsepower through those cylinder heads NA no matter what else you got going on.

Having built my own 96 3.8 and been the pit crew for my wife's 2002 3.8.. and now also owning a 4.2 f150 I'm reasonably familiar with the north america essex motor. I don't love or hate it, it's got its high points.

For me the game is really just get it up somewhere over 220 crank horsepower (true dual exhaust goes a very long way especially if you replace the 4 cats with 2 high flow units. 1.8 rockers or a cam, rockers are easier and cheaper & get you probably 90% of the hp potential if you're not going absolute max effort) - then just work on making the rest of the car tight & tidy.

On my wife's we did bilsteins, 3.55 gears w/LSD, rear sway bar, quad shocks, cobra brakes in back and little chassis bracing. Just enough to give it a little balance and refinement without going overboard like I'd rather improve 10 things 10% each than improve only one thing 100%.

It doesn't have the gut punch that a V8 has but it's also not spending more than GT money just to catch up to stock GT performance.