The 1997 V6 to Terminator swap

cheebs127 · Nov 2, 2016

lwarrior1016 said:
What did you do for brake lines? Also, how did you drill your holes for the down bolts on the rear brackets?

Good job so far man, this thing is really clean.

I had the brake lines from the donor car that I used. To keep it simple and because i suck at flaring new lines. I bought an abs delete block and I'm using all the lines from the donor car.

For the bolts I drilled straight up into the trunk. I think they're 1/2 bolts with a steel plate inside the trunk to disperse the pressure from warping the trunk floor. If I had a welder I probably would have just welding the darn things in there. Would have been easier and faster.

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cheebs127 · Nov 2, 2016

BMAC96GT said:
Looking good man. Makes me want IRS so bad...

Do ittttttt!

cheebs127 · Nov 25, 2016

The engine is finally in. Took my father-in-law about 3-4 hours to get the engine off the stand, the trans installed and then rolled under and installed in the car. It was a slow and methodical process for sure. Had the car as high as possible on stands then hooked the cherry picker to the bumper support so we could take the front stands out temporarily to swing the engine in there. After that we had to lower the car back down because the motorcycle jack that the engine was on wouldn't go up high enough. I've dropped a 4v and trans in from the top and I'll say that I much prefer the way we did it this time.

I have to drill a couple holes in the trans mount to get everything to line up but other than that I'll be able to start hooking everything up and hopefully attemp a first start sometime soon!

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97_281gt · Nov 26, 2016

Nice looks awesome! When I put my 4v in I did mine through the top it was super easy. I've never done it through the bottom always seen it done that way with a lift. Either way glad you got it in hope to hear it run soon

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Firefighter181 · Nov 26, 2016

Very cool! I love the look of the blower next to those blue valve covers. Are those the Team-Z tubular bumper replacement and lower core support replacement bars? I want to cut out the lower core on mine as someone before me ran into something with it at some point and it pushed the bottom of the radiator back about an inch or so.

cheebs127 · Nov 26, 2016

Firefighter181 said:
Very cool! I love the look of the blower next to those blue valve covers. Are those the Team-Z tubular bumper replacement and lower core support replacement bars? I want to cut out the lower core on mine as someone before me ran into something with it at some point and it pushed the bottom of the radiator back about an inch or so.

Yes they are the Team Z parts. Well made pieces and a great replacement for my radiator support that a previous owner used as a jacking point.

For the radiator support I ordered the one that was for my year range but I found out later that there was a change in the spacing of the lower radiator tabs at some point (96/97ish) so the one I received from Team Z had tabs that were too close together. I called them and they sent me new tabs and I welded them on and I was good to go. I couldn't get a new part since I welded it to the car before realizing it was a problem. I'm not sure if they've started selling two different ones for the 94-04 but just something to keep an eye on but Team Z had excellent customer service to get it fixed.

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Firefighter181 · Nov 26, 2016

Cool, thank you! I have been looking at both for my 94, I'll make sure to check with them about the lower radiator tabs as well. Seem decently priced also. Thanks for the info.

g36 monkey · Nov 26, 2016

I tend to agree going from the bottom is much easier if you have the ability to do so.

cheebs127 · Nov 26, 2016

g36 monkey said:
I tend to agree going from the bottom is much easier if you have the ability to do so.

Agreed. I used to think it was only possible with a lift but after some creativity it worked out. As one of my friends pointed out as I was texting him yesterday was that he wishes projects like these went as quick and as smooth as the sequence of pictures make it look. I couldnt agree more, though I cant complain about this one. Things seem to be rolling smoothly when the time is there to work on it.

g36 monkey · Nov 26, 2016

I damn sure know what you mean lol. 6 hours of work, three pictures. Looks like it went so fast lmao

machinedoc · Nov 27, 2016

Enjoying your build!
Team Z has some nice stuff, not to mention Dave stands behind what he manufactures & sells!

Musturd · Nov 28, 2016

Awesome build dude .

96juicedgt · Nov 28, 2016

Nice swap. Getting ready to tackle this know an old 95GT. First Mustang I'd ever owned, my parents bought for me.

cheebs127 · Dec 6, 2016

Today I installed the bassani catted x-pipe that I picked up this weekend. The other one I had only fit 99+ because it interfered with the transmission mount on the 97 chassis. Also welded in a bung for the wideband. I'll post some pictures of the catback once I get the pipes adjusted and even but man does that IRS exhaust look sweet from the back.

I also started working on the battery relocation wiring. I'm going to drill holes for the grommets in the firewall tomorrow so I'll post more pictures of that then.

A comparison shot of how wide the old h pipe was that caused interference.

And more FTBR goodies came in the mail today to complete the IRS. Also got some 3 inch wheel studs for front and rear.

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TTSaleen · Dec 7, 2016

Nice updates!

cheebs127 · Dec 10, 2016

I had some time to fill in all the free space I used to have in the engine bay. I still need a few hose clamps,fluids and a battery from the parts store. I've got to tie up all the loose ends and then hopefully tomorrow is the day I can try to start it up!

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