Possible 4.6 mod motor swap in z32?

[KingsKid]

I have a 90 z32 and a wrecked 2001 gt mustang with the t56 I believe. I tried to sell the mustang but had no luck. So now I'm thinking of swapping the 4.6 into the z32. I looked over the forums and they all seem to to be talking about the earlier z's. I measured the 4.6 motor and the space in the z32. It seems like it will fit. From what I read, the t56 trans will fit the z32 tunnel. The 4.6 has the rear sump oil pan.

 

I have my z at work (the shop I work @) and my mustang is in my garage. So I havent compaired side by side yet.

Does anyone know of this swap done in a z32? Does anyone know if the pan will clear the crossmember? Any info will help. I havent decided if I want to do this swap yet and there isn't much info about it.

[ol doc gully]

Bump. I have the exact same opportunity and wondering if anyone has been down this road....

[NCchris]

Welcome Guys, do a search for posts by member "Braap", he was planning a ls into his Z32. After much trial fitting and research he eventually abandoned the project because of the major surgery needed to the firewall and floors. All this info is still here. Also search for Z32 & V8 swaps. Lots of info here.

chris

 

EDIT, next post down.

Edited August 12, 2013 by NCchris

[Gollum]

I haven't hunted this corner of the forum much (though I'm here now... knock on wood...), I haven't seen much of any documentation on a Ford mod motor in a Z32, and it's a WHOLE different ball game than the LSx. The mod motor is significantly shorter, but insanely wider, due to the DOHC configuration. The "upside" is that the exhaust ports point much more downard, so it's MAYBE slightly less difficult to find shorty headers that don't make it impossible to clear the steering.

 

The other aspect that makes any of these V8 swaps difficult in the Z32, from what I've seen, is the perfect fore-aft position as it relates to the oil pan, the shifter location, and firewall to head clearances. ALL of these aspects are quite different from the mod motor to the LSx.

 

In any case, I'd love to see it done, and with details. There's a lot of variety in the mod family, and I wouldn't be shocked if some were much easier to swap than others, and if it could be done with lots of factory parts.

[NCchris]

I haven't hunted this corner of the forum much (though I'm here now... knock on wood...), I haven't seen much of any documentation on a Ford mod motor in a Z32, and it's a WHOLE different ball game than the LSx. The mod motor is significantly shorter, but insanely wider, due to the DOHC configuration. The "upside" is that the exhaust ports point much more downard, so it's MAYBE slightly less difficult to find shorty headers that don't make it impossible to clear the steering.

 

The other aspect that makes any of these V8 swaps difficult in the Z32, from what I've seen, is the perfect fore-aft position as it relates to the oil pan, the shifter location, and firewall to head clearances. ALL of these aspects are quite different from the mod motor to the LSx.

 

In any case, I'd love to see it done, and with details. There's a lot of variety in the mod family, and I wouldn't be shocked if some were much easier to swap than others, and if it could be done with lots of factory parts.

I didn't realize that the Ford was a 4-cam motor, my bad. Perhaps this could be done, I also would like to see it. It's this kind of stuff that Hybrid Z is all about.

 

If I were to attempt a swap in my Z32, it would be to twin turbo. Wrenching on the Z32 is not my favorite, my hands are too big!

chris

Edited September 10, 2013 by NCchris

[ol doc gully]

The 4.6 mod motors are very wide, particularly compared to the relatively compact GM LSx engine. I decided against the idea after seeing the troubles members had with fitting an LS.

[JoeyICU]

Whoa, there is a lot of misinforamtion being thrown around here.

 

I have had 2 4.6L powered thunderbirds, and have in the past modified them signifcantly. I also currently have a z. I will give a breif run down of the 4.6

 

There are two very different variations of 4.6, the SOHC motor found in Mustang GT cars, and the DOHC found in Mustang Cobra's. (there are a ton of other vehicles these motors come in, but we will talk stangs for right here.

 

The dohc is a moot point as you have a GT car, and being that the Tbirds I had where SOHC motors, I am well versed in SOHC stuff, but not to knowing on DOHC stuff.

 

There are 3 generations of SOHC 4.6, the first generation witch people dont really talk about because they just arent a factor, the non-PI motors, and the PI motor.

The 2001 mustang GT was the best factory SOHC motor ford produced power wise (3 valve head SOHC motors made there way into the 2005 Mustangs.) The 2001 motor is widely known as the "PI" motor, pi is fords acroynm deignating 'performance improved'. The motor looks the same as the previous non pi motors but differed from them because of the signifcantly upgrade intake manifold, camshaft improvements, and an increase in cylinder head flow. Hence the 50 or so extra horsepower gained vs the previous year mustang GT's.

 

Your transmission is not a t56, that is a 6speed transmission. The 2001 mustangs came with either a t45, witch I dont care for to much, or the Tremec T3650. You can find that out by the door tag on the stang. See ME

 

Having dealings with the 4.6 over the years IMO, would be a horrible swap into a Z car. They are BIG and heavy. You could source a factory aluminum block (the DOHC motor Cobra's, and some of the lincolns came with stock aluminum blocks) I think there are better small block V8 swaps, and if you wanted to put the effort to shoehorn a mod motor into a z, the effort would be better spent tracking down a big block, making a trade for your mod motor, and trying to swap a big block into the Z. The physical demensions of the 4.6 rival that of some of the latter day, and current 'big blocks'. But that is soley my oppinion. I would part that mustang out, people always want parts off them, the stock pieces are quite strong.

[Gollum]

Now that I've had the chance to see yellowoctopus's car in person and a the chance to talk to him I can certainly say that I feel the 4.6 swap isn't as crazy as people make it out to be. Fabricating exhaust is the biggest challenge, but it's certainly not the worst in the world.