Hi everyone! Recently purchased an 89 as a father/son project. Car has the 2.3 with an auto trans. Son would kind of like a manual. Engine needs to be pulled and gone through anyway so was considering converting it to manual-but leaving it with the 2.3 engine. I am aware it is probably not cost effective to do a conversion but would be good mechanical experience for my son. I am not afraid of anything mechanical and have done several engine rebuilds so a few modifications here and there would be fine but I still have some questions on the process. I would really appreciate any information you could give.

1. Has anyone on here done the swap?
2. It would appear there was only 1 factory transmission for both the 2.3 and 5.0-is that correct?
2. If so, would anyone have a parts list "per say" to do the swap on the 2.3?
3. One the 89, are there any major modifications to the frame, etc required?
4. Anything electronic that has to be changed?
5. Any other words of wisdom?

Thank you for your time,
John S.

 

Howdy! Welcome to the forums!

I'll discuss overall thoughts in a minute, first to the numbered questions:

1 - Yes, it's been done, but you'd be better off just googlin' the project and finding any and all info on the idea, there's lots of 'been there done that' in them intarwebs.
2 - The Tremec T-5 is used in both cars, and in lots of items Ford those years, but there may be a difference in gear ratios as the motors have obviously different HP/Tq values.
3 - No mods to the frame. Everything *should* bolt in, as long as you get era specific parts. Aka, stick to 1986+ Fox body only and it should be good. 1985 and back used different axles, for example.
4 - Yes. The ECU is different and must be swapped, along with some wiring to go with that. The pedals are different and have more switches in them so the dash wiring may need swapping/modding too.
5 - Yes. Don't. See, the thing is you probably can find another car with a 2.3l Manual that's ready to be redone. That'll save you a lot of time and effort and money and frustration and...

I mean... the car's worth nothing in the real world, if you will, right? Unless it's a convertible, and even then. The 2.3L is the bottom of the barrel in value. So you're just tossing money away on a car that's literally a throwaway value wise. Unless the plan is to absolutely keep it as some sort of heirloom for emotional/familial reasons, the car's not going to be worth much if any more than you've already paid in. Such is the 4 banger Fox life. (SVO/Turbo versions not as included, btw.)

That said... *you do you*. Forget what I say. It's your car, your desire, your son's and your time together. So forget all that and go for it!

And with that in mind, what you'll need from a 2.3L similar optioned donor car is the T5 of course, the driveshaft, the engine/trans wiring harness complete, the engine computer (because manual vs auto are different), trans mount, bell housing/shift fork, pedals, clutch quadrant, any brackets/mounts thereto, and probably the dash wiring harness. Yes, that last because clutch/brake is different, and you want ALL the connectors/wiring needed. And as mentioned the shop manual to ensure you got it all in the right places for wiring/mechanics.

You'll buy a new clutch, clutch cable, fork pivot, pilot and throwout bearing, of course. Get the driveshaft serviced with new U-joints and/or rebuild the CV joints (IDK which it has that year). Then get to work on assembling.

And hope you get it right. Which I know you will.

I've already searched google '1989 mustang 2.3L manual swap' and got lots of hits, so off ya go.

I know I didn't get all of it, but that's ok. Someone will hop in. Or not. We'll see.

Hope that helps some, and good luck! Pics when you get to it and make progresses!

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer! I think it is something we can handle and will probably try even though it may not make financial sense. I also actually found a very nice article on fordmuscle that details their experience swapping a 2.3 over to the T5. I think I've located the tranny, bell housing and pedals so far. Thanks again!

Mustang AOD to T5 Swap. Transmission Swap. Auto to manual conversion. - FordMuscle

T5 Swap, T5 Conversion, Mustang T5 Swap, Auto to Manual Transmission
www.fordmuscle.com