Hey everyone I'd just like some honest opinions and feedback on a potential upgrade to my car. I own a bone stock 1997 GT with 90k the car is very clean and reliable. I'm looking to sell it to a friend when I'm ready to buy a 2005-09 GT this spring. This car will almost certainly be modded once it is sold.

This person has no mechanical skill should he buy PI heads/cams/intake and pay someone to install them or should he just buy a complete 2003 GT motor with 66k for $1500 and have installed?

If the engine swap is easy enough to do it would probably be more reliable that messing with the current tired engine.

Thoughts? Opinions?

 

I really don't know the difference of a 97 and 03 engine. Did the motors really change enough to justify the swap? The best mod I've seen for any of those is just a supercharger kit. They respond well to them and you shouldn't have to touch the motor.

 

The 1999-04 2V 4.6 had improved heads,cams and intake. This gives the car 45hp and 20tq over the 1996-98. This comes into play with modifications too. A supercharged PI engine has much more potential than a non PI. In a way the feel is like the difference between a 1999-04 to a 2005-09.

Because the 1996-98 cars make higher compression that actually produce more hp than a 1999-04 car when they have PI heads/cams/intake. I know someone who made 280hp with this swap and a cai and tune. I heard once the swap is made you have to use premium fuel. With swapping to a newer motor you don't have to modify anything and can use regular fuel and personally I feel it will likely be more reliable. I just wish I knew the labor between both choices

 

Does he have access to a cherry picker? If not, and he's going to pay someone to do the engine swap, you could almost double that $1500 just in labor. I'd do the PI swap, as long as you do a compression test and everything is good. 90k is nothing for these engines - it's just getting broken in!

 

I wonder... are there any other engines worth buying that aren't too much more, if any? Like an '01 cobra motor?

 

PI swap. Labor would probably be more on the engine swap with less return.

 

This car has about 90k on the odometer, do you think it should be rebuilt with the PI swap? Also how much would all the parts cost?

 

Tell him to go a price each job. PI swap or motor install then weigh the costs.


Although if I were going for a motor swap, maybe it would be better to just save his pennies then build a motor and drop it in.

 

update : a Guy on Craigslist has a set of heads and intake complete with cans and valve covers for $450. what should I look for to see if everything is legit also. what else would be needed for the swap? the heads and intake are from a 2000 GT