Let me start off by saying that if you're going to tell me to just buy a V8 or just install a procharger, you may as well stop reading and move on to the next thread. That being said...

I bought my 2012 Base V6 automatic last March for $21.5k, and it will be paid off in March of this year. I have over $14k in mods on it, so I'm not willing to give the car up just to get a V8 with no mods.

I was originally planning on finding a 2010 V6 and swapping in a pushrod stroker motor with dual quads into it, but not counting the cost of the car, I'm looking at close to $30k to make that happen (counting the cost of the car). Besides the cost, it would be "problematic" and a downright hassle to get it inspected every year. So much for Plan A.

Plan B is to swap a Coyote engine into my existing car. I know I can get a new crate motor for about $6500, and I can get one from a salvage yard for a lot less. My question is what else do I need to change out for the swap to be complete? I have the following list, but I'm sure it's not complete:

Engine (assumed to be complete)
Transmission (I was gonna get a Tremec 5-speed)
Driveshaft
K-member
Motor mounts (?)
Transmission mount
Accessory brackets
Alternator
Radiator & hoses
Engine harness
Fuel pump (???)
Exhaust system
ECM (??? - can I use the one that's already in the car?)
Tuner

I know that the brakes will need to be upgraded, but that's not directly related to the engine swap, and my suspension has already otherwise been improved (Eibach sway bars and springs, and Koni struts/shocks).

Anyway, can anyone comment on anything I might have missed as far as what's required? Thanks in advnace.

 

Sounds like a rather decent plan. Keep us updated. There are plenty of Coyote swaps out there in Fox bodies and such so yours isn't a big deal but that's jut my HO. I say go for it. As far as what you will need....What are you doing about exhaust? Are you going to get LT headers and everything behind that? I don't know if what you have will work or if the angles are different in the V6 versus the 5.0. Car looks great and soon it will sound just as great.

 

I figure the swap will be pretty simple as far as electrical goes (just need a new engine harness (?) and a tune.

Regarding exhaust, I was going to go with OEM GT cats (don't want/need inspection hassles) and stainless pipes, and OEM GT500 axlebacks. According to everything I've read, it should be a direct bolt-up as far as the axlebacks are concerned. Since the rest of the exhaust will be OEM, there shouldn't be any issues. Of course this could all change by the time I get around to this, but right now, that's the plan.

 

Consider buying a totaled ( preferably running ) 5.0 with the MT-82 trans. You will be chasing down tons of little parts if you don't start with a complete donor car. In the end I think this will save you a lot of time and money.

 

In Feb/March of last year I was at the dealership talking about ordering a new 13 GT or buying a new 12 Shelby on the showroom floor...best price on the Shelby the dealer was willing to go was around 48.

No flames here...but why put so much into a base model when you could have had the best of the best for about the same price? Is it the build it yourself aspect? Your car looks great but the VIN associated with it will never yield anything on the secondary market. I am not trying to tell you how to spend your money...just interested in your total build for the car. If this is a car you are wanting to keep "forever" why settle for just a 5.0 motor swap?

 

Definitely keep us posted

 

I think people are missing the point of mods on a car. When you buy a Shelby, you get an awesome car. But you get a Shelby that looks just like every other Shelby. I'm definitely not putting the car down. It's an incredible car. But the nice thing about buying a base model is you can build a head turner and unique car. Nobody should mod a car with resale value in mind. They should mod it with what reactions in mind that you're going to get at the mall when driving tomorrow with it. Again, not to say that a Shelby isn't a head turner because it is. But it's not a unique car in the sense that it doesn't have a personal build done to it.

 

I hope you pull it off, that said this will probably end up a ton of money and never get done or be right.

 

I like what good Tyme said about a different motor. And don't get me wrong I love the 5.0 best motor I have had so far but if you are gonna start this build and keep the car then why not get some that is more unique. I have no idea what would fit but I'm sure there are some other motor that would work or you could custom to fit. IMO I would try and see what kinda crazy beast I could come up that would be unique.

 

I'm really interested to see how it works out for ya.

 

ambitious project and I understand your thinking. who cares about vin if you're doing it for you. Keep us all posted on the progress. I hope to see this thread updated with pics good luck.

 

I say this is awesome. You've already done all these cosmetic mods, you have the car you want, just put in the motor you want. Can't wait to see it at Bass Pro Shops this year.

 

http://www.stage3motorsports.com/pro...FUKd4AodU1AAVA

 

http://bit.ly/WkFj16. Check this engine out.

 

Yeah - until you see the price of the motor. If I win the lottery, definitely.

So regarding my list of "things to change", can anybody think of anything else that will be needed? Remember, suspension and brakes aren't part of the actual drivetrain swap, so those don't count.

 

I made as detailed a list as I could of the parts required, using salvage, OEM, and custom components into the following categories:

- Engine
- Exhaust
- Cooling
- Transmission
- Driveshaft
- Drivetrain Electrical
- Fuel System

Then, I totaled up, averaged, and round up (to cover incidentals) costs, to come up with the following:

- Mostly from salvage - $9k
- Mostly new (including custom) - $16k
- Average - $13k

The reason I average it out was because I figured the mix between salvage and new/custom would drop the overall costs. I based the salvage prices on roughly 50% of the cost of new/custom, so salve costs are essentially a WAG.

Here's the key point - if you're about to get a new Mustang, and you're thinking about getting a V6 base instead of a V8 base, with an eye on putting a V8 into the car one day, SAVE YOUR MONEY and get the V8. Unless you find absolutely screamin' deals on the big stuff (engine/transmission), it's going to cost you more to convert to V8 than the difference between the cost of the two cars (generally about 8k). If you already have the V6, you have to ask yourself if you'd rather do the work, or sell your car for less than it's worth in order to move up to a used/new V8 and go even further into debt.

That being said, I already have the V6, it's almost paid off, and I hate being in debt. I still want to do this swap.

 

when doing engine swaps to a larger more powerful engine many people forget to upgrade everything it drives and uses. I do not know enough to know what the difference is in the build of the drive train and support systems and such between the 6 and the 8. I do know from experience by even beefing up an engine other thing not designed to take the power will begin to fail. What about the cooling system and front suspension. I bet there are many other things to look at. Do your research and ask the right questions. Maybe people here can answer some of those questions.

 

I've got a list of things I think I need to change. I'll try to format it and post it in this thread. You'll see that I did put thought into everything you stated (and more), including sourcing the necessary parts, and the costs involved.

Stay tuned.

 

That is great. I would hate to see you put all this effort in and have something go terribly wrong. Good luck and update us when you finish.

 

Here's a reasonably detailed breakdown of everything I think I'm going to need to make this swap happen. I know I haven't thought of absolutely everything, but I think I got a big chunk of it (considering my lack of familiarity with the V6 vs V8 platforms). As you can see, the list is extensive, and does not include a Tuner.

Primary sources of parts are:

• Tousley Ford (for OEM stuff)
• American Muscle (for custom stuff)
• Ford Racing (for custom stuff)
• Summit Racing (for custom stuff)
• Salvage yard (for used OEM stuff)

Major categories (an asterisk indicates an optional/custom component with an acceptable OEM counterpart)


Engine

• Coyote 5.0 crate engine

• Engine Cradle (are they different between the V6 and GT?)

• Engine Mounts

• K-member (do 2011+ even have these?)
• accessories brackets - $?
• * (optional) Ford Racing oil cooler - American Muscle - $139

Exhaust System

• Exaust manifolds (already on a crate motor)

• Catalytic Converters

• Catback

Fuel System

• Fuel Pump - Tousley Ford - $190

• Fuel Pump Controller - Tousley Ford - $45

Drivetrain Electrical

• alternator - Ford Racing Boss 302 Kit - American Muscle - $285 - http://www.americanmuscle.com/frpp-boss-alt-1112.html

• Engine wiring harness

• ECM (depends on 4-character code)

• MAF (on the motor?)

• Ignition Coil

• PCM (do I need to change this out?)
• Oxygen sensor upper (on the engine?)
• Oxygen sensor lower (on the engine?)
• Camshaft position intake sensor (on the engine?)
• Camshaft position exhaust sensor (on the engine?)
• Crankshaft position sensor (on the engine?)
• Speed sensor (on the transmission?)

Cooling

• Radiator - Keep original?

• Radiator Hoses

• Cooling fan

• reservoirs

Transmission

• Bellhousing - ($410 American Muscle, or Ford Racing M6392-M46)

• Ford Racing Bellhousing install Kit - American Muscle - $30 - http://www.americanmuscle.com/frpp-b...tkit-9610.html
• Flywheel - American Muscle $690 for Spec flywheel + clutch plate + disc - http://www.americanmuscle.com/spec-s...el-1112gt.html
• Flywheel bolts
• Transmission

• Transmission Mount

• Exedy throwout bearing/slave cylinder - American Muscle - $180 - http://www.americanmuscle.com/exedy-...nder-0513.html
• Clutch master cylinder - Tousley Ford - $123
• Clutch hyrdaulic lines - Tousley Ford - $47
• Hurst shifter (American Muscle - $289 - http://www.americanmuscle.com/hurst-...ter-1112.html)
• Console shifter plate

• * (nice to have) Ford Racing Boss 302 Cooling scoop - $109 - http://www.americanmuscle.com/frpp-t...op-1113gt.html
• - Bolts

Driveshaft

• Drive shaft

• * (nice to have) BMR Rear Tunnel Brace/Loop - $155 - http://www.americanmuscle.com/bmr-tu...loop-0512.html
• * (nice to have) BMR Front Tunnel Brace/Loop - $150 - http://www.americanmuscle.com/bmr-ds-loop-1112.html
• 31-spline transmission yoke (already on the driveshaft?)

Final not - if the motor and/or tranny are salvage parts, it would be downright stupid to put then in the car before having a mechanic go over them to make sure nothing is broke, so you can add at least $100 to the cost if that needs to be done.