1976 mustang 5.0 swap

Elliotb520

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Sep 24, 2019
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I’m going to be swapping a 5.0 from a 95 mustang GT with a Tremec T5 transmission into my 76 mustang II chassis. Has anyone ever done this swap, and is there anything I should know before I start? I’ll be making my own motor mounts and wiring harness, and I plan on making mounts so I can use the tremec bell housing as well, and I was going to get a custom driveshaft made to use the OE mustang II rear end. The car previously had the 2.8 V6 in it.
 
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Yes, its doable. Its important that the transmission mounting surface sits 1 inch lower than the C4 mounting surface that you get your engine/tranmission angle right (best is to measure befor welding up the engine mounts; shoule be at 3° tranny down)
The 2.8 V6 was delivered either with a 8inch or the smaller axle. if you have an 8 inch, you can probably reuse the driveshaft (or shorten it). If you don't have the 8 inch rear axle you need also to swap the rear axle because the smaller one has not enough strength for the 302 v8.
You can check my thread. I swapped from a V6 to a 302 from a 2000 explorer with a 1996 mustang v6 T5 and with 95 v8 bellhousing (means same bellhousing/inputshaft length as your combo). I also build my own engine mounts based on the MII V6 mounts and some f150 ruber mounts and some steel profile in between... perhaps this helps.
 
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As long as you have the fabrication equipment, skills, and/or accessibility to someone who does, it won't be all that bad. I think @extra_stout has hit on most, if not all, of the major points. The only thing I can think of would be your oil pan. IIs use a specific front sump pan to allow for clearance over the crossmember AND to have the engine sit low enough for the hood. So keep in mind that you may have to modify your hood if you're not able to set the engine low enough. You may be in that boat anyway if you're planning on keeping the EFI, but I've seen those done too. About the only suggestion I have would be to see if you can't wire the EFI system from a Fox vs an SN95. From what I understand they're a tad bit easier to deal with for certain applications. I also think that the A9L/A9P ECUs are supposed to be the best options, especially over the SN95's ECUs. Just something to think about if you plan on keeping the EFI. If you're going to ditch it and run a carb you can disregard all of that. :)
 
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Thanks a lot, that should make the mounts a lot easier to make with your measurements. I was going to keep the EFI, it shouldn’t be too difficult, I’ve set up EFI systems before. And I was expecting to have to modify the hood, as the intake on the 302 is massive. How about power steering though? Will I be able to put the OE lines on the 5.0’s pump or am I better off just getting a manual rack?
 
I'd suspect you could have hoses made if the connections aren't correct, but steering with a manual rack isn't all bad either. I swapped a manual rack into mine years ago with the 302. You'll just have to keep in mind that the wider the tire you put on the front the more effort it'll take to turn the wheel the slower you're going. And most people run into a problem with the intermediate steering shaft when swapping. It's an easy remedy really, just cut the power intermediate shaft to length and weld the proper Borgeson joint onto it. It shouldn't be too big of a problem either way you go.....
 
I have installed a power steering box from a fox body mustang (some minor mods neccesarry). Its part number ATSCO 64163.
Its much lighter (alu housing) and its also smaller, beside it will match the pressure of your power steering pump (there is a diffrence betwen MustangII and Fox) and it will have a more direct ratio. I put engine and transmission in with the old power steering box installed, and that was a thight fit with the 66 mustang oil pan I use (engine sits now 1 inch more towards nose and 1 inch higher). After installation of the new power steering rack there is much more room.
In this thread there are some thoughts about the intermediat shaft modification.
 
The newer the ecu the better. The 94-95 stang ecus are significantly better than the older fox ecu's. The only ones who say different have no experiences with them.

If your doing just a stock swap your best bet would be to find a donor explorer. It has the 8.8 rear end. 4r70w trans which you can either use or toss out. It comes with an obd-2 eec-v which is better than the eec-iv. And it has EDIS ignition on it which is significantly better than the older distributor ignitions.
 
Little update, I actually had the motor mounts made and in the car and I was lowering the motor in, only to find out that the oil pan is way too deep to clear the steering rack and the subframe. How can I get past this issue? I considered moving the motor forward to clear but then the trans would be mounted way too far forward, and if I raise the mounts then the trans will be way too high. Furthermore, the subframe can’t really be modified since it supports the front suspension. Is there a shallower oil pan available somewhere that I can install?
 
I have installed a power steering box from a fox body mustang (some minor mods neccesarry). Its part number ATSCO 64163.
This helps you to get about 20mm of clearance.
If the T5 trany mounts in the same height as the stock C4 or 4-speed tranny crossmember, then the combo hasn't the right angle... this means the engine must move 1 inch up and the T5 can stay on the stock tranny crosmember height.

I considered moving the motor forward to clear but then the trans would be mounted way too far forward
The T5 shifter will be anyway more in front than the stock shifter cut out.

Perhaps you can make some pictures... with some measurments?!

By the way: which oilpan are you using?!
 
Without taking a hammer to your oil pan, you'll need to fine a II specific oil pan as I mentioned before. The shallow side was even more shallow than standard front sump pans allowing for clearance over the rack and pinion. That's your best bet. I'm not sure if there is another pan anywhere that works as well. And I don't believe anyone makes an aftermarket pan that fits either. @74stang2togo may know more about that than I do since I reused my original pan. I have tried a regular passenger car front sump and had it sit on the rack, so that much I can speak from experience.
 
Without taking a hammer to your oil pan, you'll need to fine a II specific oil pan as I mentioned before. The shallow side was even more shallow than standard front sump pans allowing for clearance over the rack and pinion. That's your best bet. I'm not sure if there is another pan anywhere that works as well. And I don't believe anyone makes an aftermarket pan that fits either. @74stang2togo may know more about that than I do since I reused my original pan. I have tried a regular passenger car front sump and had it sit on the rack, so that much I can speak from experience.
Milodon's 8-qt front sump oil pan fits if you put some 3/4" spacers between the motor mounts and engine block. This will limit hood clearance with most intake manifolds, but a low-rise intake like an Edelbrock Performer 289 should work with a low-profile air cleaner.