1997 GT - 5.4L 4v Navi Swap / Build-Up Thread

MR KROGOTH

Member
Jul 1, 2018
44
15
18
Texas
Evening all,

New to the forum, but not to Fords. I'm coming from the FTE forums (been a long time 87-97 F-Series fan) and recently gave up all my trucks after getting a taste of working on mustangs. I recently completed restoring a '98 Chrome Yellow GT Auto car with a PI swap (It will need engine #5 soon - the new engine already has rod knock!) for a family member and wanted in on a Mustang.

Here are some photos of the '98 before & after:

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I had built up a '92 F250 7.3L, and I knew that I couldn't bring home another vehicle without upsetting the missus. I devised a plan - get rid of her car, my truck, and get a Mustang. I can still hear her words before she went to take a nap that sunday afternoon - "Don't let me wake up and find out you bought another car! Try me!". So, while she slept, I found a rough 97 GT on Craigslist AND Facebook Marketplace for 1200$. I quietly slipped out of the complex and went to look at the car - it was luckily just a few miles down the road. The car was fairly rough - dings, dents, and scrapes all over, interior smelled weird, seats worn out, steering wheel peeling, engine is knocking - but, it runs. I didn't have a way to get it back home quick enough by myself - so I enlisted the help of a coworker & mustang enthusiast ( he owns 4 Cobra 'Stangs - ( 94, 98, 01, 04 ) to get it home. Parked it at the shop, and ran back home. I was positive I had gotten off scot-free - but right as I was opening the door to the apartment (with new keys, title, and shame in my hands) she was walking into the room. Awesome.

The next day, We were at the dealership trading in my truck and her car for a new Focus. Guess who won that argument?

Anyways, here's the car:

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It's a real hooptie. Certainly something wrong in the engine - oil in the coolant, coolant in the oil, knocking, sputtering, coolant leaking from the back of the intake manifold. They had replaced the throwout bearing, clutch cable (looks like Steeda?) and pretty much everything in the A/C for the car, which is a necessity here in Texas. I pulled an OASIS report on the vehicle, and looks like everything that was in the car was largely original.

Born July 27th, 1997, as an Ultra White, GT 4.6L w/T45 manual. 2.73 LSD rear end, Med Graphite cloth interior, and fairly stripped down beyond that - no Mach 460 sound, no leather seats, but a basic GT.

I've purchased a used 5.4 4v and had it shipped to the shop, but it arrived quite a bit rougher than pictured. That's fine, as I'll be going through the engine and cleaning/painting as I go. That's it for the first post!
 
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Good afternoon all,

Been picking away at the donor engine, cleaning up a bit at a time. Took the upper intake, crossover tube, & throttle body for a good cleaning/painting.

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There's the engine on the pallet from freight. Upper intake off:

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And cleaned up:

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Popped off the valve cover to take a peek at the previous owners carnage, and was pleasantly surprised. no massive sludge buildup!

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More coming!
 
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Lower intake cleaned up & painted.

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I am having a few questions as im tearing down/cleaning up this engine - how is every one running the coolant lines? I'm also interested in restoring the functionality of the IMRA crossover tube.

I've dug through the service guides and figured out the routing of the PCV heater hoses - fairly obscure imagery there. Upper to the thermostat housing, lower to the bypass near the alternator. The actual PCV hose routing runs the passenger side of the upper intake, and splits to the big barb right dead center of the upper facing the hood & the other end is on the passenger valve cover. There is a smaller barb on the drivers side of the upper intake manifold, that appears to run to the evaporative emissions system.

I am interested at this point in getting the IMRA tube to function - the wiring diagram shows it gets ref power like all the other sensors on/around the intake, and has a single wire from the PCM to make the magic happen. I will try to find a PCM out of a Navigator to experiment with, IF the pinouts are fairly similar. I am NOT looking to reinvent the wheel - if I can manage to get the IMRA working, I would like to piggyback some exhaust cutouts to operate at roughly the same time ( per the service manual, the actuator should begin moving ~2400RPM ).
 
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Just throwing up some more photos. I'm not seeing too many people retain the Navigator intake and I'm considering modifying the seemingly over-engineered coolant hose system that the navigator engine has. There seems to be triple the hoses and fittings on the 5.4L.
 

View: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wL3CKLIEE2YKcjIOBQ-IYjiotS4G6mHkw9w4xszilOQ/edit#gid=0&range=A1:G105


Good morning all,

Spent last weekend at the pick-a-part . Pulled a Navi PCM, a COP 4.6L SOHC engine wiring harness, PI intake (brand new! For the yellow GT.) completely stripped the COP harness to splice together the wiring for COP system on the DOHC engines. I've also placed on order a whole timing set, gaskets all around, and found some Termi valve covers AND some ACCEL super coils. I'm investigating the fuel rail situation - most people are saying i'll have to use an aftermarket fuel rail setup to make this happen. I think i will use the Mustang injectors to make this happen, still looking into how im going to run the air intake. I've attached the full pinouts for the NAvi & Mustang PCMs that I've made - looks like it will be too much work to utilize the Navigator PCM.
 
That is nice to see this, it is currently my dream to learn how to swap engine and do it in 5~ years with a coyote 5.0 when my 4.6 will break apart. The passion and deviousness makes it beautiful. Keep up the good work
 
Very cool project! The 4V 5.4 should be a nice little power bump, especially from the current motor on its last leg LOL. What year range navigator motor works best? I'm ignorant on this swap and how you get it to run. I've seen 2V truck 5.4's put in and it looks like some of those guys used the stock 4.6 computer and tuned it for the 5.4.
 
Very cool project! The 4V 5.4 should be a nice little power bump, especially from the current motor on its last leg LOL. What year range navigator motor works best? I'm ignorant on this swap and how you get it to run. I've seen 2V truck 5.4's put in and it looks like some of those guys used the stock 4.6 computer and tuned it for the 5.4.

I chose the 99-04 Navigator engines - all the ones after that are 3V engines. I got mine shipped for 760$. Haven't yet slotted it in yet - it will require a tune to really drove right but I will have to modify the wiring harness from coil pack to COP. It uses the mustang motor mounts, and the accessories appear to be direct bolt on. I will have some fun getting the EGR piping in place, however. Just grinding away a little at a time. New motor mounts, underdrive pulleys scored for 30$, head gaskets & bolts, timing set with tensioners & guides as well. Terminator exhaust manifolds as well.
 
300 hp and 350 tq will be a good improvement from that 97's 215 hp and 285 tq. I see you're from Texas, do you need the EGR stuff there or is there another reason you want it?

These are a third the price of most, so probably not the best choice, but I wonder if they'd let you bolt up a Cobra lower intake and supercharger take off down the road if you wanted?
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335821607&icep_item=291950968596
 
300 hp and 350 tq will be a good improvement from that 97's 215 hp and 285 tq. I see you're from Texas, do you need the EGR stuff there or is there another reason you want it?

These are a third the price of most, so probably not the best choice, but I wonder if they'd let you bolt up a Cobra lower intake and supercharger take off down the road if you wanted?
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335821607&icep_item=291950968596

Keeping the EGR as it does help driveability. Texas isnt too picky about the emissions stuff.

Those adaptor plates wont work - the are for 2V 5.4/4.6L engines. I would need adaptors like these:
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335821607&icep_item=112906749328

To explain some of the above photos, I had picked up a set of termi valve covers but didnt like the color against the rest of the engine. If anyone in the Houston area wants them, let me know. I also snagged a set of horizontal taillamps from a '95 in the pick-a-part for 26$ each - cant go wrong there! Havent decided if I want to use them yet but I'll clean them up & spray them regardless.

And some more, below.

Body worked the coil covers smooth & sprayed them black. Got the A/C compressor re-sealed and installed it so it's ready for the re-install. I still need to pull the oil cooler from the 4.6L and transfer it, and get it over with. I had our parts department get me a new idler pulley, but it was not correct. I'll probably end up replacing the tensioner too.

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Going to go into a bit more detail on the stuff I'm using to make this swap happen, something I've found lacking in the other 5.4 4V swaps.

I've been using a HF 1000lb engine stand to make working on the engine easier. You'll also need a harmonic balancer puller to get the balancer and timing cover off.

I purchased to following to reseal/refresh the engine:

Head bolt set (order two sets) : MAHLE GS33269
Head bolts are TTY and must be replaced.

Head gasket & upper reseal set : MAHLE HS54232
Comes with everything below:

MAHLE HS54232.jpg


Timing set : ULTRA-POWER 90391SD
Good insurance to take care of while your inside the engine with the heads off.

Water pump : DURAGO 54255950
This is a direct clone of the Terminator Cobra water pump from 03-04. It has the spot welded, shrouded impeller for improved flow & less drag. It also removes the provision for a mechanical fan clutch, and cleans up the front of the engine.

Exhaust manifolds : Terminator/Mach 1/Cobra manifolds.
I'm not sure if any aftermarket headers will fit with the 5.4L, But I am using the Termi manifolds.

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Exhaust manifold hardware : DORMAN 674000 (order two sets)
You will need to replace the studs & nuts for the exhaust manifolds.

Lower engine gasket set : ENGINETECH F281CS
Comes with the following:

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Mustang oil pan : FORD XR3Z6675DA
You can reuse your original oil pan or purchase a new one - I purchased a new one, and bent down the windage tabs to clear the crank. The Navi pan wont fit.

Motor mounts LT & RT : FORD 2R3Z6038AB & 2R3Z6038AA
The Navi motor mounts wont work. Trash them, get new motor mounts. I would not reuse the originals as it is too easy and cheap to replace them now. The 96-04 GT motor mounts will work, these are the part #'s for the newest revision.

Pilot bearing (manual trans only) : FORD F6ZZ7600A
I have a T45 in my '97. Not sure what else it will fit. The Navi engine will NOT have one if you're using a manual trans.

Flywheel : FORD PERFORMANCE M-6375-R00A
One of the most expensive parts for this project. This is an 8-bolt crank, billet aluminum flywheel. I am reusing the original clutch & pressure plate.

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Good to see you still moving along on this project! I'm excited to see your progress. The detail you're giving like part numbers is invaluable and appreciated as well. Are you keeping a running tally of your total costs then?
 
Got some of the good stuff here ;

Ended up buying one of these rocket ships - welcome to the SVT family.
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Back to the Mustang, though.The RS keeps me from walking to work so I'm good with that.

Purchased some 6511 alloy 1/2" bar stock to create the subframe spacers. Heres the link to the ebay ad I purchased this stuff from 16$ for two pieces. Clamped them down and drilled out to 5/8" so the subframe bolts would pass through.


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These smaller spaces are for the rearmost cradle mount positions.
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For 16$ and a bit of sweat , you can save the whole 100$ to buy these 1/2" spacers off the internet.
 
Next, You will have to modify the fuel lines on your Mustang to accomodate the Navigator fuel rail setup (fuel connections point towards the drivers side on the Navi rails).

Carefully remove the midlines from the car - they have quick disconnects just behind the passenger strut tower so that you can work on them easier. You'll need fuel line release tools and some patience. If I remember correctly, this is the return side of the fuel line. Carefully cut the nylon line from the metallic regulator on the 'rail' side of this line. Then, carefully cut the line off the metallic quick-disconnect of the rail itself.

Both return & feed lines both use the same size of nylon fuel line - 5/16". You can purchase it in bulk from NAPA (25ft, 5/16" nylon, click here for link) .It's roughly 40$. Be VERY careful with the other side of the fuel lines - it is a plastic connector that you can cut into when trying to cut off the actual line from the connector portion - see the second picture for this connect.

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Now, you can begin preparing your line for the new fuel rails using the OEM connectors and styling. I Ran mine between two intake runners, down into the valley, and looped back into the Navigator fuel rail locations. When pressing the nylon over the connectors, you will need to submerge the ends of the line in hot and/or boiling water for about 5 minutes to soften it enough to push over the connectors. Expect to fail the first few times. It will bunch up and crumple if its too soft, push too hard, or isnt soft enough. Cut you line long and expect it not to go well the first few attempts.

Here's the first line pressed on, shaped and ready to go on!

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As you can see, factory connecting points have been preserved (easier to service and get parts for) and it looks MUCH cleaner and professional than the rubber fuel line and hose clamp most people do. I do NOT recommend using heat gun to soften for the line pressing portion, but a heat gun on low heat can be used to help shape the lines for easier/cleaner install on the vehicle. Be careful!
 
Next, you'll need to modify the wiring harness for the COP stylle ignition. Mind you, this does NOT change the system from Wasted-Spark to independent firing. It will remain a wasted spark as a COP system.

Here's a few good links for modifying the wiring as it is WAAAAY to much to describe in this write up. Triple-check every wire you solder together and modify before layering two layers of heatshrink over it.

https://mustangforums.com/forum/4-6l-1996-2004-modular-mustang/547445-cop-information.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1187060-4-6l-cop-recommendations.html
https://forums.corral.net/forums/svt-dohc/1089247-96-98-coil-pack-coil-plug-conversion-2.html
https://www.crownvic.net/drock96marquis/COPconv.htm/

You will need to reference the wiring pinouts I created earlier in this thread to make this happen - draw it out on paper before attempting any work. I remove the entire wiring harness from the car when I performed this work. The last link from CrownVic.net will work the best - but the colors wont match what you have in your SN95. Again, reference the pinout chart earlier in the thread.

Here's some photos.

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Tape and loom EVERYTHING back up when you are done. DONT leave it looking like a child did it. Loom is 5$ at Harbor Freight and protects the wiring from heat and abrasion.

Now is a great time to repair/replace the battery terminals as well. I purchased the terminals from Ford for a late model Explorer for about 18$ a piece - CHEAP and professional outcome. DONT waste your money on the clamp style from the parts stores - make it right! My terminals had crumbled by the time I got this part of my work. Take some vinegar and a wire brush and thoroughly clean the wire conductors to prepare them for the new terminals.

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Here are the two terminals, look, and part numbers for those that want to make this a clean a swap as possible.

BT4Z-14450-BA for the negative terminal.
BT4Z-14450-AA for the positive terminal.

You will notice the positive terminal actually has 3 separate points of contact - the crimped end, and two fastener-retained lugs. I used the crimped end for the starter cable, and used only the smaller lug for the alternator wiring eyelet and fuse box eyelet. I crimped & soldered on a new copper eyelet on the fuse box cable. I also soldered the starter crimped wire to the terminal to make sure it has a great connection using solder & a micro torch from Harbor Freight. I left the bigger stud open for the possibility of an upgraded sound system later on.

Ditto the negative terminal work as well - new eyelets, crimped and soldered on.

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Here's how itll look in the car:

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