2.3 efi 5 spd into classic 65-69

92-93lxsrule · Mar 23, 2008

Ive always wondered how much trouble and expense this would be.
I know it would be a slow car but i figure the reliability,gas mileage
and small engine size would make for easy swap in.
Getting the modded brackets,computer and wiring issues figured may not
be so easy.Is it a budget reality with a good donor car or a nightmare
for a shade tree mechanic?

iskwezm · Mar 23, 2008

please stay away from the classics

92-93lxsrule · Mar 23, 2008

why?......there are thousands of 65-66s out there just rotting away.
This would preserve the car longer than beating it up with huge HP.
It would be in better shape than rusting out in a pasture.
I would never do this to a nice respectable car,only a basket case
roller without a motor.Probably an old 6 cyl car.

chromedog · Mar 23, 2008

i dont know... esslinger makes some pretty nice pieces for the 2.3...my brother in law has a 53 mgtd he wants to drop a 2.3 into...

mr_woodster · Mar 23, 2008

Im sure its been done prior, but one of the fellow turboford.org members is restoring a classic and swapping in a 2.3T.

Here is the link of the last update

http://www.turboford.net/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=024596

CraigMBA · Mar 23, 2008

I would submit that the reason there are thousands of eary cars "rotting away" isn't for lack of powertrain parts. In addition, I don't think you've ever driven a 2.3l NA Ford product. "Grossly nderpowered" and "so slow it's almost unsafe" are words I would use to describe my Ranger and an ex's 1900 LX.

My car with a 289 and a C4 got 24mpg in mixed driving. About the same as my wifes new Toyota. They both weigh about the same. My Ranger (w 2.3L) weighed less and did worse on fuel. Go figure.

That said, a turbocoupe shortblock and intake/exhaust, a ranger head, a world class T5, a big intercooler, and a early chassis might be a lot of fun.

CraigMBA · Mar 23, 2008

heck yeah

I'm not down with the Mustang II front end but to each his own. That guy is still my hero.

92-93lxsrule · Mar 23, 2008

Well... I should state that my post was kinda specific but honestly
I dont own anything at this point just kind of wanting to know about
installing a modern drivetrain into a classic mustang.I used 2.3 efi in my post
as an example
simply because those cars are cheap and plentiful.
I dont really care for those engines either.
I would like to get a wrecked efi 5.0 and go that route.
I have owned many 2.3 mustangs and i guess its because it would be familiar
to me.I have an 02 caravan paid for and thats what i would sell/trade to get
the donor car and go from there.

66Runt · Mar 23, 2008

How quickly we forget the first SVO Mustang Turbo 2.3L.
While it lacked the instant torque of a V8 it handled awesome, and was very close in overall output.
At more than 20 years old now, it is a classic, and a car before it's time.

65ShelbyClone · Mar 23, 2008

The only thing a 2.3T doesn't have is the off idle torque of a V8 and even then, the IHI equipped '87-88 2.3s nearly did. On top of that, they often make more torque than power anyway.

If you can put a 2.3T into a classic without hacking the car up, fine. A 2.3NA? Don't even bother.

EDIT:

iskwezm said:
please stay away from the classics

In another thread you were talking about cutting the lid off of a coupe to make a convertible. Isn't that just as bad?

iskwezm · Mar 24, 2008

65ShelbyClone said:
EDIT:

In another thread you were talking about cutting the lid off of a coupe to make a convertible. Isn't that just as bad?

no, not even close.We did this over 20 years ago before all those crappy looking kits came out.If you ever saw the car, you wouldnt look twice at it because all the factory stainless was used as well as a funtioning top and interior peices.

65ShelbyClone · Mar 24, 2008

I'll step away from his one before I say something unpopular regarding the double standard held to engine swaps in classics....

GOvert · Mar 24, 2008

92-93lxsrule said:
Ive always wondered how much trouble and expense this would be.
I know it would be a slow car but i figure the reliability,gas mileage
and small engine size would make for easy swap in.
Getting the modded brackets,computer and wiring issues figured may not
be so easy.Is it a budget reality with a good donor car or a nightmare
for a shade tree mechanic?

I am currently/actively doing this engine swap. My Mustang was originally equipped with a 170 ci and a C-4. It was a dog because the engine was worn out but I have driven many 6 cyl Mustangs that ran pretty good. I've driven dozens of 289/302 and 5.0 Mustangs and they have their place too.

I couldn't off the top of my head tell you what the 6 cyl vs 2300 HP (and the way they rated horsepower is different now than then). The '93 model 8 plug 2300 has more HP in my opinion. Add to that fact that I will be using the A4LD and the 3.73 diffy out of the '93 as well so as far as 0 to 60, it will out perform the old 1 bbl 6 cyl setup.

YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, anybody can put a smallblock Ford into a Mustang and I put my first one in when I was 17 in 1978 and have done many more since then. In fact it's kind of boring to me now

The biggest thing I ran into was the rear sump pan but have since resolved that issue and have almost all of the "trick" little "street rod" front-end set-up.

I got a warmer reception than you but don't let some of the people discourage you. The parts guy at AutoZone thought I was crazy because he has an '04 with a 4.6. What does he know ? He bought his Mustang and didn't build it himself,

There is no law that says a Street Rod has to be powerful or fast or for that matter look like a show winner (rat rods are so ugly they have appeal)

bnickel · Mar 25, 2008

i'd always wanted to do a turbo 2.3 in my old 78 MII coupe. it was a loaded up 2.3 coupe from the factory with power steering, air and auto trans so it would barely get out of it's own way. my solution was to do an SVO or turbo coupe swap and use a 5 speed instead of the auto trans, i'd even started searching for part for the swap when it got t-boned by flatbed fencing truck that ran a stop sign at 40mph. my next car was a 70 cougar.

one of these days i'd like to build up another mustang II, but this time i'd do a T-top hatchback. now that i think about it this could be a good first car for my daughter, parts a little harder to find now but by the time she starts driving i'm betting there will be a ton more repro parts, they seem to get more popular every year lately. i really loved my old 78, it was a fun car and was a great commuter, one of my best friends had one a lot like it too, mine was red and his blue and white but his had a sunroof.....bastard!!!!

Fast63 · Mar 25, 2008

65ShelbyClone said:
In another thread you were talking about cutting the lid off of a coupe to make a convertible. Isn't that just as bad?

ttop88 · Mar 26, 2008

Where is the guy with the SHO v6 going in his classic? Just because its not a v8 makes it a bad idea to most on here. I dig stuff out of the ordinary. The SHO V6, turbo 4 and injected V8 will all get very close to the same gas mileage. As long as it is a ford family engine, Put it in it. NO Chevy engines allowed.

70vert · Mar 26, 2008

Why not do the 200 I-6 and put a 5 speed or a 2.73 or higher rear in there? For the money and expense, you could get some great mileage out of a small original 6 speed and could do it with much less expense and hassle.

I was frankly amazed at what putting a 5 speed in did to the mileage from my original 302-2v with a 2.73 rear end. On a mixed freeway/local country road drive to Napa I got about 23mpg. This was with Google Maps mileage and a full tank to start with, refill at the end, so you can discount speedo error.

Rusty67 · Mar 26, 2008

I think you mean I-6.

Anyways, others beat me to it but if you were going to put a 2.3L motor in I'd say go for it but make it turbo !

As for a 5.0 with EFI, that is a common swap these days. I'm actually going to swap mine over to EFI eventually.

You may get some harsh words at first but if you do figure out what you want to do and stick to it I'm confident the people here on the message boards will help resolve your issues.

As for the convertible issue........ isn't Mustangs Plus doing that now (I hate them... for other reasons) ?

iskwezm · Mar 26, 2008

Rusty67 said:
As for the convertible issue........ isn't Mustangs Plus doing that now (I hate them... for other reasons) ?

they do make a kit and you can spot it asa kit 100 feet away becasue they have a HUGE header panel along the top of the windsheild and dont use the factory stainless................in fact i have never seen one of their kits the top up

this was the car we did back in 84'

65ShelbyClone · Mar 27, 2008

ttop88 said:
Where is the guy with the SHO v6 going in his classic? Just because its not a v8 makes it a bad idea to most on here. I dig stuff out of the ordinary. The SHO V6, turbo 4 and injected V8 will all get very close to the same gas mileage. As long as it is a ford family engine, Put it in it. NO Chevy engines allowed.

As I recall, the SHO engine swap wasn't panning out and it was getting replaced with a 289 or something.

I think a built turbo Duratec tucked up against the firewall would be pretty cool in an early('65-66) Mustang. That or one of the Cosworths.

At least the design of the 2.3 Lima is about the right vintage for a classic. Seriously, they seem so stone age anymore.

2.3 efi 5 spd into classic 65-69

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