3.8/auto swap into 68? Possible?

1968-coupe · May 23, 2011

Well i had a lot of grand plans for my 68, but today my GF totalled her 2000 vert. So now we have a car sitting there with all kinds of good parts, cisc brakes, 3.8 V6/auto power seats, everything, nice car. Why cant I take gut the car and move it all over to the 68 and have a 27mpg driver for little costs, why not? The 68 still sits as a shell, gutted. Its a thought, it would give me everything I need. from the computer to the brakes. From the harness to the rear end.

66Coupe289POWER · May 23, 2011

Sounds like a good idea. You can even slap a blower on that v6 and surprise many GT drivers

1968-coupe · May 23, 2011

The 3.8 is capable of safely producing 300rwhp with the aid of an M112 or Pro-charger. The engine runs perfect, and fortunately though the car suffered a bad enough warp in the crash to produce ripples in the top and completely move the passenger front tire back, the engine seems unharmed. So I have EVERYTHING to work with, hoping the little 3.8 fits betwen the shock towers, I also worry about the rear end fitting under the 68. I had visions of much much more power but 27mpg is too tempting to pass up. With 180hp and 215 ft/lbs of torque it will scoot along far better than its factory 200 inline ever did. The radiator and AC condensor even survived the crash. I think with 3.73 gears installed, a good tune, and F/I the little 3.8 will scoot the 68 coupe along fine, and produce a streetable go-anywhere package. My biggest worries are hooking up the instrument cluster, fabricating motor mounts, and getting a driveshaft to fit.

With all the money invested in buying the Vert and no way for it to get paid for funds will be cut off for the coupe, Or I can use whats availible to me and build the car. Im pretty sure this hasnt ever been done, the little 3.8 isnt a favorite engine, especially not for classics. But its very reliable, cheap to operate, and good with fuel. Plus 4 wheel discs, power steering, and AC are nice features.

tx65coupe · May 23, 2011

I would rather have a 200-250 I6. You can do a few things to it and it will make decent power. The 3.8 is not a motor that I think is all too great. I have known more than a few people that have had issues with them.

1968-coupe · May 24, 2011

the car HAD an inline 200. It has NOTHING now, its just a shell that rolls. I HAVE everything from her totalled 2000 mustang. I was hoping for a swap-over

69gmachine · May 24, 2011

There were several changes to the heads and head bolts over the years with the 3.8, and by 2000 the worst problem of torque retention seems to have been resolved. Since you already have the complete engine I think it's a great idea. The 3.8 should fit without any problem as it's certainly no wider than a 289/302. The OD trans is just a bonus. Go for it!

Loup-garou · May 24, 2011

The tough part will be in figuring out how much of the convertible's wiring harness to use, so you should probably begin with good wiring schematics of both cars. You might be able to mod an '87 - '93 3.8 EFI harness and avoid the OBD-II stuff (which would require a separate transmission controller, though).

You'll need EFI-compatible fuel tank/pump/lines, of course - those parts from the convertible won't fit. Check the Vintage Mustang and FordSix forums for threads on the 3.8 - there have been discussions in the past.

rbohm · May 24, 2011

the 3.8 in the 68 is a decent choice for a daily driver. you also have a few choices when it comes to the electronics as well. you can adapt the factory system, you can go with an aftermarket system that is complete, or you can build your own system, including the computer.

check out

Tom Morana Racing Engines

and

Super Six Motorsports - V6 products that make your life faster

for a variety of parts and information.

NasaGT · May 24, 2011

I would move the whole wiring harness over, you'll need some of the ignition stuff to make the anti theft stuff work correctly.

66Coupe289POWER · May 24, 2011

The biggest hurdle IMO will be the PATS system. The keys are stored in the cluster and it has to communicate with the PCM over the network. What will really be cool is if you swap over the ABS and traction control systems too. Prob will be the only 68 Mustang with ABS. I'm a Ford tech so if you need wiring help I have access to all the info you need. Good luck

65wildstang · May 24, 2011

The earlier 3.8 had some issues with head gaskets blowing. My sons first mustang had the 3.8 we purchased with the driver side head gasket blown. Once replaced and having the heads worked ,i was impressed with the motor. I'm with you. If you have everything from the wrecked car, why not if thats what you want? It will be some work and research on your part, but very doable. Good Luck

1968-coupe · May 25, 2011

66Coupe289POWER said:
The biggest hurdle IMO will be the PATS system. The keys are stored in the cluster and it has to communicate with the PCM over the network. What will really be cool is if you swap over the ABS and traction control systems too. Prob will be the only 68 Mustang with ABS. I'm a Ford tech so if you need wiring help I have access to all the info you need. Good luck

Hm........ So I will need to pull the wiring from the cluster too, Question, what gauges will work with that wiring harness? I dont see anyway possible to use the 2000 cluster in it, I would like to wire gauges that fit the 68 bezel to the harness.

66Coupe289POWER · May 25, 2011

The cluster module gets all the gauge info from the PCM over the network. The easiest way to go is to get a different PCM without PATS so you dont have to worry about all the network wiring. My 97 F150 v6 doesnt have PATS so a PCM from one of those should run your 3.8 with some tuning. The Econolines don't have PATS either.

1968-coupe · May 25, 2011

Will the 3.8 harness plug into the F150 ECU? And how would i wire in gauges then?

rbohm · May 25, 2011

1968-coupe said:
Will the 3.8 harness plug into the F150 ECU? And how would i wire in gauges then?

same way you would if you were building the car with the early engine.

66Coupe289POWER · May 25, 2011

All of the 104 pin PCM connectors are the same. Just as lon as its a 104 pin EEC-V PCM it will plug up and most of the wires will match up. You will need to get wiring diagrams of both harnesses and changfe whatever pins necessary. For the gauges you can just install a coolant temp sender and oil pressure sender that will work with the 68 gauges. The biggest thing that will make the swap easier is to get rid of PATS which you cant with the 2000 Mustang PCM. Hope that makes sense.

1968-coupe · May 26, 2011

It makes sense l. So the 4.2/auto PCU should work with the 3.8/auto? Not sure about how to wire the tach.
I also wonder what is the best harness to use for the 68. It needs a new one. Hopefully 3 years of building missile launcher harnesses will pay off with this project.

66Coupe289POWER · May 26, 2011

A 4.2 is just a bored out 3.8 so it will work. Depending on what year PCM you get you may need to swap the IMRC actuators. The earlier ones like my F150 are vacuum operated while the later ones are electronic. I think they made the swap to electronic in 2000 or 2001. There is miles of wire in the 2000 Mustang just build your own harness with that. Cut the tape off and you can even reuse the factory convolute. I'm going to do the same thing when I put a 5.0 efi in my 66.

1968-coupe · Jun 8, 2011

Can I get from you the schematics for the 2001+ 4.2 F150 and the 2000 3.8? Also I assume that the 4.2/auto will swap easily to the 3.8/auto and that I can get a custom tune with an SCT tuner and make it all work.

And i am thinking about pulling EVERYTHING out of the 2000 (harness wise) and att3mpting to make it work in the 68. I assure it can be routed correctly and wired up, at least thats what im hoping.

Now im in the process of expanding the shop to accomodate everything.

I also measured the rear ands, the 2000's whole assembly should fit. I plan to eventually go to a GT 8.8 rear end with 3.27 gears, but right now im making what I have work.

Hoping to get the floor pans put in before the year is over, then im going to have the car sandblasted and primered.

1968-coupe · Jun 9, 2011

I looked at the F150 ECUs and there is like a dozen listed for the 2001-up. How can I tell which one will work for me?

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