'82 to '89 Dash Swap, need experience

I'm getting ready to swap the dash in my '82 GT to the newer style '89 one. I have an entire complete donor car to part out, and will have it side by side in the shop during the swap.

Wiring wise, i'm not concerned with anything as I can graft harnesses and do whatever needs to be done on that aspect no problem.

However, I really need someone who has done this swap to help me on a few things if possible...

1. My Mustang is a heater only car. The newer stang is Heat/AC. The car will never have A/C so i'm not too concered about it having it, but I am concerned about the heater box.... I need to know if the heater core lines come out in the same place on both cars on the firewall. If so, I plan to just remove the A/C core and install the newer box with the newer dash. My main concern is I don't want to cut up the firewall. I don't have the donor car just yet to look at it physically.

That's pretty much the most of it. I believe otherwise it will be a pretty straightforward swap, as far as physically mounting it goes, but i've never attempted or seen it done in person either.

And as far as the car, it's a race car anyhow so it's no biggie about the A/C working. And the only reason i'm considering swapping the dash is because the factory '82 Dash is in rough shape, and I have the donor car for parts laying around.

Thanks in advance!

I appreciate the offer, but no need to take measurements. I'll have both cars side by side for the swap this weekend anyhow, but thank you!

I was just looking for some helpful tips from somebody that had done the swap before I start. I've owned an '84, '85 and '86 and had the dash out of all of them for heater cores at one time or another, but it's been quite some time ago. My '85 was a heater only car also, and i'm pretty darn sure the heater core inlet lines are in the same place as the factory A/C equipped cars.

If this is the case my plans are to swap the heater boxes also, and just remove the Evaporator core from the box so I don't have to cut holes in my firewall for something that will never be hooked up anyhow.

Perfect! I was hoping that was the case. So, i'll just use the newer dash heater box also, and remove the A/C Evaporator core then.

I read somewhere when I was searching that it would also be preferable to get the rear 1/4 windows also, as something about the interior sail panels would necessitate installing the windows with them? Not sure on that.

Basically my '82 has no interior right now, and I will be transferring the entire '89 interior over.

Thank for the advice guys, I got the swap completed and it really wasn't that hard at all!

Idk how well you can see this pic, i'll take more when I get it moved outside shortly:



Fresh out of the booth:



The Powa:



Short video while I was tuning on it:

July 24, 2011 12:24 PM - YouTube

351 82GT said:

Did you put a different front end on that '82? The grill looks like it's from an 83 or '84. Mine has 3 horizontal "bars" going across for the grill....it's not mesh like the one shown here. Just curious but I like that swap you just did. You should write up a tech article on how it's done and what all is involved with that swap. I surely would be interested in reading something like that!
That has me thinking now...lol

Click to expand...

No sir, you are absolutely correct on the year. When I started this thread, I wasn't aware of the '82-'83 year break, and my car is in fact an '83.

And, as far as the swap, the entire process from when I pulled the car from a field in Western KS:

View attachment 176363


Till Now:



Can be found here:

Great Bend Speed and Body - '83 Mustang, 5.3L Turbo

Beware though, there are over 40 pages of reading on that thread

But, most of it is discussion amongst us locals. I documented the entire process from how to use the stock 4.6L K member and 4.6L mounts to install the LS powertrain, to wiring it up, ect.

But, unfortunately as far as the dash swap, I didn't get much info on a complete how to. However, it was very easy to physically install. Being as i'm using none of the Ford injection stuff, most of the wiring was easy as I just had to graft the '88 front lighting harness to the '83 Nose harness. The rear tail lamps and everything else worked fine as-is. However, I did have to take the donor car's heater box as well for it to work.

More tuning tonight. This setup should make around 15psi peak. This video is just a neutral revv to the 5K limiter. Makes around 4-5 psi, I was just checking the turbo out and setting up the BOV:

August 13, 2011 9:10 PM - YouTube