95 3.8 to 2.3 turbo swap

M

myboyhasa66

New Member

Jun 30, 2004

81

0

0

Jun 30, 2004

#1

• Jun 30, 2004

• #1

i have a '95 3.8 that i bought to work on. i think a 2.3 turbo would be a cool addition to it and i was wondering if anyone knew what would be necessary for the swap. the main question i have is that i want to keep the t-5 and i dont know if they will fit up. i was told that the bellhousing would need to be changed or an adapter plate would need to be added but another worry of mine is that the fox body and sn bodies have a diff place for the shifter and thet-5 was redesigned for the sn bodies if anyone knows any info i would appreciate it

 

notched86

Founding Member

Aug 7, 2002

305

1

0

Ruckersville, VA

Jun 30, 2004

#2

• Jun 30, 2004

• #2

2.3 Turbo in a SN95...now that's interesting.

 

Red_LX

I’m not much help unless you’re looking for ****!

Founding Member

Nov 29, 1999

5,896

73

129

Morgantown, WV...where couches meet their doom

Jun 30, 2004

#3

• Jun 30, 2004

• #3

Hm. I didn't know the T5's in the '94-95 cars was different from the Fox models. Anyway, I don't really know if anyone has ever put a 2.3 Turbo into an SN95. I'm guessing that any Fox frame 2.3 motor mounts would work, but I don't know for sure, and I dunno what you'd have to do with the wiring harness unless you have that figured out already.

 

351wcoupe

New Member

Feb 13, 2003

1,811

0

0

Manhattan, Kansas

Jun 30, 2004

#4

• Jun 30, 2004

• #4

A guy I know, finished using a trans from a 95 3.8 in an 87 hatch 5.0 and he had to change his bellhousiong (starter position was wrong). He also had to machine down his input shaft ($20).
The four bolts the hold the bellhousing on are supposed to be the same so you can just bolt up your trans with a 2.3 bellhousing, starter, flywheel, etc.

I hate to talk you out of a 2.3T swap because that would be cool, but....You might also consider a supercharger from a supercoupe. My girlfriend has a stock 180k mile 3.8 SC cougar that weighs 3750lbs and outran a lightly modded 92 GT.

 

351wcoupe

New Member

Feb 13, 2003

1,811

0

0

Manhattan, Kansas

Jun 30, 2004

#5

• Jun 30, 2004

• #5

He kept calling it a T-45. I have a T45 sitting on my shop floor and it looks like it could be made to work.

 

M

myboyhasa66

New Member

Jun 30, 2004

81

0

0

Jun 30, 2004

#6

• Jun 30, 2004

• #6

its just an idea that i had that seemed very interesting. the work would be the same as a 5.0 swap and the wiring wouldnt be very different. ofcourse i would need the comp and wiring harness but well see if anyone else has any ideas please tell me im not very read in the 2.3 t motors and bodies. thanks

 

T

techdbw

New Member

Apr 10, 2004

35

0

0

Jul 2, 2004

#7

• Jul 2, 2004

• #7

Check out this link on T5 specs. www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2000/09/t5swap/index2.shtml
The input shaft on the V6 trans is longer and the pilot bearing portion is larger than the 2.3 T5.

I have heard you can just swap the input shaft from the 2.3 T5 into the V6 T45. Although I have never verified this to be true.

 

saleenx029

New Member

Jun 10, 2004

117

0

0

Cincinnati, Ohio

Jul 2, 2004

#8

• Jul 2, 2004

• #8

I don't see how you think that the wiring will be easy cause I think your wrong but definately this is a cool azz idea. Also I am pretty sure that the swapping of imput shaft thing will not work because I looked into that and had my friend dissect about 5 t-5's and he said that they changed so much every year that without a lot of trannys to take apart and use parts from, it cannot be done exept maybe certain years, I never inquired about at sn tranny from a v-6. Good luck, hope your ready to get really dirty on this one...

 

M

myboyhasa66

New Member

Jun 30, 2004

81

0

0

Jul 2, 2004

#9

• Jul 2, 2004

• #9

thats y i posted this to see what you guys think. the tranny is a pain and i havent figured it all out.

 

Asha'man

Founding Member

Feb 5, 2002

1,909

0

0

Denver

Jul 2, 2004

#10

• Jul 2, 2004

• #10

I'm pretty sure that the T45 was the V8 tranny after '96 or so, I think all sixes have had T5's through '04.

Ash

 

(&)

Founding Member

Apr 18, 2002

140

0

0

Kansas

Jul 3, 2004

#11

• Jul 3, 2004

• #11

The SN95 is too heavy for a 2.3L IMO. Even the SVO is borderline too heavy for a 2.3L as far as I'm concerned..

 

S

Scooter95

New Member

Mar 9, 2019

6

0

1

United States,Virginia

Mar 9, 2019

#12

• Mar 9, 2019

• #12

The little 2.3 SOHC can make plenty of power. I had a friend that made 330+ to the wheels 20 years ago on stock ECU with Custom program and 55 LB injectors and 21 PSI. This was way before things like E85 , Ball Bearing Turnbos. Aftermarket Engine Manigement,Methonal injection were as available and mainstream as they are now. Cosworth and Esslinger have made big power with theese engines for years now. I guess you would say my little Buick 3.8 is to small to pull around my GM G Body. But there's a funny thing about its track record vs Mustangs at the Drag Strip it's pretty good. The SN95 isn't that much heavier than a Fox. As for the Transmission why not just get a T-5 out of a TBird Turbo Coupe?

 

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

20+ Year Stangneter

Aug 25, 2016

27,935

10,575

203

polk county florida

Mar 9, 2019

#13

• Mar 9, 2019

• #13

Your talking to a 14 year old post, he's probably blow'd that thing up twice by now!

 

S

Scooter95

New Member

Mar 9, 2019

6

0

1

United States,Virginia

Mar 10, 2019

#14

• Mar 10, 2019

• #14

General karthief said:

Your talking to a 14 year old post, he's probably blow'd that thing up twice by now!

Click to expand...

I didn't until you said something. I looked. But it still needed to be said the 2.3 LIMA can make some big power probably cheaper than a Windsor 5.0. I'd like to start a challenge 2000$ I start wIth a stock 2.3 Turbo Engine vs someone with with 2000$ to put in a Windsor 5.0

 

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

20+ Year Stangneter

Aug 25, 2016

27,935

10,575

203

polk county florida

Mar 11, 2019

#15

• Mar 11, 2019

• #15

Ok, how much power do you think a 2.3 turbo will pump out with 2k worth of mods?

 

Noobz347

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

Admin Dude

Jan 4, 1985

43,116

21,288

234

Box behind Walmart

Mar 11, 2019

#16

• Mar 11, 2019

• #16

Hmmmm.... On the 5oh side: Supercharger /done

Off to work now.

 

Reactions: General karthief

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

20+ Year Stangneter

Aug 25, 2016

27,935

10,575

203

polk county florida

Mar 11, 2019

#17

• Mar 11, 2019

• #17

Skimming around the net I find lots of claims of 350 to 425 hp at the wheels with 25lbs of boost in those stout little engines. I also see problems with heads cracked around the valves on some yrs that ups the build cost. Now I'm no engine builder and I don't play one on no tv but I did stay at a holiday inn express once, and I've read a lot of junk yard built 5.0 articles. I'm with noobz on this one, even a cheap 5.0 turbo build can produce block splitting results.

 

a91what

SendMeUrDataLog

10 Year Member

Apr 6, 2011

10,739

6,721

214

Hillsborough county

Mar 11, 2019

#18

• Mar 11, 2019

• #18

Challenge excepted, can i use a 351 as my base engine?? I kept breaking 302 blocks at 12 psi with my junkyard blower build.

 

S

Scooter95

New Member

Mar 9, 2019

6

0

1

United States,Virginia

Mar 11, 2019

#19

• Mar 11, 2019

• #19

General karthief said:

Ok, how much power do you think a 2.3 turbo will pump out with 2k worth of mods?

Click to expand...

General karthief said:

Ok, how much power do you think a 2.3 turbo will pump out with 2k worth of mods?

Click to expand...

I would rather not say until some ground rules were agreed upon first. Like type of fuel. And if someone wanted to use parts they had laying around had to have an agreed Value that goes against the budget.

 

a91what

SendMeUrDataLog

10 Year Member

Apr 6, 2011

10,739

6,721

214

Hillsborough county

Mar 11, 2019

#20

• Mar 11, 2019

• #20

The little lima will make around 400 with 25-30psi and the right supporting mods. including ported gutted intake, professionally ported head, large cam, aftermarket rods... and at a bare minimum a t3/t4 .50 trom turbo at its ragged edge or a holset... well over 2k in parts.. not to mention the stock ECU is now out of its usable range .

some of us have been there before.