97 GT engine swap question

Coalhugger55

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Nov 10, 2020
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San Diego
Hello friends, I have a 97 mustang gt that was recently in a front end collision. My friend has a 96 cobra shell I can get for cheap if I wanted. My question is will my 2 valve 4.6 be a direct swap into the cobra chassis? What would I need to make it happen? Thanks in advance for the knowledge, I’m pretty mechanically inclined and have done swaps before, just never in a Ford
 
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The chassis is virtually the same between 96 and 97, so physical fitment is not an issue.

There are some differences between the 4V and 2V electronics. Off the top of my head, the 4V engine has a pair of knock sensors that the 2V doesn't, and has something akin to a variable intake (Intake Manifold Runner Control or IMRC). The 4V ECU would be looking for those things. Cobras were all manual cars as well, so if you're talking an auto, you'd need the 2V ECU.

I'd get a hold of the engine wiring diagrams for both years; you might be able to just swap the 2V ECU/PATS and a couple of harnesses, as I don't recall there being a ton of changes between 96 and 97. I know for 98 the 4V and 2V ECU wiring and pinouts are very similar.
 
Hello friends, I have a 97 mustang gt that was recently in a front end collision. My friend has a 96 cobra shell I can get for cheap if I wanted. My question is will my 2 valve 4.6 be a direct swap into the cobra chassis? What would I need to make it happen? Thanks in advance for the knowledge, I’m pretty mechanically inclined and have done swaps before, just never in a Ford
It's doable, and @tsemmett has given you sound advice, but my question would be why?

The 2v is a significant (nearly 100 horsepower) downgrade over the original 4v engine for the Cobra, and those can be found for next-to-nothing at salvage yards in Lincoln Mark VIIIs (we're talking under $300) and then the correct Cobra intake manifold (if desired) is a common Ebay item (also $300 or so). You could sell your 2v GT engine to offset a chunk of the purchase price and come out with the full 305 horsepower of the Cobra instead of having a 215 horsepower "Cobra with a GT engine downgrade" and it'll be a bolt-in-and-go (or close to it, there may be oil pan differences between the Mark and the Cobra) fit. If your local yard doesn't have a Mark VIII, a Lincoln Aviator engine would be a similar option, but with a little more work (not that much more if you're good at wiring.
 
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