looking for a used 4.6 sohc for my 96 gt

Just about any 4.6 will work with varying degrees of swap headache but, yeah, a Mustang motor would be the simplest. Another 96-98 motor is the easiest since it's a direct swap but it'd be worth the extra effort to get the more powerful 99-04 PI motor if you're dropping in a whole motor. A 99-04 will require a few changes but nothing major - you'll need to add a location for a second coolant temp sensor (trivial if it has an aluminum coolant crossover) and some motors have 6 bolt flywheels and some have 8 so you'll have to pay attention when ordering a clutch kit, you'll have to swap your coil pack ignition system over to the new motor or modify the harness to use the coil-on-plug (COP) system and possibly modify the fuel rails or use your old ones as the 99+ use a returnless fuel system.

Other motors can be used as well but, in general, the further you get from a Mustang, the more parts need to be swapped to drop it in. Crown Vic & Gran Marquis are a good source since they are plentiful and, except for cop cars, not driven very hard. Truck motors can be used to but in most cases, they have truck intakes and will need to be replaced and they may have different accessory mounting and oil pans too. I've heard that some trucks had regular passenger car intakes but I'm not sure which ones. You'll have to pay attention when looking at non-Mustang motors because when a particular model received the PI motor is not as clear cut as it is with the Mustang and some didn't get them for a couple of years after the Mustang and some continued to get PI motors well after the Mustang went 3V too.

Aluminum block Explorer engines are a popular swap too as you can save a nice chunk of weight up front over the iron blocks.

Thunderbirds and Cougars are another source for the older, NPI motors but they have low profile intakes so you'd want to put your Mustangs intake and induction on it.

If you want to go beyond buying a complete complete motor and dropping it straight in, then your choices expand exponentially as does the complexity.

patman0911 said:

Thunderbirds and Cougars are another source for the older, NPI motors but they have low profile intakes so you'd want to put your Mustangs intake and induction on it.

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Good post.

I can comment on the 1995-1997 Thunderbird/Cougar/Crown Vic/Grand Marquis SOHC NPI motor (from direct experience). The intake manifold is exactly the same. These cars have the same problems with plastic 1st running coolant cross over. The fix is the same. The part to fix it is the same.

However, the stuff above the intake manifold is different. The exact differences depend upon the years.

For the OP's application, the 1999-2000 Windsor Mustang motor should be avoided as it brings the Romeo/Windsor swap to the table and the costs that go along with it. IMO, if going for a PI motor, use a Romeo from a later model car. Much easier to find low mileage Romeo blocks.

Also, should you swap a PI motor into a 96, a tune may be needed to get the full benefit of the PI swap. The 96 stock PCM is going to have a timing curve that works will with the 96 NPI. The timing curve is different for the PI motor.

By definition, an '01 Mustang motor is a PI motor but it wouldn't hurt to verify. The heads should have 'PI' stamped on the ends of them (should be able to see it stamped on the back of the heads if the motor is out of the car). Other external clue: PI motors only have one temp sensor and it's on the passenger side of the coolant crossover on the front of the intake, where NPI have a 2nd sensor near the thermostat housing; The intake runner closest to the front of the motor goes to the driver's side of the motor on a PI intake and goes to the passenger side on a NPI intake. There's probably a few other clues I'm forgetting but beyond that, you'll have to check casting numbers.

I'd be concerned about a damaged cam support. That head may need replacement. The cams run directly in the heads - there are no bearings - and the caps are matched to the towers so even if you just replace a cap, you may have trouble in the future since they are supposed to be machined together at the factory.

A 2000 Mark VIII motor? 1998 was the last year for the Mark VIII. May want to double check that. Mark VIII swaps are popular though. Put a Cobra intake and exhaust on it and you've pretty much got a Cobra motor. Another popular swap is to take a MKVIII short block and put 2V heads on it for a big boost in compression (flat top pistons on the MKVIII) and a big savings in weight with the aluminum block without all the hassle of a 4V swap.

wmburns said:

...
I can comment on the 1995-1997 Thunderbird/Cougar/Crown Vic/Grand Marquis SOHC NPI motor (from direct experience). The intake manifold is exactly the same...However, the stuff above the intake manifold is different. The exact differences depend upon the years...

Click to expand...

Ah, thanks for clarifying that. I knew there was a difference in the intake/induction but couldn't remember the exact details. It must've been the 5.0s that had the low profile intakes.

patman0911 said:

By definition, an '01 Mustang motor is a PI motor but it wouldn't hurt to verify. The heads should have 'PI' stamped on the ends of them (should be able to see it stamped on the back of the heads if the motor is out of the car). Other external clue: PI motors only have one temp sensor and it's on the passenger side of the coolant crossover on the front of the intake, where NPI have a 2nd sensor near the thermostat housing; The intake runner closest to the front of the motor goes to the driver's side of the motor on a PI intake and goes to the passenger side on a NPI intake. There's probably a few other clues I'm forgetting but beyond that, you'll have to check casting numbers.

I'd be concerned about a damaged cam support. That head may need replacement. The cams run directly in the heads - there are no bearings - and the caps are matched to the towers so even if you just replace a cap, you may have trouble in the future since they are supposed to be machined together at the factory.

A 2000 Mark VIII motor? 1998 was the last year for the Mark VIII. May want to double check that. Mark VIII swaps are popular though. Put a Cobra intake and exhaust on it and you've pretty much got a Cobra motor. Another popular swap is to take a MKVIII short block and put 2V heads on it for a big boost in compression (flat top pistons on the MKVIII) and a big savings in weight with the aluminum block without all the hassle of a 4V swap.




Ah, thanks for clarifying that. I knew there was a difference in the intake/induction but couldn't remember the exact details. It must've been the 5.0s that had the low profile intakes.

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only the 99-00 pi windsor motors are stamped pi. the remeo did not get stamped, youll need to find the casting numbers to tell for sure (1L2E is the number on the remeo head, XL3E is the windsor head). so the 01-04 pi engines would be best, but not as easy as the direct swap theory, but you would be swapping a remeo for a remeo

If it were me, I would do as posted before. Replace a '96 Romeo with a '02+ Romeo. Pay very close attention to casting numbers. Do your research here. People at salvage yards will tell you anything you want to hear.

"OH! Yea, it's out of a Mustang. They are all the same....".

GT

fast97gt said:

only the 99-00 pi windsor motors are stamped pi. the remeo did not get stamped, youll need to find the casting numbers to tell for sure (1L2E is the number on the remeo head, XL3E is the windsor head)...

Click to expand...

Ah, thanks for that bit of additional info

this is a great thread with some valuable info.