jackchan said:
awsome thread.....v8only! congrats on the explorer engine. I'm in the process of doing nearly the same thing. I have a 91 GT with a 86 engine in it (previous owner)....that I am about to swap out with something. Right now I just previously bought a 1990 GT with 125,000 miles on it but man it looks bad! prolly because of all the oil and filth on the engine. Thinking now of buying an explorer or Mountaineer engine from a junkyard and going nearly same route as yourself. with a few exceptions...
According to what your posted above I have to change
1.the oil pan, pump,oil pump drive, and oil pickup correct?
2. the dist.
3. what about the waterpump, timing chain, etc...fan spacer?
4. my buddys telling me to leave the stock valve springs on the engine, but I'm wanting to upgrade them.......guess I could get it running and do that later?
5. my car is a daily drive and I know the P heads have different exhaust header because of the spark plug angles but did any ever consider that the P headers will fit a regular E7 set of heads if ever then went back to those or wanted to upgrade headers then later on buy a set of p heads??...they do I've done it before, and actually they have longer runners which help promote scavenging! kewl stuff!
6. currently I plan on running a stock T-5 with a freshen up as well. Best money you can spend will be on a after market shifter (with stops if you dont already have it). I power shift every now and again, and get this 12 years driving later model stangs (82 Gt thru 94 cobra) and I've never broken a T-5 yet! LOL.........I think the positive stop shifter makes all the difference in the world.
I'm prolly gonna leave the stock explorer cam in my rig for the time being.....and just wanted to state......dude if you have all of what you say you have you should have NO trouble running high 12's on motor alone.
awsome post and great pictures..........good luck and keep us posted. I'll try to throw up a few pics myself when I get my swap started. I've actually debated on rebuilding the 90 model motor vs. swaping in the explorer/mountaineer engine and have just about decided to go the way you have..........because of the engines being newer etc....
thanks for the insperation!
Jack
thanks!!! If you use the stock explorer cam, it's ok to use the valve springs. However, I wouldn't suggest using that explorer cam, it won't rev at all, neither will the valve springs. I'd use, at a minimum a ho cam and ho mustang springs (I went tfs springs) my bro, doing the same swap went with a tfs stage one cam. Now, after all the dough I've spent, i'm wishing I would have too.
You're gonna have to swap the mustang timing chain cover and water pump/brackets and accessories on anyhow, so may as well swap out the cam and valve springs, it'll be WELL worth your time. I found out, the oil pumps in the explorers are the same as mustangs, it's only the pickup tube that's different, but you'd be crazy not to spend the $20 on a new melling autozone oil pump. ALso, spend the $20 on the frpp oil pump driveshaft, it'll ensure safety, and it not twisting. don't use the arp driveshaft for the oil pump, only the frpp claims to be exact fit height wise ( i verified this claim) where the arp, you'll have to grind down to fit.
Everything is straight forward. pull the pain, oil pump, pickup tube, swap the mustang stuff on, yank the intake, lifters, accessories, timing cover, and cam, swap the mustang cam on, better valve springs, mustang timing chain cover and water pump, and go.
the frpp shorties that are built NOW (some of the olders won't work) will fit ALL heads, p or not.
also, you'll be using the complete ignition system and fuel rails from the HO mustang engine. (explorer injectors are 19 pounds with a better spray and will work fine with the mustang fuel rails) the explorer is distributerless obd2, and you'll be converting back to an eec IV setup.
important to note for ALL 96 and some 97 explorers got the gt40 heads. mid 97 or so to 01 got the gt40p heads. ONLY 96 and early 97 motors had the intakes drilled for the egr necessary for smog. My gt40p 97 motor DID have the internal egr passeges, but I was lucky to find a crossover engine, as most of the gt40p engines won't have the egr ports in the intake (I'm from cali, god bless the smog program)
You'll need to drill the heads for the smog tubes in back. However, I did not. the smog tubes ONLY work when the engine is cold, and when the engine warms up, air is diverted to the cats, SO, to pass smog functionally speaking, you never smog your car cold, therefore those smog tubes on the heads won't matter, as the air from the smog pump will already have been diverted to the cats. just make it "look" functional to pass the visual.
i'm in process of writing a massive writeup with TONS of pictures on this, but it won't be done for a couple of months yet. It will be on my 50stangs site along with my clutch adjustment article that most have seen here already.
prolly about 4 tenths.........that was on 100 horse Nitrous system too.....3;73 gears, 26x8 mt slicks on 10 hole wheels,65mm throttle body, pro chamber h-pipe, with flowmasters, dumps, and stock rocker arms. I've sold off a lot of those parts since then including the car! I did however hang on to my injectors, mass air meter, and nitrous kit! 
