89 mustang gt auto 87 mustang gt 5 speed & motor swap help please asap

davidohio

New Member
May 12, 2009
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i got 2 complet mustangs 89 gt automatic and an 87 gt 5 speed both run great heres the deal i want to swap the motor and trans out of the 87 in to the 89 auto gt 89's mas air 87's? not now i need help is this pertty stright forward takeing the 87 5 speed trans and motor and putting it in the 89 auto take the ecu and stuff out of the 87 and put it in the 89 and all the 89 stuff in to the 87 5 speed i want to no if this swap would go pertty stright both cars run 87 60k orginal miles runs great 89's frame like new and got 160k miles i just want to no if i got everything i need wires harness is and all that please any help let me no how this would go 89 mustang gt auto 87 mustang gt 5 speed & motor swap help please asap
 
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My opinion:

Buy a A9L computer, Mass Air Meter/Sensor with connector pigtail for Mass Air Meter.

Then I would install the A9L computer into the 87 Mustang body which is really easy to do, we'll easier than taking the entire wire harness with you to the 89. Your 87 is probably speed density no mass air meter.

That way if you convert your 87 to mass air first. Then when you move the mass air 89 engine over to your 87, then the only changes you will have to do will be the changes you would have to do for a auto to t5 swap.

When moving your 87 now converted mass air, which would run even better, to your 89 nice body that already has mass air computer probably a9l, and wiring for mass air, you will already have converted the 87 to mass air and it will be easy. Assuming less to worry about moving a T5 to an auto car, then moving an auto to a T5 car, wiring wise.

Just my opinion
 
So really all you would have to do is un-do motor mounts, engine wiring, just connected to engine, and swap the engines, rather than mucking about with the entire harness that runs through the firewall.

Does your 87 have any mods? Do you have a mass air meter on it? Has it already been converted? Also if you have mods, that would help you determine which mass air meter/sensor to buy and calibrated for either stock injectors or whatever your running!
 
I disagree with the above. I have done a 88-89 mass air swap (entire motor) the only wiring harness you need is the computer to motor. all the interior stuff can stay. I would unhook the wiring from the computer. then you can feed that plug through the fire wall (yes even with the heater core still installed) I have done this quite a few times actually and it is fairly wasy just doesnt seems so. all you need to do is after you unhook the plug from the computer turn the plug so it is flat against the fire wall (helps to have someone on the engine side pulling a little) push it up toward the hole. the hole has a big rubber grommet that comes off easily enough. once the grommet is removed there is plenty of room to wiggle the plug out.

IIRC- there should be a main harness disconnect in the engine bay as well so you can take the motor out before hand with the harness still attached.

simply put it back in the reverse order with the new computer.

I did this on my own 4cyl (88) from an 89 gt and it worked great. I have helped quite a few take the harness out this way too. my .02 though. your car.
 
Why are you changing the wiring?? Just take 1987 motor out of car and put into 1989 car and use the 1989 wiring.

The engine doesn't know it's not a mass air motor, and the two engines are virtually identical.

I could have it wrong though because without punctuation your original post is very difficult to understand
 
only reason i ask about changeing wireing and harness is becuzz 89 gt auto is a mas air car and 87 5 speed anit sorry for bad spelling ill try to explain better i got to running car's auto 89 gt and 87 gt 5 speed im wanting to take the 5 speed and motor from 87 and put it in to the 89 auto and then auto stuff goes back in the the 5 speed
 
swaping 87 gt 5 speed stuff to 89 gt auto

since the 89's mass air and has power everything and the 87 ecu and car dont have power anything is this swap still possible
 
All I'm saying is, if the 89 has solid body, and the 87 has less miles on the motor, so the 89 will be your better car, then I would prefer converting it to mass air if it were me and using the a9l computer that was in the car.

There is a reason why so many people do the mass air conversion, one is that the car will run better, and second it is because the a9l, mass air cars respond better to any future possible modifications.

So all I'm saying is that if the 89 has power everything, why not have them both mass air cars for under 200 dollars.

Why bother taking the harness out at all on the 89 or the 87.

Just convert the 87 to take the mass air engine.

And convert your low kilometer 87 engine to mass air for all the reasons above.

My car was a 88 speed density, and I converted it to mass air. Most people on here would probably agree that the a9l mass air is the way to go.

Just my opinion.
 
yes the swap is definitely still possible, I just wouldn't muck about with the wiring or the superior a9l computer from your 89. Just put the mass air meter from your 89 motor on your 87 motor when you put it in. And plug everything in. She should run better than it was in your 87 car.