Speaking of losing sight of the "big picture" let's go back to the OP's opening post.
I've never done an engine swap and don't even know where to start. Can anyone please help? I plan on doing it this weekend.
To me the operative words were:
- Low experience. Looking for something that is straight forward.
- Time critical. Daily Driver needs to be back on the road quickly. Time is of the essence.
- Needs to be budget friendly. $$ already spent on the 97 parts car. Finding a different motor adds cost.
Given the very limiting time constraint, spending a lot of time trying to re-build the old motor seems out of the question.
Further, given the experience level of the OP, doing the 1st rebuild under a time crunch doesn't seem like the best first choice.
I fully agree that the use of a Non-PI motor in a 99+ Mustang GT was not the best choice.
If this were my daily driver that needed to get back on the road ASAP, I would source a whole salvage 4.6 PI Romeo in a heartbeat.
FWIIW, I have personally dealt with two failed motors on my projects. I personally found it amazing just how far the metal debris was spread through out the oiling system.
The other surprise is just how re-build
unfriendly the 4.6 heads are with regards to the cam bearings. Any oil starvation to the top end, the cams are toast. In many cases it's cheaper to replace the entire head than re-build.
Check out the NEW complete PI Romeo heads from Summit. Can you get a machine shop to over haul a head for $400? Could it be done in time for a weekend install?
Don't forget to add the cost of the "cylinder head changing kit" at $100. And the list goes on.
http://www.summitracing.com/search/...mance-improvement-cylinder-heads?autoview=SKU
To me 600-800 for a whole salvage motor that's ready to install seems like a valid plan. Especially given the OP's constraints.