Would a 2.3T fit in this?

[conor]

I have an unusual engine compartment that is, well... a little cramped. I don't even know what year/model the engine is other than that it's definitely a Ford 2.3L I-4 and supposedly a Mustang chassis from the 80s.

In any case, here's the engine compartment:

I've seen photos of 2.3Ts and there seems to be some space on the side where the turbo goes... but does it look like enough? My other concern was the intercooler... not exactly loads of real estate between the cover and radiator, although there 's probably room to move it forward into the large grille area..

More photos of my "project".

Thanks!

 

[Dr_EluSivE]

I have an unusual engine compartment that is, well... a little cramped. I don't even know what year/model the engine is other than that it's definitely a Ford 2.3L I-4 and supposedly a Mustang chassis from the 80s.

In any case, here's the engine compartment:

I've seen photos of 2.3Ts and there seems to be some space on the side where the turbo goes... but does it look like enough? My other concern was the intercooler... not exactly loads of real estate between the cover and radiator, although there 's probably room to move it forward into the large grille area..

More photos of my "project".

Thanks!

cool project, sure looks like a 2.3 to me, and you came to the right place.... As for fitment, it looks like the hoot is arched so the intake of a EFI 2.3T should fit, but you could angle it forward and down if it didnt. the main issue i see would be the small amount of room for the turbo. it appears the exaust side is pretty tight but a flipped manifold may help that. the beauty of turbos is that you can plumb them to be wherever you want (you gain a little lag though) You would need a Merkur wiring harness and Turbo computer. (not to hard to get) and adapt the fuel system to a high pressure system with return line. Intercooler could be a tight fit but it is not totally nessisary for moderate boost condtions. I would say its very doable. The 2.3T is the same motor only it has a over the valve cover style EFI intake and obviously a turbo on the EXit side. the rest of the dimentions such as motor mounting transmission placement and overall block heighth should be the same.

Dr.

 

[bhuff30]

that is pretty cool.
I don't think the turbo would fit in the stock location. It would have to go up a little to fill the space where the heater hoses are. Seems like a custom header and lots of carefull measuring would put you in business.

 

[conor]

Whelp, I'm not terribly interested in playing low-boost games on the stock cast pistons (I'd turbo my beater Neon if I wanted to do that, hee hee), so I suppose I'll look into acquiring a 2.3T EFI engine... there's a yard within moderately acceptable distance that has a couple '87-'88 Tbird turbo coupes, so I might just have to "borrow" my dad's pickup one of these days.

Accessories aren't a concern at all for me... I live in San Diego, so the weather is fairly temperate most of the time. The car's an uninsulated roadster anyway, so it's obviously not going to be anything more than a weekend/track toy. I wouldn't mind showing up to the Friday night drags at Qualcomm Stadium with it though. *grin*

I'm slightly worried about the transmission though. It's automatic and that's about all I know about it (3spd?). Is going from an anemic 88hp to 200hp/200tq going to trash this thing?

Thanks for all the help so far... looking forward to soaking up as much as I can (reading gobs of tech. articles still).

 

[Dr_EluSivE]

Yes, i agree, i should have been more clear with what i said about what you would need. YES, you WILL need a turbo motor, the stock one will not hold up to much boost. You can get them from thunderbird turbocoupes, and Merkur XR4TI's. As for the transmission, its probably a stock ford A4lD if its a 4 speed, if it s a 3 speed then it is probably a c4 out of a pinto which is actually a fairly stout transmission. If it were me though i would swap in a T5 5 speed Manual. there is just something not right about having a roadster with a automatic. As for the heat and comfort... i am right with you, i have a 73 MG midget, its a little roadster that has no heat, ac, P/S, P/L, Or P/W. Its a 4 speed manual. But read up, and ask questions, its the best way to learn about these cars

Dr.

 

[Stinger]

Looks like one of my headers would allow the turbo to fit...mine is 8" from the head flange to the outside edge of the turbo...you can measure to see if you have 8" of clearance. It would raise it up to where the heater lines are as bhuff mentioned.

Stinger

 

[Cougar]

Looks like one of my headers would allow the turbo to fit...mine is 8" from the head flange to the outside edge of the turbo...you can measure to see if you have 8" of clearance. It would raise it up to where the heater lines are as bhuff mentioned.

Stinger

That's what i was thinking. Bob also has several types of headers for rangers and stuff, which would work. You could probably get someone to make a custom one as well.

 

[conor]

Alright, I measured some bits of the engine compartment...

The curve of the hood maxes out at a height of about 6" and is 4-5" on the sides. Is this enough for the TMIC of the turbocoupe/XR4TI? I plan to get a hood scoop molded on (fiberglass on fiberglass, should be easy for a shop to work) anyway so there might be more clearance there if I need it. The kit car look isn't very historically accurate anyway, so I have no intention of leaving it looking the way it is. Motor first, though

Next, there looks to be about 11" from the exhaust manifold flange, so maybe this thing'll fit in, stock..? Removing the hood itself is a matter of nine screws (three side-mounted hinges). I don't suppose it'd be possible to install the engine from beneath?

And one last thing for now: Would it perhaps be a better idea to seek out a donor car for this swap project? That way I have the engine, wiring, ecu, transmission, etc. all on hand and probably/definitely in working order? There's an '85 XR4TI relatively close to me for about $1100, so... Hey, maybe the wheels off of it would fit on (I have 4-luggers, apparantly). would certainly look a lot nicer than steelies with wire spoke caps.

I really do appreciate all the help/input from you folks, too. I hate jumping into s*** head first without knowing what's going on, and this board has been an incredible help so far (and I haven't even finished planning yet!).