Engine Swap Questions: 1982 Into 1993

Evan Babatz

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Jul 22, 2017
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Hello. I have a 1993 Mustang, but it is a 4-cyl. I am planning to swap a V8 into it. I see a pretty good deal for a 1982 5.0, and now I am wondering if there would be any significant difficulties swapping the whole engine and drivetrain from the '82 to the '93. Wiring issues? Any issues at all?
 
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Welcome to Stangnet brother.

Do you have a donor car that you're getting the engine out of, or is it just the engine? There are lots of things you'll want to take along with the engine.

Tell you what, I'll move your thread over to the fox general talk subforum, you'll get lots of sharp gearheads to drop in there.

Good to have you with us, maybe post a picture or two of your mustang as well.
 
I think I would pass on a '82 engine. I don't think it's a roller motor and the heads are going to be very restrictive.

A '87 or newer would be a much better starting place or better yet a 302 out of a Explorer.
 
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There are huge wiring differences between an 82 to a 93. You'd have to get a 93 wiring harness.

The engine heads and trans are all a little different from your 93.

The first thing I'd do is source a 93 engine wiring harness and computer from a v8. The swap is almost plug and play at that point. You'll also need engine brackets for alternator and AC. The AC lines are cheap. The condenser by the radiator stays the same.
 
I do agree, a explorer/mountaineer in useable condition would be easier to find and a better foundation to build from.


This. Find a pull and pay junk yard that has a '96 or newer 302 in it and swap in the whole thing. I'll have "Cobra" heads (at least what the '93 Cobra had) and will run circles around the '82 engine.
 
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This. Find a pull and pay junk yard that has a '96 or newer 302 in it and swap in the whole thing. I'll have "Cobra" heads (at least what the '93 Cobra had) and will run circles around the '82 engine.
Specially if it's not in a car :stick:
Seriously, start with a roller block at least, flat tappet cams are sooo 70's.
 
After seeing the specs on the '82 engine, it does look like a newer model engine would be better. Yes. It would come from a donor car, but I also just realized that the '82 may not have the 8.8 rear end, so I think I'm ruling that off the books.
 
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sell the 4 banger and get an 8 cyl car.
by the time you are done upgrading the brakes, suspension, engine, trans, rear end, wiring, etc. you will spend 2X as much as just starting off with a decent 5.0 car
I could do that, but the 4-cyl's body hasn't been abused by the torque of a V8 ever. I think it would be real hard to find a V8 that hasn't been driven hard or that has chassis reinforcement to prevent twisting for cheap.
 
You've got some options, none are good for someone that is not mechanically inclined or has a lot of time and patience, what are your plans for the car, are you mechanically inclined, do you have another vehicle that you use?
 
You've got some options, none are good for someone that is not mechanically inclined or has a lot of time and patience, what are your plans for the car, are you mechanically inclined, do you have another vehicle that you use?
I would say that I am mechanically inclined. This will however be my first project car. My plan is to build a drift car. I just want some decent power at first. I plan to build a roll cage for it myself. It will be a quality build.
 
Ok then, you got some work to do.
If the car is not going to be driven on the street you have opened up a larger box of options.
Efi: your best bet is finding a doner car with mas air, you will need all the wiring with the instrument cluster, the wires running to the back of the car are the only things that will stay. This is not a street car so air bags don't matter. But you do want a functional cel. Another option is a stand alone efi ignition system like megasquert or FAST system, I have no experience with either so do some research to find what fits your budget/experience.
Carb: you will need a harness that uses a duraspark ignition and likely aftermarket gauges will be installed anyway, I don't have any experience with drift cars but I imagine a carb will work, you will have a learning curve with that setup too.
So do some research and pick your poison.
Those are my uneducated thoughts, I wouldn't be surprised if someone chimes in with something better.
 
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After seeing the specs on the '82 engine, it does look like a newer model engine would be better. Yes. It would come from a donor car, but I also just realized that the '82 may not have the 8.8 rear end, so I think I'm ruling that off the books.
It doesn't have the 8.8, starting in '86 the GT's got them.
 
sell the 4 banger and get an 8 cyl car.
by the time you are done upgrading the brakes, suspension, engine, trans, rear end, wiring, etc. you will spend 2X as much as just starting off with a decent 5.0 car

Amen. I second that advice. If you are building a race car with 1000hp, that's a different story. If you just want a V8 Mustang, for the love of god sell it, and just buy a 5.0 Mustang. They are cheap these days. Hell, you can get a 5.0 SN for under $4k. You'll either buy another car and thank us, or regret it later.

Kurt
 
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Amen. I second that advice. If you are building a race car with 1000hp, that's a different story. If you just want a V8 Mustang, for the love of god sell it, and just buy a 5.0 Mustang. They are cheap these days. Hell, you can get a 5.0 SN for under $4k. You'll either buy another car and thank us, or regret it later.

Kurt

some people gotta learn on their own Kurt. I've seen this movie many times before.
 
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