[DavidESchiller]

hey, sorry for the n00b post but I'm hoping to have some questions answered about the project idea I've been mulling around in the ol' noggin. I've searched around but I just have way too many questions to possibly find all of the answers I'm looking for by searching alone.

I know I've seen it this before and I love the idea and want to do it myself.

I like the look of the SN95 Mustangs with the exception of the 94-95 tail lights and the god awful interior. I also like how they don't seem to be taken seriously by many. that alone seems to make this project all the more worth doing. I want to find a cheap, rust-free SN95 coupe, strip it down to nothing inside and out, have it freshly painted a custom color which has yet to be determined.

next, I want to find a wrecked (hopefully rear end damage only) or otherwise just cheap Terminator coupe. I'm anticipating finding a higher mileage one for what I would like to spend on it, so I want to pull the motor apart and install aftermarket cams and valvetrain, then have the motor taken to a shop to have it bored out .020 or .030 over with new pistons installed, then do new timing chain/water pump/gaskets/etc. I'll also have the transmission inspected and repaired/upgraded if necessary.

I'm sure you can probably guess the next part by now. I want to take every single part out of the Terminator and swap it into the SN95 shell. when I say everything I mean everything. engine, tranny, ECU, master/slave cylinders, steering assembly, fuse box, fuel pump, chassis and engine wiring harnesses, brakes, airbags, gauge cluster, dash, seats, stereo, interior plastics and center console, and whatever else I'm not thinking of right now. the only parts from the SN95 I want to keep are the solid 8.8" and the fuel tank, and obviously the shell.

so, the questions are:
1. are there any differences between the 5.0 and the 4.6 SN95 chassis that would complicate the process of this swap? if so, what year would be ideal for me to use? right now I have my eye on a '96, but haven't made any attempt at purchasing it yet or anything.

2. from what I've found, the engine and tranny should bolt right in using stock locations. please correct me if I'm wrong on this?

3. will the Terminator rear brake components fit on a solid rear axle?

4. the dashboard and interior parts are all the same dimensions from SN95 to New Edge, right? so everything should line up properly including the seat rails?

5. I think this is my last question for the time being.. all of the hard lines running along the bottom to the rear of the car for the fuel and brakes, what are the chances that those are the same on both platforms? it would be nice to not have to change them because I can't imagine them being any different.

6. edit: thought of another one. it had crossed my mind earlier, could I possibly use a 2001 Cobra gauge cluster instead of 03/04? I would like to have the battery gauge since I plan on doing an aftermarket pod with a boost gauge anyway.

thanks for reading my ridiculously long post, and I greatly appreciate any and all input.

[DavidESchiller]

oh and another question, not necessarily pertaining to the swap but with the car lowered 1.5-2", what's the widest tire/wheel combo I could fit on the back without having to roll/pull the fenders?

[sharkbait]

Well first off finding a wrecked termi is quiet a difficult task. So good luck. Iv seen a totaled one run for 10k.

Theres no point in boring it .020 or .030 over. Just seems like a waste of time

The fuel lines on a 96-98 are return style while the cobra is returnless.

So the 96-98 will have 2 lines coming from the fuel tank and the cobra would only have one. Youd just have to swap the rail on the engine to make it work.

Swapping clusters gets a bit tricky. What ecu are you going to run. If your running the GT ecu then you can use the 01 cluster but if your using the 03 ecu you have to run the 03 cluster seeing how they display different data

[DavidESchiller]

Thank you for the answers. I don't anticipate the terminator being cheap by any means but I seem to find 4-5 crashed ones in the Chicago area each summer for 10-12k.

The reason for the overbore is because I want to tear down and inspect the motor anyway, so I figure I might as well do it then because I want to turbo the car eventually.

And I will be running the terminator ECU, so it looks like I'll stick with that cluster.

Thanks again for the help.

[Harvest97gt]

good luck with the project. cant wait to see the outcome that car is going to be stupid fast, i love it.

[1996 GT]

I havnt seen many of them ruined. But i have seen quite a bit of wrecked mach ones.

[DavidESchiller]

well I'm not looking for full-blown destroyed cars, I want one with the front end and airbags still intact. just enough damage to knock the price down a few g's lol.

[1996 GT]

come to think of it, i dont think ive never seen a termi in my area come to think of it.

[sharkbait]

Well good luck man

Termis dont get wrecked often and when they do wreck there torn to shreds

[sharkbait]

Come to think of it.

Why dont you sell your car and buy a termi...shit that probobly easier and cheaper

[DavidESchiller]

well this is what I have planned out so far. I have a hookup on a solid 8.8 axle with 3.73's, so I really don't even need to buy a GT. I can get the axle for $150. all I need to find is an SN95 V6 with power locks/windows/mirrors and cruise which I know I can find for under $4k easily. then a Cobra R hood for around $600. I do the body prep work myself and then my friend's shop will shave the spoiler and trunk key hole, and paint the entire car (including door jambs, trunk and engine bay) for $1200. then like I said before, I occasionally see damaged Terminators either on eBay or the Chicago area Craigslist for as little as $10-12k and worst case scenario, I need new airbags which can be found on eBay with both bags, module and sensors for $500-600. I know a place where I can get the shortblock torn down, machined and reassembled for another $1200 and a friend said he would inspect the tranny for a case of beer. I can reassemble the heads and time it myself, and then everything else is just a matter of ripping it out of one car and putting it in the other. I figure I'll throw in another $4k or so for aftermarket goodies and unexpected costs, and I'm looking at a total of around $24k tops.

so yes, it would probably be cheaper to buy a Terminator but I have lots of reasons as to why I'd rather do it all myself. biggest one being that there's dozens of Terminators around here but not a single respectably fast SN95 that I know of.

[skuzzy]

i love you for loving the sn95s, i think being unique is important

[DavidESchiller]

unique is definitely important. I can't wait to see people shitting themselves when what looks like an old V6 clicks off low 11 sec quarter miles on street tires.

[DavidESchiller]

lol might not need a wrecked car I guess? this would cost about the same and save me a lot of work..
03 04 MUSTANG COBRA 4.6 V8 ENGINE TREMEC T56 CONVERSION - eBay (item 140415394694 end time Apr-05-11 16:35:51 PDT)

edit: but then I still have to piece together the interior. shit.

[sharkbait]

You also need the entire braking system off a GT and the k member aswell.

[WickedSnake00]

Originally Posted by DavidESchiller I occasionally see damaged Terminators either on eBay or the Chicago area Craigslist for as little as $10-12k

You've certainly got some money to throw around I see. If you need a cheaper/more realistic alternative there's quite a few in building a motor. Fuel system support will certainly be a challenge. Though I think fore makes return style rails for the 03/04 if you opt to go that route.

[1996 GT]

Originally Posted by sharkbait You also need the entire braking system off a GT and the k member aswell.

This^

But that would be a wicked project forsure.

[DavidESchiller]

I'm doing an aftermarket k member since it will be turbocharged eventually but yeah I did forget about brakes

[DavidESchiller]

Originally Posted by WickedSnake00 You've certainly got some money to throw around I see. If you need a cheaper/more realistic alternative there's quite a few in building a motor. Fuel system support will certainly be a challenge. Though I think fore makes return style rails for the 03/04 if you opt to go that route.

well it's still expensive lol, but for a Termi that's relatively cheap. I have a good amount of money saved but I don't see this project being done until late summer/fall. I've had my heart set on this setup for a while and I'm quite certain that I'm going to stick with it.

[WickedSnake00]

I was just suggesting there are much cheaper routes for the same result. I've been researching this stuff for about a year, and I'm into my "budget" build already. I'd consider my current route a middle road, with my initial plan a true budget plan, and yours being more on the high side.

That said if you need any help let me know.

...and it's a definite upgrade from a Civic...even if it is an Si.