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What do i need to swap in a 4.6

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I have come across a 4.6 motor at my school for 250 bucks, I have the block numbers and all that jazz. As far as i know i will need the following....

ECU 4.6 mustang
8.8" Rear end
Wiring harness for 4.6

Questions..
Will my v6 Auto bolt up to the 4.6?
Will my PATS system be okay with the swap or no?
 
#3 ·
The best way to do it is to find a totaled GT and buy it. Then swap over the engine, engine accessories, tranny, rear end, driveshaft, kmember, engine wire harness, tranny wire harness, computer, gauge cluster, exhaust, shifter, etc. In the long run, a totaled donor car will generally be cheaper than buying each part individually since you'll be able to sell off all the other parts that you don't need to minimize the overall cost of your project. Pretty much the entire interior, undamaged panels, old parts from you V6, glass, etc could all be sold off individually once you finish the swap.
 
#5 ·
Personally for me there isnt a whole lot to gain from doing just a normal 4.6 swap if youre just going to drop the engine in (unless you plan on stroking/porting heads/other engine work). The 4.6 is better than the 3.8, but the amount of money you would save vs just selling the v6 and buying a good gt would be pretty negligible.

Now, say you found a wrecked 03-04 cobra or mach 1, that would be a different story having the 4v engines in them. Like they said you will need the matching transmission with the engine, and getting a donor car is usually the way to go.

If you plan on racing try to get the solid axle since it will be cheaper to build than the irs in the cobra. If you are looking for a daily driver, and something that feels a little smoother on the road, go for the irs set up if you dont mind a little extra weight in the back of the car.

BTW, as far as I know the kmembers are the same between the gt and the v6, its just the motor mounts that are different. People use aftermarket gt kmembers in the v6's.
 
#6 ·
For once in my life, I'd like to see someone who posts in one of these threads stating how they DID the swap and regret it.

Most of the time you have two or three very inexperienced people who haven't done the swap posting "Yeaaaaah! Do it!!!" or "That would be awesome, post a walk through!"

Then you have a whole slew of people who have never done is posting and saying, "Don't do it", "Not worth the money" and the broken record that just keeps on playing, "Sell the v6 and buy a GT"


Can someone who has actually done the swap jump in here and do one of two things?
A. Provide some actual advice that comes only from experience.
B. Actually tell me that you wish you had never done it.
 
#7 ·
I'm doing a 4v swap right now. I wish I had the entire donor car however I got the engine,engine harness and the body harness from the Mach. Right now it's little things nickel and dime(ing) me to death.
For you to accomplish that swap you need the entire harness,engine and body because I don't think the plugs are the same and the plug placement.
Then you have the tranny issue.
Try to find an entire car. It's little things that will hold you up.
Don't forget the throttle cable. I have one if you need it. From a 2000 gt
 
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#9 ·
slonison said:
For once in my life, I'd like to see someone who posts in one of these threads stating how they DID the swap and regret it.

Most of the time you have two or three very inexperienced people who haven't done the swap posting "Yeaaaaah! Do it!!!" or "That would be awesome, post a walk through!"

Then you have a whole slew of people who have never done is posting and saying, "Don't do it", "Not worth the money" and the broken record that just keeps on playing, "Sell the v6 and buy a GT"


Can someone who has actually done the swap jump in here and do one of two things?
A. Provide some actual advice that comes only from experience.
B. Actually tell me that you wish you had never done it.
Click to expand...
Well if I offended you my apologies. Wasn't trying to cause an issue here. The main reason why there aren't a lot of people who do it is because when people research it its not a very efficient swap.

I'm all for a v8 swap, but why not getting something better then the 2v 4.6L? Like I said the mach 1 or cobra swap? I was just trying to give you a couple of options was all.
 
#11 ·
Toph6888 said:
Well if I offended you my apologies. Wasn't trying to cause an issue here. The main reason why there aren't a lot of people who do it is because when people research it its not a very efficient swap.

I'm all for a v8 swap, but why not getting something better then the 2v 4.6L? Like I said the mach 1 or cobra swap? I was just trying to give you a couple of options was all.
Click to expand...
It's harder to find a totalled Mach 1 or cobra (from my experience at least) and when you do find them they cost a LOT more than a totalled gt. I would try to find an older built 5.0 like Froush did, I see a lot of people selling them on craigslist with the tranny and ecu
 
#12 ·
I did it also. Pretty straight forward. You will need to get the pats tuned out or your computer reflashed. I had a donor car I found on cl for 1000 bucks. Sold the wheels that came on it and the body for as much as I paid for it. Try and find a donor. You will also need the gt motor mounts. My build is 3.8 to 4.6 swap if you want another thread to look at also. Froush helped me out with mine too, giving me pointers throughout the thread.
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/projects/262878-3-8-4-6-swap.html


If I did not get the whole running car for dirt cheap like that, I definitely wouldve gone with a pi motor or a 4v from a mark viii. I dont regret doing it at all tho.

Also, I am still running my 7.5 rear. It will hold for a while till you find a rear end that you want. The driveshaft bolts up still. I would do an auto to manual swap while you are at it.
 
#13 ·
I have a set of extra solid motor mounts, just need to drill out the holes a little bit (thats what I had to do) but ill let ya have them for cheap if you do the swap! Oh yea and I used my v6 dash harness (if i could re do it, I woulda switched that just to clear the questions about the pats) and also used the v6 fuze block and lights harness.
 
#14 ·
I dont regret it at all. I did the swap for about $1500 after all said and done and i got a badass engine, trans, rearend, and suspension to go with it. Dont get piece by piece because it will nickel and dime you to death. Get a whole donor car. Also, since yours is an 04 try to get one that is 02-04 because the dash harness is different from 99-01. But the v6 is the same as the v8 of those respected years. If you have more questions just pm me.
 
#16 ·
Toph6888 said:
Personally for me there isnt a whole lot to gain from doing just a normal 4.6 swap if youre just going to drop the engine in (unless you plan on stroking/porting heads/other engine work). The 4.6 is better than the 3.8, but the amount of money you would save vs just selling the v6 and buying a good gt would be pretty negligible.

Now, say you found a wrecked 03-04 cobra or mach 1, that would be a different story having the 4v engines in them. Like they said you will need the matching transmission with the engine, and getting a donor car is usually the way to go.

If you plan on racing try to get the solid axle since it will be cheaper to build than the irs in the cobra. If you are looking for a daily driver, and something that feels a little smoother on the road, go for the irs set up if you dont mind a little extra weight in the back of the car.

BTW, as far as I know the kmembers are the same between the gt and the v6, its just the motor mounts that are different. People use aftermarket gt kmembers in the v6's.
Click to expand...
Well I have found a 03 mach 1 and its wrecked and I'm gonna swap it to my v6 what do I need to know with swapping everything over since this my first time
 
#17 ·
Shredding Rubber said:
I'm doing a 4v swap right now. I wish I had the entire donor car however I got the engine,engine harness and the body harness from the Mach. Right now it's little things nickel and dime(ing) me to death.
For you to accomplish that swap you need the entire harness,engine and body because I don't think the plugs are the same and the plug placement.
Then you have the tranny issue.
Try to find an entire car. It's little things that will hold you up.
Don't forget the throttle cable. I have one if you need it. From a 2000 gt
Click to expand...
Thanks

ethan98 said:
I did it also. Pretty straight forward. You will need to get the pats tuned out or your computer reflashed. I had a donor car I found on cl for 1000 bucks. Sold the wheels that came on it and the body for as much as I paid for it. Try and find a donor. You will also need the gt motor mounts. My build is 3.8 to 4.6 swap if you want another thread to look at also. Froush helped me out with mine too, giving me pointers throughout the thread.
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/projects/262878-3-8-4-6-swap.html


If I did not get the whole running car for dirt cheap like that, I definitely wouldve gone with a pi motor or a 4v from a mark viii. I dont regret doing it at all tho.

Also, I am still running my 7.5 rear. It will hold for a while till you find a rear end that you want. The driveshaft bolts up still. I would do an auto to manual swap while you are at it.
Click to expand...
Froush said:
I dont regret it at all. I did the swap for about $1500 after all said and done and i got a badass engine, trans, rearend, and suspension to go with it. Dont get piece by piece because it will nickel and dime you to death. Get a whole donor car. Also, since yours is an 04 try to get one that is 02-04 because the dash harness is different from 99-01. But the v6 is the same as the v8 of those respected years. If you have more questions just pm me.
Click to expand...
ethan and Froush. I'm already subbed to both your builds :)

These are the types of responses that these threads should really get. because it answers the questions they asking :)
 
#19 ·
ESG-642T said:
Waste of time
buy a v8
or swap a 4v

:screwy:
Click to expand...
Disagree. If you found a complete 04 gt in a yard for a thousand bucks it is worth it. People make power on whatever engine they want. I know ESG-642T has a wicked v6, most would say that is a waste of time, look what he did with his and helps people with theirs.

I wouldnt piece together everything unless you get it all from a junkyard for cheap, but will probably take a while to gather parts as you would remember things as the project goes along.

If my v6 was in running condition I probably woulda sold it and bought a gt, but looking back, it really wasnt tough to do and dont regret putting an npi motor in. I knew I was going to rebuild the top end anyway tho.
 
#20 ·
freeagent21 said:
Well I have found a 03 mach 1 and its wrecked and I'm gonna swap it to my v6 what do I need to know with swapping everything over since this my first time
Click to expand...
Well first off, you need to know how to remove and install: engine, trans, rearend, brake booster, gauge cluster, ecu, engine harness, trans harness, pedal assemblies, radiator. If you can do all that then you can do the swap. Just to save you time and money, heres a tip of advise. Pats works like this: key has a resistor in it that is in sync with the gauge cluster. When these two match it will give signal to the ecu. If that matches it will allow the car to start. To get around this you either need ford to reprogram the car which is pricey......or.....you can get all three parts from the donor car. Swap ecus, gauge clusters, and the ignition. The ignition pops right out and take 30 seconds to remove. So then you will have to keep the donor car key to start your car and your original key to open locks
 
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