Lost in Ford Land,..

[Chief Smackaho]

My fiancee has a 1978 Mustang II and Ford or not It's a piece of S**t. To let you know everything that you may need to know before the question, It's a Black Ghia, with tan interior, 50,000 original miles, and was bought from an older man who bought it recently from an old woman who owned it in Florida all of it's life.

It has the original 2.8 (2800) V6 and runs like crap. It burns oil,..BAD everytime she hits the gas it blows a huge blue cloud. It barely idles and hates to run or drive cold or lukewarm, and when it does idle it sounds JUST like a diesel. We pulled up to a Ford diesel pick em up, and you couldn't tell the difference.

She loves this car to death, and had one as her first car. From what she tells me it was in such bad shape, it was dangerous. So it got crushed by a tree years ago and she had been wanting one again ever since. Well even though I'm born and bred with Chevy in my veins I found this one driving one day, looked it over and talked to the guy about it. We eventually bought it and it's been misery ever since. It tried to burn down my garage, tried to kill me by dying and not starting while crossing the street with a semi coming my way and the 9 year old in the back seat and so on... anyway I bought her, her own Christine. I hate this car but want to make her happy. She wants more power, so I suggested puting a 302 in it and rebuilding and storing the 2.8 for value purposes for the car. We found a guy with one out of an '83 Merc. The problem is, he only wants $75 for it, which has me worried. I had her ask him what is wrong with it and,.. he don't know if it runs or not. Money is tight right now and the only other one we have found so far is a 302 another guy is advertising "locked up" for $150, and I don't want to mess with a rebuild and possible ruined motor, especially for $150 this guy is smokin somethin good.

and now the question...
Will the '83 Merc 302 work in it ,and how much do I have to do, to disable all of the computerized stuff in a ford? Will it be worth it for that one, or a waste of time?

[Matt167]

I'd tell the guy with the $75 engine to see if he can get it running so you can hear it. it should fit in with little trouble.

[R Pope]

If he gets it running he'll want more than 75 bucks for it. Saving the 2.8 for possible resale value? All that II will ever be, when you're done with it, is a donor for a MII front end to screw up somebody else's project. It'll be worth more with a 302 anyway. The 75 dollar junker will need overhaul and cost a bunch more, unless the little woman likes driving a smoker.

[thesals]

goto a wrecking yard, find a car with a small block v-8 preferably one with as little smog/vaccum/electronic BS on it as possible..... see if it spins freely with a wrench on the balancer.....look to see if it still has coolant in it, check for oil.... look for signs of a well maintained motor that the person just couldn't afford to keep the car around anymore.... and that'll be the motor you get.... most yards dont charge anymore than $200 for a motor....... i've bought a few for cars in the shop to get customers out of there.... but here in cali its easier to find them cause of smog regulations

[Itoldyouso]

Although there are some people who are fans of the Mustang II, most car nuts do not have much love for them. Consequently, they have very little resale value, and as mentioned above, with the 2.8 they are even less desirable. Ford did make some Mach I and Cobra models I think, with 302's but these are somewhat rarer.

Don't waste your time and money on this swap. First of all, it is not just a bolt in, because you will have to change engine, trans, driveshaft, radiator, and all the mounts and brackets to ones compatible with the 302. Major job and not cheap. Find a clean one on Ebay with the 302 already in place and you will come out better.

I know you love her, but don't let your heart rule your head in this project. The car will never be worth much at all even with V8 power. They are the Rodney Dangerfield of the Ford lineup. (boy I'll catch heat for that remark)

Don

[Chief Smackaho]

We are kind stuck with this one... We paid $2000 for it with tax check. It's a completely rust free body and she has turned down $5000-$6000 offers for it.

[R Pope]

Dump in a boneyard 2.8 and call the guy that offered $6000!

[Itoldyouso]

Dump in a boneyard 2.8 and call the guy that offered $6000!


Amen.


Don