Engine Build
With the project vehicle purchased, it was time to come up with a solid plan for the swap. The only 2 real logical engine choices for me were the Ford 5.0 or the more modern GM LSx series engines. Both platforms have their pros and cons, but in the end the Ford engine won out mainly due to it's slightly lower overall cost and it looks to be a bit easier to complete vs the LSx engine. I'm not a mechanic...in fact prior to this project I'd never done anything more complicated than a brake job.
I searched through the winter and early spring months for a good engine. The plan was to buy a decent running engine to get going and eventually buy another one to rebuild as a high performance replacement when the time came. I ended up buying an engine from a '94 SN95 Mustang GT. I spent the spring and summer refreshing this engine with new rings, bearings and gaskets. Summer is a busy time for me so I could only spend a few hrs here and there. It took a while but this should be a pretty reliable engine for this swap.
The basic engine components are the same for the Fox and SN95 5.0's with a few exceptions. The intake set-up on the SN95 is shorter and more restrictive and the EGR system is a little more complicated. I did some parts trading and got the Fox body intake and associated parts. A friend was looking for the shorter intake for his 5.0 Volvo P1800 project so it worked out for everybody.
Also the water pump and alternator are set further back with the SN95, so I should be able to run more efficient puller fans rather than the front mounted pusher that the MM kit provides. I won't be running AC or power steering so that makes things a little cleaner too.
Since no SN95 engines came without power steering I had to fab up a bracket and pully set up so the water pump could still run in the right direction. FYI CCW for the SN95.
Engine on the hoist after being unloaded.
Surprise....Crane 1.7 roller rockers.
Starting the teardown.
The bottom end looks decent. No sludge in the oilpan at least.
Cylinder bores still had a good amount of the factory crosshatch, and little to no "ridge" on top of the bores. Tops of pistons have a bit of carbon buildup but look undamaged.
Bore gets honed to deglaze the surface. Pistons and rods are out and getting cleaned up. Heads are at the machine shop getting cleaned up and new valves and seals.
Rod bearings showing some wear. New bearing and rings are on the way.
Block is all cleaned up, ready for reassembly .
Cleaned up rotating assembly.
Stock heads are back from the machine shop.
One final rinse after chasing all the threads and bottle brushing coolant passages.
Checking bearing clearance. All within spec.
Pistons have new rings and are being pushed into place.
Heads on, timing set in place, and a fresh coat of engine paint.
Pretty much complete at this point minus front accessories.
And this is pretty much where things will stay until it gets dropped into the car. You can see the aluminum bracket I got made up to mount the dummy pulley in place of the power steering pulley. I had to run the belt this way because the water pump is reverse rotation -counter clockwise.
Time to install this puppy. Continue to the build blog.