New Guy - Needs Advice (Engine Swap)

[Dunbar]

Hi SHOForum!

I recently joined the forum with the primary intention of selling my 1990 SHO. Don't get me wrong, I really love the car, but I just found out the heads are wrapped (previous owner didn't take care of it) and since I'm in school right now I didn't think I'd have the time or money to work on it anymore. After much thought (and no offers on the car), I've really been thinking about swapping the engine myself. I have very little hands on experience (just some minor stuff, for example radiator replacement), and not a lot technical knowledge either. If I do the swap, I'm pretty sure I'd swap in a 3.2 L, from what I've read here on the forum, it's not too much more difficult and the more power, the better. Basically I just want to know, if I have a shot at actually doing this or not? If so, where should I start? Does anyone have any helpful tips or resources? Mainly I'm just worried about screwing myself out of what little money I have. Also the specific things I'm worried about are timing the engine (I heard it has to be timed like a 3.0 L?), swapping the 3.0 L accessories (& intake cams) to the 3.2 L, or basically just screwing up the wiring somewhere along the way.

Sorry for the really long post, just not sure of what I should do. I really want to give it a shot, and I am willing to put in the work, I'm just trying to make sure I have all my bases covered before I buy the new engine.

Thanks!

 

[luigisho]

If you want to keep it simple swap the heads for good ones. If you want to pay for an education swap the motor.

 

[jimtash]

I've swapped them out in my driveway. The way I did it is to remove the heads and everything on the front of the engine first and pull it out of the top leaving the transmission in the car. And I installed just the shortblock back in and put the heads on after it was bolted in.

With this method, there's access from the top to the rear mount and it's easier to maneuver the block around preventing it from damaging anything on the firewall. Especially the heater core fittings.

Setting the timing is easy once you read up on it. For such a supposed complicated engine that many Ford mechanics couldn't seem to figure out, maintaining it is relatively straight forward.

Keep in mind that if you buy another engine, it's still a good idea to tear into it and change out the rod bearings and all the seals while they're easily accessible. Especially the valve stem oil seals. And for that you should use the Rotunda tool kit to make it go more smoothly.

 

[Dunbar]

Alright, thanks for the advice! My hope is to learn a lot form doing this myself and save some money too. Just one more question though, where would I be able to read up on timing the engine?

 

[rubydist]

For a guy with somewhat limited mechanical skills and experience, I would not suggest the above method of pulling heads and swapping short block. There are several reasons for this - including that the only head gaskets still available are somewhat suspect because of too many failures, and that replacing heads is significantly more complex that swapping a whole motor.

What I would suggest is this: drop the whole engine and transmission out the bottom of the car. To do this, you need a relatively level driveway (not gravel) and good jackstands that will get the front of the car up at least 24" off the ground. You pull the intake off the motor (everything taller than the valve covers), disconnect all the wiring and hoses, and drop the subframe onto some low furniture dollies. Then you jack up the front of the car (by the structure under the unibody, right behind the rear subframe attaching point) until it is high enough to roll the subframe/engine/trans out of one wheel well.

Once you get the subframe asm out, you can remove the motor, attach the new motor, and reverse all of the above to reinstall.

Before you put the "new" motor back into the car, I strongly suggest doing a full 60k maintenance - timing belt, waterpump, crank sensor, crank and cam seals, valve cover gaskets, plugs and wires. This is MUCH easier to do with the engine out of the car.

Someone with basic mechanical skills can do the above if you take your time and double-check your work.

The only things that you have to do that you might not expect is: you need to take the entire wiring harness from your "old" motor and install it onto the "new" motor - the wiring is different year to year and the simplest solution is just use your old harness.

 

[jimtash]

No problem with the DNJ gaskets so far. The only issue that needs to addressed is one of the water jacket holes is misaligned that needs to be enlarged.

 

[sperold]

I would look for a 3.0 liter engine that I could hear run or could get some history / documentation and install it. One that has had everything done to it will not be any more money than one that has been ignored or abused.

With your old engine out of the car, then you can play around with it to try and squeeze out more power in your spare time when more money is available.

I have a MTX with a 3.0 and a MTX with a 3.2.
There is a difference, but nothing to cheer about. Most people who swap in 3.2s also do a lot of other things (light flywheel etc) so they end up with a dramatically different situation, but you are not doing that.

 

[rubydist]

The 3.2 has noticeably more torque to me, especially with the stock 3.2 cams at lower rpms, but going to a 3.2 does increase the complexity of your project and 3.0s are usually cheaper because everyone is in love with the 3.2...

 

[itwonder]

Before you get going too far with engine work, what symptoms led you to believe the heads are warped?

I concur a swap would make more sense than taking on engine disassembly. A good starting point would be to check your local JY's for a good SHO engine. You may be able to snag one for a couple hundred bucks or so with some negotiation.

 

[jimtash]

The 3.2 has noticeably more torque to me, especially with the stock 3.2 cams at lower rpms, but going to a 3.2 does increase the complexity of your project and 3.0s are usually cheaper because everyone is in love with the 3.2...

Definitely an easier car to drive in traffic with the added bonus of high revs. Best mod and gains for the lighter weight '89 and '90 cars.

 

[Dunbar]

Thank you all for the help and advice! If I can find a 3.0 for the right price, I'll probably stick with that engine, and spend the extra money on other parts (like a lightweight flywheel, or cams, while I have the engine out). I do plan on modifying the car much more after I do the swap, maybe not immediately, but definitely down the road.

I was lead to believe the heads are warped because I noticed it was burning coolant, then checked the oil and found moisture in it. I just assumed it was the head gasket, but I took it to a mechanic, and after giving him some information, and him looking at the car for a little bit he said the heads were bad, probably because someone overheated it. Which makes sense because I did a lot of work on the cooling system in order to get it in working condition; the engine was constantly leaking large amounts of coolant when I got it.

On the bright side I was recommended a mechanic who would be able to help me out, by two other SHO owners in NC. They said he owns over 15 SHO's (mostly parts cars), and has a ton of spare parts on top of them. He has a lift and from all accounts is a pretty honest guy as well, so I plan on contacting him soon to see if he'd be able to help me work on it, or at the very least sell me some parts.

 

[jimtash]

Yeah, you definitely will want to swap the engine out or at the very least change the rod bearings if you decide to install different heads on the current block.

 

[sperold]

If you are burning coolant, your car will disappear in a cloud of white "smoke".
There is no mistaking the situation.

The 3.0 will give you 8% better mileage and provide you with great performance while doing it.
Problems with the crankcase ventilation system will put moisture in the oil, although usually in the valve cover area to begin with.