Turbo Engine Swap September 02, 2015, 08:49:26 PM Hey all. I'm new to sight and was hoping to get some info.I have an 88' Turbo with a tired engine. Always planned on replacing with a carbureted 302 cid but would rather do a 5.0 FI out of an 89' or newer mustang. I know the engine will bolt in but wasn't sure how much wiring, if any, would match up. I figured on getting a donor mustang for all necessary parts/pieces !!Also, what parts are needed to bolt the Turbo Coupe 5 spd to the 5.0 ?I'm guessing one of you gearheads out there have mad this swap so I'd really appreciate any help with some or all the above. I've always thought Ford should have made that combination available from the factory........but they didn't ask me, sooooo.........Thanks for any help,TTFARMS Quote Selected
Turbo Engine Swap Reply #1 – September 04, 2015, 09:24:35 PM Welcome!Ford did make available the 5.0 HO in the '87-'88 Turbo Coupe body. This was a special order only "off highway" and came with no warranty. Cost? 27K. Btw, this topic has been discussed on this site before. As for your subject at hand, its best to get ALL your parts from a donor 5.0 car, including wiring, brackets and such. I do not recommend using the 4 cyl. T-5. Others may chime in for more intimate details on the swap. Have fun! Quote Selected
Turbo Engine Swap Reply #2 – September 04, 2015, 10:15:26 PM Thanks crossboss.I tried to find info on the sight but guess I need to dig deeper in the older posts. Just hoped to get web sights, potential problems addressed and odd ball parts gathered before I tear into it. I'll take all the help I can get. Don't want this to turn into on of those "long term" projects !!Interesting about the "off highway" car. I'd never heard about it but I'll definitely do some research. Thanks Quote Selected
Turbo Engine Swap Reply #3 – September 05, 2015, 09:13:05 AM Check out reply #3 by dominator, it's probably 95% of what's necessary... If you want to keep all the TC systems it's not a simple swap... I used a '87 Bird 5.0 harness converted to mass air, no not best choice but it's what I had...http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?17374-5-0-swap Quote Selected
Turbo Engine Swap Reply #4 – September 05, 2015, 12:33:32 PM Quote from: crossboss;451061Welcome!Ford did make available the 5.0 HO in the '87-'88 Turbo Coupe body. This was a special order only "off highway" and came with no warranty. Cost? 27K.Do you have dospoogeentation to support this? I highly doubt these cars would be produced by Ford on the regular Thunderbird/Cougar assembly line but, if they actually existed, were instead put together by an outside vendor. Quote Selected
Turbo Engine Swap Reply #5 – September 05, 2015, 01:46:26 PM thunder jet…Oh, boy here we go again…Yes, Ford did offer/sell the "off hiway" only 5.0HO T-Birds. I personally was going to order one in 1988..cost 27K. If you may recall (or not) this topic was discussed before. Bob "Bondo" Bondurant had several Dark Blue T-Birds at his driving school in Arizona at that time. Many magazine articles were done on his cars and how you can order one yourself. These cars were not advertised in the brochures, just like the current CJ Mustangs. They were sold only for off hiway use and came with no warranty. Upon delivery, you had to trailer it off the dealers lot. A bit more trivia thats really not known, '87-'88 Birds could have been specially ordered in the LX body with 5.0 HO engines, only with 4 speed auto transmissions. How do I know this? My mom special ordered one in 1987..we still own it today. Its a hell of a good car. Quote Selected
Turbo Engine Swap Reply #6 – September 05, 2015, 02:20:41 PM Quote from: crossboss;451068thunder jet…Oh, boy here we go again…Yes, Ford did offer/sell the "off hiway" only 5.0HO T-Birds. I personally was going to order one in 1988..cost 27K. If you may recall (or not) this topic was discussed before. Bob "Bondo" Bondurant had several Dark Blue T-Birds at his driving school in Arizona at that time. Many magazine articles were done on his cars and how you can order one yourself. These cars were not advertised in the brochures, just like the current CJ Mustangs. They were sold only for off hiway use and came with no warranty. Upon delivery, you had to trailer it off the dealers lot. A bit more trivia thats really not known, '87-'88 Birds could have been specially ordered in the LX body with 5.0 HO engines, only with 4 speed auto transmissions. How do I know this? My mom special ordered one in 1987..we still own it today. Its a hell of a good car.The Bondurant cars were modified, not built on assembly line ...I'd sure like to see that sales contract or at least the VIN for engine code that proves it has a HO vs std 5.0... Hot Rod tested a 1987 T-Bird and commented "it'd surely be nice with a HO", Ford flatly stated it wasn't going to happen... Quote Selected
Turbo Engine Swap Reply #7 – September 05, 2015, 02:29:32 PM Yeh, Like I believe what Hot-Rod magazine says…I know, I worked on Hot-Rod TV.Bondos cars were modified versions for endurance road course track use by Jack Roush. The "production" versions (if you want to call them that) did not have the blue printed 5.0 HO engines, 5 lug wheels, roll bars, and such. Special ordered HO 5.0 engines DID come like I mentioned in the LX body with automatics only (no Turbo Coupe bodies), as these were already emission certified/crash tested in use on the same Fox platform, e.g.: Lincoln MK VII LSCs. Also, the 5.0 HO engines only had speed density, not mas air injection, just like the Lincoln's. Forgot to mention, Bill Elliott Ford offered a "special, limited production" 5.0 HO Cougars for sale in 1988. Quote Selected
Turbo Engine Swap Reply #8 – September 05, 2015, 03:20:04 PM Quote from: crossboss;451070Yeh, Like I believe what Hot-Rod magazine says…I know, I worked on Hot-Rod TV.Bondos cars were modified versions for endurance road course track use by Jack Roush. The "production" versions (if you want to call them that) did not have the blue printed 5.0 HO engines, 5 lug wheels, roll bars, and such. Special ordered HO 5.0 engines DID come like I mentioned in the LX body with automatics only (no Turbo Coupe bodies), as these were already emission certified/crash tested in use on the same Fox platform, e.g.: Lincoln MK VII LSCs. Also, the 5.0 HO engines only had speed density, not mas air injection, just like the Lincoln's. Forgot to mention, Bill Elliott Ford offered a "special, limited production" 5.0 HO Cougars for sale in 1988.I know you're full of shiznit now, Bill drove T-Birds, won the Winston Million in a T-Bird(1985), the Championship in 1988, and he sold Cougars??? As I said --- Bull shiznit... Quote Selected
Turbo Engine Swap Reply #11 – September 05, 2015, 05:28:26 PM Quote from: crossboss;451070Yeh, Like I believe what Hot-Rod magazine says…I know, I worked on Hot-Rod TV.Bondos cars were modified versions for endurance road course track use by Jack Roush. The "production" versions (if you want to call them that) did not have the blue printed 5.0 HO engines, 5 lug wheels, roll bars, and such. Special ordered HO 5.0 engines DID come like I mentioned in the LX body with automatics only (no Turbo Coupe bodies), as these were already emission certified/crash tested in use on the same Fox platform, e.g.: Lincoln MK VII LSCs. Also, the 5.0 HO engines only had speed density, not mas air injection, just like the Lincoln's. Forgot to mention, Bill Elliott Ford offered a "special, limited production" 5.0 HO Cougars for sale in 1988.As a note all SEFI 5.0 HO V8s from 1986-88 were speed density, except California 5.0 Mustangs which got MAF in 1988. 1989 and up 5.0 Mustangs were MAF but the Lincoln Mark VII stayed speed density till the end of production in 1992.As for the rest, including being able to order a LX from the factory with a 5.0 HO I need some proof, or I call BS as well. Quote Selected
Turbo Engine Swap Reply #13 – September 05, 2015, 09:32:26 PM Turbocoupe5.0--It amazes me the idiots on here. I am fully aware Bill Elliott raced Fords. Apparently, you have no clue when you say someone is "full of it" Do your research, and you will see that I am correct. Come out to California, and look at my moms car first hand..I will leave it at that, so you can make more of a fool of yourself. Quote Selected
Turbo Engine Swap Reply #14 – September 05, 2015, 10:04:31 PM Here is the VIN on my moms 1987 Bird: 1FABP62M2HH158XXX. Now you tell me "I'm full of it" Quote Selected
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