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Topic: '84 3.8 into 87 w/3.8 (Read 837 times) previous topic - next topic

'84 3.8 into 87 w/3.8

I found an 84 parts car with a strong running 3.8 in it. My 87 has the 3.8 but is shot. Is this a doable swap or am I going to run into trouble with things hooking up? From what I've read the 82-83 were carbed, the 84-87 were CFI, and 88 got the SEFI. So this should work right?
79 Monte Carlo Landau--350/TH350 2K stall, 7.5 posi/3.73's...built with other people's "junk"
87 Thunderbird LX--3.8/AOD: stock DD:down and out with a blown motor (sucky esshag engines)
69 Impala 4dr Hardtop--327/glide: stock, parked and left for dead
84 Thunderbird LX--new project: donating it's engine to the 87 and then getting a v8 of a different kind???

'84 3.8 into 87 w/3.8

Reply #1 –
Welcome to the board Optimus!  If my memory serves me correctly, the block and heads are the same for the 83-87 3.8's with the only difference being the intake manifold. It has been some time since I did my V-6 so don't quote me on anything. If you ever plan on passing near Philly, let me know. Perhaps we can meet up and you can take a look at my engine bay. I think my block is from an 84.

Chris
"I put my foot in my tank and I began to roll." Chuck Berry

'84 3.8 into 87 w/3.8

Reply #2 –
Read THIS first! ;)
'84 Mustang
'98 Explorer 5.0
'03 Focus, dropped a valve seat. yay. freakin' split port engines...
'06 Explorer EB 4.6

'84 3.8 into 87 w/3.8

Reply #3 –
ok
correct on the 88 info however, there really isnt much difference in the 88 vs 87 because in the 88 3.8, 3 injectors fired at once then the other three.  All three would get a ground from the same pin on the eec as the other three with respect to the 87 and down models.
short story..... the eec still had only two pins controlling the 88 injectors just like the 87 and down.


84 cfi has green top injectors,, so does the 87
A tale tale sign would be on thing,, if your 84 donor has an idle control motor on the driver side , it is just like the 87 model.

there should not be any difference in the 84 than your 87..however...........
If your 84 has any carb parts on it like a vac operated kick down on the pass side of it,, there may be a couple wiring differences.  There is a half year or so when the 84 motors got one breed of cfi while the others got the setup you see on the 87.  What you need to do is find a V8 CFI and swap in your green top injectors.  The blue tops will deliver too much fuel but if you use the V8 cfi, it has much larger throttle body venturies so as to offer more air to this already choked off intake runner setup.

to keep it simple and sweet,, swap your 87 intake on the 84 motor and the rest is history.

prior to installing, change the oil pump gears which are behind the part the oil filter screws onto held down with a half dozen 10mm bolts.

If your 84 motor has an external voltage regulator for its alternator, make sure to install your 87 specific parts , whatever that may be based on what you have now in the 87

pretty easy swap to say the least, its gonna be pretty much a direct swap for the most part.

'84 3.8 into 87 w/3.8

Reply #4 –
It should be an easy swap. Just keep the 87 bolt-on stuff that's different from the 84.
Some sensors may be different, especially  if one has an buttstuffog dash and the other is digital.
You will want to keep the 2G alternator from the 87 as mentioned above.
If one has a C5 trans and the other an AOD there will be TV/kickdown differences.
The 84 has a separate V-Belt for the A/C.

'84 3.8 into 87 w/3.8

Reply #5 –
Ok, thanks for the reassurance guys. I'm relatively new to this Ford stuff. Been a Chevy guy all my life. Nothing against ford, it's just what I grew up with. I thoroughly enjoy my T-bird for a year then it blew a head gasket last Oct and while it sat all winter, coolant corroded the one cylinder wall :( So I finally came across this parts car to use the engine. I went to look at it today and it's WAY rougher than I thought. There's not much salvageable other than the drive line which has a promised original 90k on it. Basically from the black trim down it is all rusted out. The roof is caved in and the once brand new tires are dry rotted beyond usability. It sat at a wholesale car lot for 2 years and got vandalized multiple times too. Once I get it I'm sure I will post what usable parts are left in the classifieds here. It has a brown interior but most of it is shot or vandalized :mad: I should have it by next month
79 Monte Carlo Landau--350/TH350 2K stall, 7.5 posi/3.73's...built with other people's "junk"
87 Thunderbird LX--3.8/AOD: stock DD:down and out with a blown motor (sucky esshag engines)
69 Impala 4dr Hardtop--327/glide: stock, parked and left for dead
84 Thunderbird LX--new project: donating it's engine to the 87 and then getting a v8 of a different kind???

'84 3.8 into 87 w/3.8

Reply #6 –
while you're yanking that motor out I'd throw a 5.0 in there....yeah there's more to it than just replacing the motor, but you can get 5.0 HO stuff pretty cheap nowadays. Just my $.02...

If my 3.8 ever blows for any reason, it's a 302 or a 351W for me. fo sho.
-'88 Tbird 3.8
-2012 Altima 2.5 BASE. 
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

Future: Budget 5.0 300 HP.