Who will swap for the new 7.3 V8!

[Norm Peterson]

So the only way to make it fit then would be to bust out the sawzall and get into the firewall

Which would not be a deal-breaker for a moderately serious engine/powertrain swapper. Not by a long shot. Even I've done a little "firewall clearancing". And a somewhat more extensive instance of transmission tunnel reworking.

Yeah, that's a bit more involved these days in terms of maintaining structural integrity even if you're not too concerned about wiring and HVAC. But not impossible. Impossible might be making a good enough business case for doing it up in-house at Ford.


Norm

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[Fatguy]

Which would not be a deal-breaker for a moderately serious engine/powertrain swapper. Not by a long shot. Even I've done a little "firewall clearancing". And a somewhat more extensive instance of transmission tunnel reworking.

Yeah, that's a bit more involved these days in terms of maintaining structural integrity even if you're not too concerned about wiring and HVAC. But not impossible. Impossible might be making a good enough business case for doing it up in-house at Ford.


Norm

Hey Norm,


Remember the Monza V8 from the 1970s. They had to lift the engine to change the plugs. I believe some found a permanent solution by drilling access holes in the body work. And that was factory.

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/01/10/...d-in-replacing-a-plug-of-chevrolet-monza.html

The 7.3 is smaller in every other dimesion so maintenance should be easy.

 

[Maggneto]

Hey Norm,


Remember the Monza V8 from the 1970s. They had to lift the engine to change the plugs. I believe some found a permanent solution by drilling access holes in the body work. And that was factory.

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/01/10/...d-in-replacing-a-plug-of-chevrolet-monza.html

The 7.3 is smaller in every other dimesion so maintenance should be easy.

Maintenance will be very easy for the 7.3 in the F250 where it belongs.

The 7.3 in the Mustang will be a maintenance nightmare because the entire car will need to be torn apart and rebuilt to accommodate an engine that is not designed for Mustang duty.

You out crazy yourself on a daily basis.

 

[WildHorse]

Remember the Monza V8 from the 1970s. They had to lift the engine to change the plugs. I believe some found a permanent solution by drilling access holes in the body work. And that was factory.

And today you'd just buy a short insulator plug. New tech.. what a concept eh?

The 7.3 is smaller in every other dimesion so maintenance should be easy.

Alright you have it all figured out! So instead of blah blah blahing, take you V-6 out and big block that bitch! But wait! There's more! Now you need upgraded brakes to stop all that, a suspension to hold all that, a trans to tame all that torque, the list goes on and on! BUT.. it's only available for a limited time offer! So call the number you see on the screen! 1-800-273-TALK!

 

[Maggneto]

And today you'd just buy a short insulator plug. New tech.. what a concept eh?

Alright you have it all figured out! So instead of blah blah blahing, take you V-6 out and big block that bitch! But wait! There's more! Now you need upgraded brakes to stop all that, a suspension to hold all that, a trans to tame all that torque, the list goes on and on! BUT.. it's only available for a limited time offer! So call the number you see on the screen! 1-800-273-TALK!

Facts bounce off Fatguy like bullets bounce off Superman's chest.

He has no intention of doing this swap since he is a cheapskate, hence the V6 and not a GT.

But he did drive by a Chevy dealership once so that qualifies as almost buying a 130k Z06 so you never know, he could change his mind in 2-3 years.

In the meantime, he will keep this thread going for attention.

 

[WildHorse]

In the meantime, he will keep this thread going for attention.

Of course.. now I have to go pull my coyote so I can weld it to another coyote. W-16 coyote for the win. No need to worry about the width.. Fenders only slow it down.

 

[Fatguy]

And today you'd just buy a short insulator plug. New tech.. what a concept eh?


Alright you have it all figured out! So instead of blah blah blahing, take you V-6 out and big block that bitch! But wait! There's more! Now you need upgraded brakes to stop all that, a suspension to hold all that, a trans to tame all that torque, the list goes on and on! BUT.. it's only available for a limited time offer! So call the number you see on the screen! 1-800-273-TALK!

I called the number...


Suicide prevention hotline. Familiar number?

 

[millhouse]

Not by direct intention - it's more about Ford's abandonment of RWD sedans some years ago.

The modular engine series was originally a car engine, car as in sedan. Trucks borrowed it somewhat later, but that doesn't make anything in the modular line a truck engine by design. Hell, DOHC and the implied high-revving capability in gasoline engines is anything but trucklike in nature.


Yeah, I get that somewhere, somebody will assemble just about any combination of vehicle and engine. There's even SBC-powered motorcycles.


Norm

Fair enough, I suppose not having lived through the 50's and 60's made my comment shortsighted.

With that said, I stand by my current statement...the coyote is a truck engine first, mustang engine second. They may have designed it with the mustang in mind, but it was certainly first and foremost a truck engine.

Altering the firewall is not a trivial task. What would need to be reshaped to be put back in the car? If the engine has to slide back, the transmission needs to be moved rearward also. New transmission crossmember. That means a new shifter location (assuming the shifter is physically connected to the trans, and not an electronic switch), which means the existing console either needs to be tossed, or hacked up to accommodate the new shifter location. Shorter driveshaft (probably the easiest part). Also, what's hidden in the dash in those "few inches" that would need to be used for engine placement that would need to either be removed, or re-engineered to make work elsewhere in the car? While the majority of that would be blower motors and HVAC plumbing, heater core, and lots of wiring, under the dash tends to be a catch-all for stuff the engineers want to hide.

I think you're underestimating the lengths people go through for engine swaps. Hacking the firewall and moving transmissions mounts and shifter positions isn't terribly difficult for those with body and welding skills. No, it's likely not going to be a quick and dirty swap, but it sure sounds like it would be fun as hell to try.

 

[Fatguy]

Facts bounce off Fatguy like bullets bounce off Superman's chest.

He has no intention of doing this swap since he is a cheapskate, hence the V6 and not a GT.

But he did drive by a Chevy dealership once so that qualifies as almost buying a 130k Z06 so you never know, he could change his mind in 2-3 years.

In the meantime, he will keep this thread going for attention.

Correct!


He is a cheapskate and therefore actually has the bones to buy a Z06. There is a fair percentage of guys here who literally have spent every dime of their disposable income on their car. I get it, but you won’t get rich that way...

 

[millhouse]

People like things that are clean and operational.

I guarantee most would walk right past the common turbo powered mustangs and GT350's and walk right up to a 7.3 swapped beast. There is no reason it can't be cleanly installed, and I have a feeling the year after it's released you'll see one in SEMA shoehorned into an S550....with swap k-members and cross-members likely out the following year.

Which would not be a deal-breaker for a moderately serious engine/powertrain swapper. Not by a long shot. Even I've done a little "firewall clearancing". And a somewhat more extensive instance of transmission tunnel reworking.

Yeah, that's a bit more involved these days in terms of maintaining structural integrity even if you're not too concerned about wiring and HVAC. But not impossible. Impossible might be making a good enough business case for doing it up in-house at Ford.


Norm

Exactly! It seems like some S550 people have gotten a little spoiled by bolt on modifications.

 

[Maggneto]

Fair enough, I suppose not having lived through the 50's and 60's made my comment shortsighted.

With that said, I stand by my current statement...the coyote is a truck engine first, mustang engine second. They may have designed it with the mustang in mind, but it was certainly first and foremost a truck engine.



I think you're underestimating the lengths people go through for engine swaps. Hacking the firewall and moving transmissions mounts and shifter positions isn't terribly difficult for those with body and welding skills. No, it's likely not going to be a quick and dirty swap, but it sure sounds like it would be fun as hell to try.

I don't think we are underestimating what people are capable of, I think you are overestimating the benefits of the 7.3 swap.

The.7.3 is being developed specifically for truck duty and not Mustang duty. Everyone in print thus far has stated that the 7.3 will suck ass in the Mustang in its current form regardless of whether it fits, it's too heavy and is designed for towing shit.

This means a complete engine rebuild is needed in order to get it Mustang ready unless you want a 70k Mustang that is as quick as an F250. That is a ridiculously absurd concept. Adding the extra weight to the front end means horrible handling as well.

The 5.0 in the Mustang is developwed specifically for the Mustang and the 5.0 in the F150 is developed specifically for the F150. You can call it a truck engine but it is developed for the Mustang which makes it a Mustang engine.

We can go back and forth for another couple of years but that won't change the fact that the 7.3 is a truck engine that will suck ass in a Mustang.

Some very talented engineers with deep pockets will.eventually do this swap no doubt, but this will never be a common occurrence as there are too many obstacles and no real benefits other than bragging rights.

 

[millhouse]

I don't think we are underestimating what people are capable of, I think you are overestimating the benefits of the 7.3 swap.

The.7.3 is being developed specifically for truck duty and not Mustang duty. Everyone in print thus far has stated that the 7.3 will suck ass in the Mustang in its current form regardless of whether it fits, it's too heavy and is designed for towing shit.

This means a complete engine rebuild is needed in order to get it Mustang ready unless you want a 70k Mustang that is as quick as an F250. That is a ridiculously absurd concept. Adding the extra weight to the front end means horrible handling as well.

The 5.0 in the Mustang is developwed specifically for the Mustang and the 5.0 in the F150 is developed specifically for the F150. You can call it a truck engine but it is developed for the Mustang which makes it a Mustang engine.

We can go back and forth for another couple of years but that won't change the fact that the 7.3 is a truck engine that will suck ass in a Mustang.

Some very talented engineers with deep pockets will.eventually do this swap no doubt, but this will never be a common occurrence as there are too many obstacles and no real benefits other than bragging rights.

Go back and re-read my posts. No where did I ever tout any benefits of running the 7.3 over a coyote in a S550.

 

[BmacIL]

Fair enough, I suppose not having lived through the 50's and 60's made my comment shortsighted.

With that said, I stand by my current statement...the coyote is a truck engine first, mustang engine second. They may have designed it with the mustang in mind, but it was certainly first and foremost a truck engine.



I think you're underestimating the lengths people go through for engine swaps. Hacking the firewall and moving transmissions mounts and shifter positions isn't terribly difficult for those with body and welding skills. No, it's likely not going to be a quick and dirty swap, but it sure sounds like it would be fun as hell to try.

I've seen some crazy stuff too, but that's not a swap, that's a stuff lol. Making custom brackets and mounts to put an engine that does fit in an existing space is very different from carving out significant chunks of the BIW crash structure and dash panel AND the other stuff.

 

[Fatguy]

Go back and re-read my posts. No where did I ever tout any benefits of running the 7.3 over a coyote in a S550.

I keep telling them I’m fine with the engine as is.

They only see what they want to see.

A 1 to 2.5 inch of extra length is 12 inches with the engine entering the passenger compartment. A 50-70 pound weight increase in front (offset just by moving the battery to the trunk) is seen as horrible handling. The new one is the need for better brakes - that’s a new one...

 

[BmacIL]

I keep telling them I’m fine with the engine as is.

They only see what they want to see.

A 1 to 2.5 inch of extra length is 12 inches with the engine entering the passenger compartment. A 50-70 pound weight increase in front (offset just by moving the battery to the trunk) is seen as horrible handling. The new one is the need for better brakes - that’s a new one...

4" is a big deal. It's not 1" or even 2". Your little pictures aren't cad models, Bro.

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