NJREDNECK

Hey guys I'm looking to do a 4.8 or 5.3 swap in my new to me 86 foxbody what parts do I need to do the swap I wanna go auto to and being 17 I'm on a tight budget. And later down the road I wanna go turbo to but for now ill run N/A till I can save up for the turbo parts.

TopNotchLSX

Before you buy any parts, invest in a good how-book. I bought this book at a barnes and noble...$30 well spent http://hotrodenginetech.com/gm-ls-se...e-swap-manual/ You will need about a 1000 different bits and pieces that really add up fast. I am buying all my swap stuff second hand and estimate it will take at least 3 grand to get it done...THE RIGHT WAY! Do your research and get a plan together before you do anything else. Good luck

Metal Muscle

Why auto? Seems like a waste to go to all the effort of a swap and then put an automatic in it. Manual is better in almost every way as far as 4L60E vs T56 is concerned.

NJREDNECK

I was told auto was better behind a turbo car it's post to be more fun and better on the 1/4 mile

Metal Muscle

You can't really get told what's fun. You've got to figure it out for yourself. A lot of people, myself included, love manuals. Anyways, I'll break it down for you

Manuals
Faster on roads with curves
Better gas mileage
Cheaper to maintain and repair
Can be started with a dead battery
Gives you something fun to do while driving

Automatics
Better in heavy traffic
Your girlfriend will know how to drive it
With mods, can be faster in the quarter mile
You can't miss a shift

NJREDNECK

I like to drive my 91 which is manual but my dads 93 BBF mustang is fun as hell which is about the same power I wanna make with my 86.

Metal Muscle

An LS1 will be far better than a big block. At least you'll maintain a semblance of proper weight distribution with the aluminum LS1. Big block engines are huge. Fun in a straight line, but putting in an engine far heavier than what was originally there damages the handling of a car.

Don't feel the need to do a foxbody just because your dad has one, or drag race instead of road race because that's what he does. There are cool cars out there other than Mustangs and F-bodies, and different ways of racing than in a straight line. It's not as if other ways are better, but different in a way you might like if you experimented a little.

v8sten

iTrader: (5)

Buy all the swap parts used.

AJE K-Member
Dynatech Headers (for a n/a setup)
F-body manifolds turned backwards for a turbo setup
a 98-02 f-body radiator and fans fits
depending on the transmission you use will determine the trans crossmember you get

doing an auto is much cheaper to do in a mustang than a standard due to how you operate the clutch. the factory way the clutch operates in a mustang is with a cable, pretty much all gm setups are are operated by a hydraulic setup. the conversion to a hydraulic setup is expensive and will blow the average budget.

on my car i paid for all the swap stuff used as follows:
- Kooks hedders - $300 (New is $800 + shipping)
- Aje K-Member with motor mounts - $250 (New is $500 + shipping)
- Griffen Radiator - $150 (New is $350 + shipping)
- used the stock trans cross member - Free

Total $700 for all the swap parts used.

New parts total $1650 roughly

NJREDNECK

So $700 used parts then I need to get a motor and Trans what's better for a boosted setup 4.8 or 5.3?

soundengineer

iTrader: (16)

no.... it is not better or worse... Its just different...
an Auto with a proper stall will kill a manual in every aspect of driving...


correct, you have to decide for yourself what you like...


Driving a Manual does not give you something fun to do if you dont like manually shifting
Cheaper to maintain for most people... if you race it, it can actually be cheaper to use an Automatic...especially if you beat on it or launch at a higher rpm



just because you have an Auto, does not mean your Girlfriend will know how to drive it...LOL

oh.. you have no idea.....
Big blocks are way cheaper to build, have way more options for parts, and dont do a thing to the handling if you put the proper suspension in the car for the motor.
and they fit just fine in a mustang... I dont know if you understand Just how physically huge the Mod motor is, but it fits in a Foxbody with room to spare...
LSX's look tiny in a foxbody

He already has the Mustang, no reason to get a different car...
and the mustang is a great car to do a swap in...
the LSx motor swap isnt really all that complicated...
Wiring harness, pcm, motor, k member, transmission, trans cross member, driveshaft, a few gauges and sensors and a throttle cable and a little boit of time to do wiring... done.

and there are a **** ton of parts out there for the swap...



I personally would stay away from the AJE K-Member... buy the UPR one or the Team-Z one... much better pieces and much better fit.
buy a "Strange"front coil over conversion(springs and struts), and some Caster Camber plates and you dont have to worry about the suspension side...just have to take a little bit of time to get it set up right

Metal Muscle

I'm not talking about the fitment in the engine bay. It really doesn't matter what the car looks like with the hood up. Big blocks are cheap, yes, but you're still adding nearly 300 pounds to the front of the car. That's awful. If you can make the same power (and you can) out of an LSx, then that's better.

It's a pretty easy swap, yes. It will still get walked by an equally built LSx swapped RX-7 or 240sx, which are pretty easy swaps to do also.

NJREDNECK

Thanks for the info soundengineer

TopNotchLSX

So here are some things to consider on top of the $700 for just a couple important parts: engine...an LS1 is very expensive...at least $1000 for a complete engine unless you go with a 5.3 for an example which can be stolen for say $400 but you run into other issues here. What about the intake? A truck intake won't clear a stock hood. Now you have a choice to make, hood for $400 or an intake for say $200...buuuut now you may need injectors, fuel rail, and possibly a water pump depending on what accessories you will use....added cost....$500 est. What about your fuel system? You need a $100 pump, $60 filter, $200 or so for fittings and hoses. What about a transmission? At least $1500 for a T-56 and then you have to convert like v8sten mentioned. An auto is initally cheaper but adds up quick with converters, shift kits, valve bodies, electronics, $$CUSTOM DRIVESHAFT$$, crossmember... What about wiring? Do it yourself? What accessories do you plan to run? An aftermarket harness will cost at least $250...

This snowball effect happens with every aspect of the car so this is why the research is key. You will be rewarded with a unique and fun car in the end but it won't be easy. Form your own opinions and follow them. Again, good luck

LS1PUNK

iTrader: (5)

X2!

I dont think I could of said it anybetter.

v8sten

iTrader: (5)

very well put.... just to add to this, you can get some of your money back from selling the old parts you didnt wind up using. 1bad03snake did this when he 1st put his car together and he came out really cheap for what he had. i think his build thread is on here somewhere. And i would like to add one more thing, i think everyone will agree with me on this one, think about what you want your car to be like and look like. and do what ever you need to do to achive that goal. there will be some changes along the way but in the end result make it your own car, what you always wanted it to be. if you do it that way the 1st time around it will save you thousands of $$$.

At 1st i was opposed to the AJE K-member. I actually wanted the Afco K-member. but when I came across this one for the price i couldnt pass it up. but what i do like about it is that i will never have to change it if i wanted to change to a different make motor. all i have to do is change the motor mounts, it takes the same K-member.

1bad03snake

iTrader: (16)

The big parts of the build are cheap. I have $125.00 in my 4.8 the new ls6 oil pump and gaskets got over 300.00 The small/forgotten things are what will kill your budget. $5-10 here and there will add up fast. Be patient and look for good deals on Craigslist and here. I was in south jersey last week and saw plenty of deals online

callys

iTrader: (2)

Ive just put a ton of research into this. Ive owned fox bodies, sn95s, and two c5 z06s and I want to combine the two. I am ready to start on this swap with an 85 hopefully next weekend.

I am also on a budget. If you are really on a budget this is what you will do:

Buy a complete iron block 5.3 or 6.0

Get the K member, motor mount, and trans mount from AJE

Get a used cowl hood

Put it in the car.

That's it. Do not swap parts, do not "go for xx amount of hp until you can afford the turbo." Just swap it in. I am really stumped by people on here who get a used 6.0 for $1200 for a swap project then spend $2000 on swapping to the car manifold/f body accessories/cam/custom headers.

The 5.3 or 6.0 with truck accessories and manifold will clear a cowl hood on a fox. Getting a cowl hood is much cheaper than swapping all the accessories, manifold, fuel rail, etc. As far as I know all of the truck accessories clear everywhere else fine with the AJE k member.

If you are serious about doing a turbo, you should stick with an automatic unless your budget is $$$$. Its also really childish of anyone to turn a thread like this into an auto vs manual debate.

You will also need:

The f body oil pan and pickup if your car is lowered (after measuring mine you could probably run the stock truck one at factory ride height)
An adapted wiring harness
The ECU for the engine with VATS deleted (the security system from the original vehicle)
An SN95 radiator with electric fan, a camaro radiator with fans, or use your stock radiator with an explorer or taurus electric fan.
Driveshaft adapted to your transmission
Knowledge/patience to adapt the factory gauges, the f body gauge cluster, or a custom panel with auto meter gauges
AC lines adapted if you want to keep it
Converter fittings for power steering (swapping to manual costs money)

A stock fox with a stock 5.3 or 6.0 will be a fast car, given the weight of a fox (not much) - a fox with a 5.3 is probably almost as fast as a new 5.0 mustang. If you are serious about doing the turbo eventually...you don't need ported heads, a cam, or a car manifold to make power.

NJREDNECK

that's all i thought you needed not all these go fast parts everyone else says i need thanks

soundengineer

iTrader: (16)

you can get one built locally usually for about $200....$300-$350 if you have to purchase the yoke's and U-Joints

TopNotchLSX

Yea thats about the cost I had in mind but wasn't sure hence the dolla signs lol.