to do a 2.3 turbo or v8 swap =)

my brother bought a 85 4banger 5spd off my girlfriends dad. he already has the enigne ripped out. he wants to do the easiest. i am bout to do some searching but i need some help also. lemme kno wats involved with the turbo swap compared to the v8. i kno the v8 need mounts, new tranny, wire harness and other crap. is the turbo swap a direct replacement minus a few things?

 

2.3T if you have EVERYTHING isnt that bad at all but there is always wiring hicups the guys have that set them back... the EASIEST 100% in and out swap

is a CARBED 5.0L with a T-5 trans.... usually can be done if you have everything in under 48 hours... personally its the only way to go... and what i plan on doing to my XLT if i still have it in a few years... finishing working on the 5.0L now...

 

yea it would be a carbed 5.0 he said. i just dunno where to start lookin....for a turbo coupe or svo? i mean i kno they are both 2.3s but is there anything between them?

 

turbo

 

well he finally made up his mind...he wants a carbed 5.0 anywhere from 66 and up..so if anyone knows of anyplaces lemme know. he told me if shippin is alright then he will have one shipped so yall do me a favor n keep n eye out for me

 

its an 85, so i say carb V8. itll be less hassle for most guys to get done. no tank swappin, fuel line swappin, no wiring.

if it was an 86 and fuel injected to start with, a 2.3T swap would be cake. drop in the motor add three wires for the VAM, move 4wires in the PCM connector, turn the key and drive.

 

carbed 5.0 w/tko or t5 world class......unless its just a bum around town kinda car, then go with the plainjane t5

 

well he wants the turbo to be just odd....but it has the 2.3 FI...its not carbed. so.......i dunno wat to do

 

There were also carburated 2.3L Turbo enignes that were used back in '79 to '82. These were rated at 143 HP and would be a fairly easy bolt in. They ran ok, but weren't as potent as the later EFI Turbos or 5.0L EFI engines. They did give the 5.0 a run for it's money back when they were new, but the 5.0 in those years only put out about 120 HP.

If it were mine, I'd probably do a 5.0L EFI swap, simply since it's a simpler system, but you would be better off finding a complete donor car so that you have everything right there for the swap. The 5.0 EFI runs much better than a carbed version, and would make for a much better daily driver when done.