Supercharged Mustang 5.0L??

[drhill]

Hi Everyone,

Just found this forum yesterday through Lincoln forums as I was looking for information on a project I would like to start soon and I figured some folks here may have tried this before.

I am looking for a 1990 Town Car to put a built 5.0L vortech supercharged motor in from my 1993 mustang. I have read a bit about the H.O. conversions on this site today but has anyone actually done this?

Seems like there is plenty of room for my supercharger but the problem areas seem to be:

mass air conversion? (there is a website the specializes in these conversions right?)
Can I use the mustang's computer?
relocating battery to drivers side?
throttle cable hookup?
re-plumbing a/c lines as compressor is now on drivers side?
re-wiring for alternator moving to passenger side?
Looks like the wiper motor may be a tight fit with the intake flipped...

I'll build a decent AOD(or 4r70w) with a stall converter and put in steeper gears in the rear end

I would also plan on an electric cooling and I saw a cool article about swapping a 255 lph fuel pump.


Thanks in advance for any help you can provide! I imagine someone has probably done this before!

[70torino429]

ive wanted to do something like this, i cant give much info but if your going to relocate the battery id recommend moving it to the trunk. summit and jegs sell kits to do this for about 100 bucks. if your engine is from a 93 mustang it already is an ho motor and should have mass air as well. youll need the mustang computer

[mrltd]

put the battery in the trunk, drop the complete motor accessories and all from the stang in the lincoln, get custom ac lines made, etc.

Mass air is the same exact process as on a mustang... use a mustang computer.
throttle cable, get a mark 7 one or whatever is long enough to reach.

Make everything else fit. Noothing is very difficult to do, but nobady has really done it here....

It has been done, in a towncar. It's been in a few magazines and was used in old procharger ads.

[83countrysquire]

I wasnt sure but it kinda just hit me as I was putting the exhuast on my vic this weekend, and removing smog, cant we just take the air pump away and put a s/c there??

[70torino429]

I wasnt sure but it kinda just hit me as I was putting the exhuast on my vic this weekend, and removing smog, cant we just take the air pump away and put a s/c there??

you could really put one anywhere but youd have to fab up the mounts to do so, as well as the intake plumbing etc etc. it wouldnt be a bolt right on complete kit since the mustang intake is different and some other differences. i woudlnt think fabbing up the mounts would really be that difficult though, but like stated before, noone here has really done it.

[87gtVIC]

gotta make sure the ribs line up not that you shred the belt.

[1987cp]

If you keep the underhood area as Mustangish as possible (probably help to keep the serpentine belt system and keep the upper intake pointed the "wrong" way), I would imagine that if starting from scratch it would be easy to just order up a bolt-on kit for Mustangs and toss it in. If your system isn't intercooled, I'd doubt it would require any modification at all if you're able to keep all Mustang engine hardware.

[Mercracer]

I am looking for a 1990 Town Car to put a built 5.0L vortech supercharged motor in from my 1993 mustang. I have read a bit about the H.O. conversions on this site today but has anyone actually done this?

How many thousands $$ do you have set aside?? Does your Mustang already have a Vortech on it?? If you find any level of difficulty in moving your battery (put it in the trunk), changing alternator wiring or in wiring in your computer, then you need to be realistic about this project and consider your budget as you will likely be paying someone else to do some or most of your work.
This is a major project which will take you several months and buckets of money to complete. You can spend over $1K just getting the suspension and brakes up to par. A nice body worth building is also difficult to find.

[drhill]

Thanks for the input guys - this is what I was looking for. It looks like there aren't any surprises to this and that moving the battery, allowing for the movement of the alternator and a/c lines, and the maf conversion are all pretty well mapped out.

Good points Mercracer - finding a nice starter car won't be easy but nice low mile examples to exist here in the Southwest.

The reason I am considering all of this work is that I have two well built vortech supercharged mustangs now (built mustangs seem to have NO value where I live and can pick these up cheap) and need/want something larger and more comfortable with a real back seat to drive everyday. I have all of the parts to complete this swap except an auto trans but good low mile 4r70w's and 4r75w's are all over the junk yards here for cheap. Unfortunately they need a controller...but a relatively strong trans for the price.

I don't have "buckets of money" but I am also not going to be paying anyone to wire the MAF conversion, battery relocation, drop in the motor etc...this stuff is pretty easy and have done this before. One of my mustangs already has a battery relocation kit in it! Time wise I'm not trying to tackle all of this in one sitting, this will be a work in progress. Obtain the car first - then I'll swap over to MAF and extend wiring, upgrade fuel pump etc..obtain trans etc...and drop it in. Motor is already tuned and everything. Doing this in stages keeps down time to a minimum. Plus, then I can evaluate the suspension and braking systems when the power increases.

Yes - starting from scratch - this would hardly seem worth it...but I am considering this swap because I already have most of the expensive items. That and I always like the opportunity to drive something a little different!

[Mercracer]

One thing to remember is that the motor will not give you the same performance in a Panther as it would a Fox Mustang. You will be about a second slower in ideal conditions assuming that you can put the power down. The acceleration in general may feel dissappointing if you are used to the seat of the pants feel of a Mustang. The additional load on the motor will also effect your fuel/spark curve which will take additional tuning.
In a heavy car, a better build may be to start with a 351 vs a 302. You can always place your Vortech on the front of the 351 with little more work (relatively) than if it were on the 302. You could run a carb intake with injectors in it which would take care of your clearance issues except for the hood. If you are going to be doing major mods, the hood should be of no concern.
The down side to that is the need for a built 351. Luckily a basic kit with forged dished pistons is relatively cheap. Any head which is up to feeding a Vortech pressured 302 would be up to feeding a 351. You could end up with more performance and less boost.

[drhill]

More good input...I did think about the 351W option and I would rather do that! But building even just a good 351 shortblock that can handle boost would likely put me over budget...unless I can get good $$ for my 302 stuff...food for thought....

[1987cp]

Yeah, having a known-good 302 on hand is the reason behind both my (dare I say it?) 351-to-302 swaps. This time, though, at least I have solid plans for putting the displaced 351 back in after adding at least 50 more horsepower.