Real quick:
what do You want out of the car?
2.3T foxes run low 12’s on stock longblock, stock turbo, and ~$1k in mods. ALL DAY. Add in a $400 Holset turbo & a 75 wet shot and You run mid 11’s. ALL DAY. Besides, turbo 5spd cars are fun to drive. Oh, BTW, I average 20-22mpg.
It will take you LESS THEN 6 HOURS to do a full swap and streetable. Ask PsychoPJV, he’s seen me swap a 23T a few times now.
Per car-parts.com there are 6 turbo motors within ~100 miles. expect to pay $300-500 for a longblock. Turbomotors are OEM equipped with forged rod & piston as well as hardened valves.
If You can’t or dont want to get a turbo motor, You can convert an NA block. Not really advisable for cost reasons. But, You’ll need these turbo motor parts anyhow:
Turbo rotating assembly (rod & piston really) ($30-75)
Head ($70 - 150)
Exhaust manifold & turbo ($50 - $300)
30 - 35lb injectors ($20 - 40 for a set).
Oil feed block & line ($20-50)
Oil return line from turbo to block ($20-50)
You need to TAP an oil return into the pan ($5 - 50)
ECU ($20-100)
Vane Air Meter ($20-100)
It’s seriously easier & better to just swap a full motor for $300. I bought my 23T donor for $300 motor, ecu, and all. Dont be scared of the ECU swap, it is LITERALLY 5 WIRES to change/splice/pin.
No need to replace a wiring harness, no need to change motor mounts, tranny xmembers, fuel lines, and all the other BS associated with 5.0 swaps. Don’t get me wrong, 5.0’s a are sexy and fun. But a 2.3 motor is literally stronger (iron content & casting) and easier to maintain. Parts are everywhere.
Oh, and as far as not having torque… LOL JnJ.
A couple of real quick examples:
A STOCK 220,000 mile shortblock, stock head, with bolt-on header, 3" exh, fmic, holset, and ECU tune: http://www.stinger-performance.com/bolton.html running [/color]^^ This project “bolt-on” was JUST thrown together for the WFC champsionships a few weeks ago. Not bad for a VERY mildly modded fox chassis and drop in 4cyl swap.[/size][/font][/b]
a few vid’s http://www.stinger-performance.com/videos.html
there are quite a few 10sec 23Ts and a scant few 9 second guys too. It’s VERY easy to run low 12’s in a 2.3T fox.
After all of that being said, if You want to go 5.0, get in touch with BDR5OH.