I have a chance at either an 89 ford thunderbird sc manual with 80k or 91 thunderbird sc auto 121k. I have a 96 3.8 auto. I have the dual exhaust from a 95 stang, 8.8 rear from the 95 as well loaded with 4.10’s, and a 5-speed ( minus the clutch kit ) from a 3.8 stang that I was planning on bolting up to my car. Im asking for advice on what I should do?? Go with the 89 and swap the engine and trans? ( get a clutch kit? ) or Go with the 91 and swap just the engine and get the clutch kit for the 5-speed i have now and put that in??? Will the 5-speed i have fit the sc engine? There both 3.8 ford… or is the 5-speed from the 89 a better 5-speed? What should I do or would be the best with cost in mind and time… Im not a mechanic so I will have to take it to a shop for the work ( unless someone on here could help a lil ) I live in Buffalo NY. Please any advise would be appreciated.
the 5 speed and rear from the stang will not fit in that body style t bird
Roots did this swap on his 94-95(Might be hazy on the year) might want to see if he could be helpful. However, the effort vs. end result might be a bit disappointing.
honestly, you’re way better off going with a 302 than a 3.8sc if you even plan on modifying it any further.
The aftermarket for the supercoupes is next to non-existent and what is out there is some serious $$$ for minimal gains. Back when I was into tbirds there was a member that sank an ungodly amount of money into his car only to run mid-high 11’s.
If you want to just do it to be different, than go for it. Nothing beats the sound of a blower winding up. The transmissions are totally different too. The 5 speed from the sc’s are a m5r2 mazda trans and wont fit AFAIK, but the auto “should” work.
Like I said, a 302 swap seems a lot less complicated it’s cheaper and easier to mod/find parts for.
g/l either way
Mod the 96?
Swap means it will be a PITA every year for NYSI and or when it comes time to sell the car to someone without such a hookup.
Otherwise, 302 is cheap. 140 is cheaper.
Im not planning on putting it into the tbird I want the stang to have all the fun.
I know the 302 would be a cheaper way to go but i have everything available to be now. I just wanted to know if the t5 which is the 5-speed i have now (not installed) will fit the sc engine? should i just take the sc engine and hook my t5 to it or just swap the entire engine and Manual tranny from the sc to my stang?? I think I have a t5 anyways… I bought it from a guy that said it was from a 3.8 stang??? does that sound right?
yeah, pretty sure the T5 came in both the GT and standard model mustang (if memory serves me).
I don’t think a T5 will bolt to the SC engine though, but you may be able to find a supplier for adapter plates. If you use the M5R2 SC trans, you might run into problems with the shifter location as well. I’d look around for write ups online for people that have already done the swap and see what problems they had doing so.
something else to think about, how many miles are on the engine? Most SC engines have had a pretty hard life and if it was over 100K, I’d go for a rebuild before swapping it. You might also want to consider going with a 94-95 model engine. They make more power and they’re supposed to have a fix for the headgasket problems the 3.8l are notorious for
just my $0.02- your best options are probably to either swap a newer (96+) V8 into the 96, or sell the 96 and everything else and swap the tbird stuff into a fox
personally i would do the second
In the long run either of these options will be cheaper and far less headaches and emissions issues to contend with
94-95 SC’s had an improved Blower.To my knowlage the HG issue wasn’t fixed completly till mid 96.
As said before,The SC 5 speed is a M5R2 Mazda truck tranny.Or ranger 5 speed tranny.
If memory serves I also believe the F150’s with the 4.2L’s also had this transmission.
Build the fox 302 up and ditch the SC option.Ya you can make em run but parts are hard to find.