A few months ago I was presented with a deal I could not pass up. A buddy of mine had a tastefully modded 2000GT with an IC KB 2.1 9 PSI kit on it that had just had a catastrophic engine problem of some kind and was currently not running. He had his eye on a brand new GT, he had spent a lot of money on the mods and dyno tune for this one and he just did not want want to deal with it.
I had never pulled a motor before but I decided it would be a fun project so we made a deal and I had it towed to my place.
I put the car up on stands and took a peek underneath. Yep we had a problem.
I had driven the car about a year earlier and I knew the clutch was junk so I started putting together a parts list for the project. A this point I was not sure what direction I was going to go engine-wise though.
A few weeks later I found out I was being let go from my job due to downsizing. :nonono:
Well that changed the budget of this project slightly... I thought it over for a few weeks and then made the hard decision to sell the Kenne Bell kit to help offset the car purchase and replacement motor cost.
Farm and Fleet had a deal on engine hoists so I picked one up and started to work on pulling the motor. I read a lot of forum posts with tips and things to watch out for so it went fairly smoothly just time consuming. I was able to disconnected the power steering pump from the block without having to undo the fluid fitting by using a ratcheting wrench to free the captive bolt (if you've ever pulled a 4.6 you know what I mean) as well as the AC compressor without having to evac the system. The starter came off fairly easily too once I had the necessary extensions and swivels. I picked up an engine stand on sale as well.
Due to budget constraints I knew a junkyard motor was in my future. I looked for about a month and started to realize that the Windsor 4.6s seemed to command a good bit more than the Romeo counterparts. I found a good deal on a low mileage motor from a 2001 close by so I rented a u-haul trailer and picked it up. (yes I know it has a plastic crossover)
(The reason that valve cover looks new is because it is, I cracked the original one :fm: accidentally on its ride back to my house. That prompted a call to Steve at Tousley Ford)
I knew I'd need a new flywheel due to the bolt difference on the cranks but that was no big deal since the flywheel on the old motor was in sad shape anyway. I already knew I needed a new clutch too so I ended up going with a Ford nodular iron flywheel and an Exedy Mach 350 cluch. I also replaced the motor mounts as well as the throw out bearing and clutch pivot stud as the old ones were in sad shape.
Honestly the Windsor to Romeo swap is not a big deal. The replacement motor came complete intake to oil pain so aside from the new flywheel and clutch nothing else was needed. I re-used my original harness, hoses and accessories and everything carried over without a problem. This project was very time consuming but not rocket science. I think the hardest part was getting the replacement engine back in the car and getting the transmission to mate back up with the engine. (I would have pulled the motor and trans together but my garage door and ceiling were not high enough to allow it)
A pic after I fired it up and brought it out into the driveway before I put the hood back on. Honestly, this project really kept me sane during the time I was looking for a job. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot doing this swap. Turning the key and hearing it fire up for the first time was a pretty awesome feeling.
The car runs great and I got a new job so life is good. :beer:
I had never pulled a motor before but I decided it would be a fun project so we made a deal and I had it towed to my place.
I put the car up on stands and took a peek underneath. Yep we had a problem.
I had driven the car about a year earlier and I knew the clutch was junk so I started putting together a parts list for the project. A this point I was not sure what direction I was going to go engine-wise though.
A few weeks later I found out I was being let go from my job due to downsizing. :nonono:
Well that changed the budget of this project slightly... I thought it over for a few weeks and then made the hard decision to sell the Kenne Bell kit to help offset the car purchase and replacement motor cost.
Farm and Fleet had a deal on engine hoists so I picked one up and started to work on pulling the motor. I read a lot of forum posts with tips and things to watch out for so it went fairly smoothly just time consuming. I was able to disconnected the power steering pump from the block without having to undo the fluid fitting by using a ratcheting wrench to free the captive bolt (if you've ever pulled a 4.6 you know what I mean) as well as the AC compressor without having to evac the system. The starter came off fairly easily too once I had the necessary extensions and swivels. I picked up an engine stand on sale as well.
Due to budget constraints I knew a junkyard motor was in my future. I looked for about a month and started to realize that the Windsor 4.6s seemed to command a good bit more than the Romeo counterparts. I found a good deal on a low mileage motor from a 2001 close by so I rented a u-haul trailer and picked it up. (yes I know it has a plastic crossover)
(The reason that valve cover looks new is because it is, I cracked the original one :fm: accidentally on its ride back to my house. That prompted a call to Steve at Tousley Ford)
I knew I'd need a new flywheel due to the bolt difference on the cranks but that was no big deal since the flywheel on the old motor was in sad shape anyway. I already knew I needed a new clutch too so I ended up going with a Ford nodular iron flywheel and an Exedy Mach 350 cluch. I also replaced the motor mounts as well as the throw out bearing and clutch pivot stud as the old ones were in sad shape.
Honestly the Windsor to Romeo swap is not a big deal. The replacement motor came complete intake to oil pain so aside from the new flywheel and clutch nothing else was needed. I re-used my original harness, hoses and accessories and everything carried over without a problem. This project was very time consuming but not rocket science. I think the hardest part was getting the replacement engine back in the car and getting the transmission to mate back up with the engine. (I would have pulled the motor and trans together but my garage door and ceiling were not high enough to allow it)
A pic after I fired it up and brought it out into the driveway before I put the hood back on. Honestly, this project really kept me sane during the time I was looking for a job. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot doing this swap. Turning the key and hearing it fire up for the first time was a pretty awesome feeling.
The car runs great and I got a new job so life is good. :beer:
