Let us be cost effective

[silvert2valve]

Soo I am the happy owner of a rod knockin' 2000 gt. I know it doesn't have much life left in it so I've been on the hunt for a solution. My initial thought was a simple 2 valve swap from another +99, but I'm most definitely interested in my other options such as a SOHC 5.4 or the 3 valve 4.6 or something else.
Pretty simple goal -- make this car lively and reliable once again, while not going overboard with cash. Any input is welcome pertaining to skill level or estimated expenses etc

Cheers :beer:

 

[thomas91169]

are you doing the work yourself or a shop?

IMO, id throw another bottom end in.

 

[SVTDice]

Hm, Well if you know for a FACT that the engine is on the way out, I'd go with a Boss 302 R block and go from there, But I'm not sure how much money you have to play with.

You could always seafoam the current engine and see if it runs any better. I'm guessing you have done a leak down and compression on it? You could always pin point whats wrong with the engine and fix that instead of doing a entire new build, But thats just me.

Anyways, Let me know what you think. Goodluck man!

 

[virginiafiveo]

if you are dead set on a motor swap and not building one, depending on your budget, get yourself a 99-01 cobra motor, that swap is actually MUCH easier than a 2003-2004 cobra swap. I've done 2. cake.

 

[pwrshft99]

If budget is a concern, look for an Explorer/Mountaineer 2V 4.6... its a direct swap but weighs about 100lbs less due to the aluminum block.

Pretty cheap, there are millions of Explorers out there

 

[Mach1USMC]

Soo I am the happy owner of a rod knockin' 2000 gt. I know it doesn't have much life left in it so I've been on the hunt for a solution. My initial thought was a simple 2 valve swap from another +99, but I'm most definitely interested in my other options such as a SOHC 5.4 or the 3 valve 4.6 or something else.
Pretty simple goal -- make this car lively and reliable once again, while not going overboard with cash. Any input is welcome pertaining to skill level or estimated expenses etc

Cheers :beer:

How much are you looking to spend? For around 10k you can do a complete Terminitor "guts" swap, drivetrain, rear end, fuel tank/pumps, computer, IC, etc... That's what I would go for.

 

[CobraBob]

Sounds like your budget is somewhat limited, so I would go with what VirginiaFiveO recommended. A swap from a 1999-2001 Cobra motor. Much easier than doing a Terminator swap, too. If you're looking to make bigger power on the cheap, then I'd swing more towards a Terminator swap. It would help if you let us know what your budget is, and whether or not you intend to do the swap yourself or have a shop do it.

 

[virginiafiveo]

I could be wrong, it's been a while, but I believe a few hoses, a complete with harness 99-01 motor, intake, and some wrench time should be about all it takes for the 99-01 swap.

I would venture to say you could do that for somewhere in the neighborhood of about 5-6k for a good motor, knowing if you don't pop your motor you can get a decent chunk of that back from your current motor.

 

[95PGTTech]

another member on here has a 2004 cobra shortblock for 2100 or something stupid cheap like that with 30K miles on it. rip apart what you got, clean the heads up, ARP head studs and that. you'll be able to support (motor wise) anything you throw at it down the road and have minimal down time.

 

[silvert2valve]

are you doing the work yourself or a shop?

IMO, id throw another bottom end in.

All of the work will be done by myself and my dad, both fairly experienced. Budget is in the neighborhood of $2,000 give or take a few hundred, pretty cheap.
Engine is for sure toast and would rather do a swap than go through the hassle of pulling, rebuilding and replacing the pathetic 2 valve.
Obviously an 03-04 and a 302r are completely out of the question as far as money is concerned.
Can anyone chime in on the cheaper swaps (i.e. 5.4, 3 valve, n/a 4 valve)?
As of now the only constraint is money and the allowance won't grow.

 

[thomas91169]

Id find someone parting out a 99-04 GT that has a running motor or someone selling a good motor and just do the swap.

Then the junk motor you have, tear it down and over a couple years build it up into something badass on the side. Then one day swap it back in.

IIRC someone did do a 5.4L 3V swap on stangnet and it sure in the hell wasnt cost effective. 2v on a 5.4L wont flow well. You can go 4v but IIRC you also will need other shit for a 4V swap (ECU, Harness, misc odds and ends) that will easily kill a $2k budget.

 

[silvert2valve]

Oh yeah from what I've read, if I correctly recall, the 3v swap is not a big job requiring some cam phasers and some exhaust goodies, but probably will still in the end probably be over budget.

 

[coposrv]

Id find someone parting out a 99-04 GT that has a running motor or someone selling a good motor and just do the swap.

Then the junk motor you have, tear it down and over a couple years build it up into something badass on the side. Then one day swap it back in.

IIRC someone did do a 5.4L 3V swap on stangnet and it sure in the hell wasnt cost effective. 2v on a 5.4L wont flow well. You can go 4v but IIRC you also will need other shit for a 4V swap (ECU, Harness, misc odds and ends) that will easily kill a $2k budget.

x2 All you have to do to the current gt ecu to run a 4v motor is reverse polarity on the COP's, possibly modify injector harness and get a tune, however;

I was about to swap an 03 cobra motor in my car but it just wasnt worth it, What would I have gotten a 40-50-k mile engine with who know what was done to it? I found 2, 03-04 long blocks with everything minus the eaton. They wanted 3-4 grand. 1 was overheated = 7-8 cylinder piston rings gone and the other didn't check comression and he knew the headgaskets were gone. BS. If I were you buy a take out 4.6 2v from your junk yard for 800-1k and drop in the car then build your current motor on the stand.

 

[coposrv]

the 5.4 swap is a waste of time 5.4 2v = rod to stroke length of a diesel. Not to mention the cutting up of an H pipe and exhaust to get it to fit.

 

[96dreamer]

where in il are you, i know a guy with a long block that just came out of a car

 

[silvert2valve]

where in il are you, i know a guy with a long block that just came out of a car

35 miles south-west of Chicago, near Joliet