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6 to 4 swap any thoughts???
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Posted by: aaron

I have an '82 fairmont with the 200 six and c5 auto. For many reasons I was thinking of swaping this out in favor of the 2.3 four with the 5spd manual from an 87-93 mustang. It seems like an odd swap but I am curious if anyone has some good thoughts on if it can be done and how difficult it might be. I though about just adding the 5 spd to the six but the 81-83 200cid use a different bell housing that requires some fabrication (meaning too much time and money). I thought about a swap to the 5.0/5spd but the parts car would be big bucks and I am hoping for a reasonable improvment in fuel economy. I thought about just buying a good 87-93 stang running but..... I should be able to pick up a wrecked parts car cheap my big concern is what kind of headaches should I expect.....

thanx
Aaron.

Posted by: VETTKLR

I bet the hardest part of that swap would be routing the wiring harness for the correct PCM. Being a Fox chassis car, I would think that the 4-banger would just drop right in.

Keep your eye out for a Turbo-4 from a TurboCoupe! That would be pretty sweet!

Posted by: merczephyr

You'll need a 4cyl/V6/V8 crossmember, as the inline six has a different one, that won't let the 4 sit in the right location without some fabrication. you should be able to use one from any FOX Chassis Mustang/Capri/Fairmont/Zephyr/Marquis/LTD II/T-Bird/Cougar with the appropriate motor. Watch which control arms you use as well. using the T-Bird/Cougar arms will add about 2" track width over the standard Fairmont width. Try and get the steering rack from an 84 or newer 'Stang GT/SVO or Capri RS, as it is a good bit quicker ratio. Overall, swapping to a 2.3L isn't much less work than swapping to a 5.0L.

Posted by: aaron

Hey guys thanks for the help. I am still toying with the idea I just hope it isn't too tough. Are all the fox body cars pretty universal??? What I mean is if I go with a fuel injected motor will need a fuel system will the return lines? Are the radiator's different from 6 to four? What about any wiring? And if I have a complete parts car will everything swap or will I need to fabricate parts? Anything I am missing that could make me pull my hear out??? The only thing that scares me more than the cost is complications but if both are small then it could be fun.

Posted by: merczephyr

I haven't done the swap, to know all the details. But go here, as there are people here that know the early fox chassis pretty well, and there is some interchangeability info on the main page. www.ford-fox.com & www.ford-fox.org

Posted by: aaron

Thanks merczephyr, I'm on my way there.

Posted by: 90lx351

you need the 4 banger or v-8 k-member the v-6 is also different and cannot be used

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