motor swap questions?

stempak

Registered User
Does anybody know why the cobra svt motor made a substansial power jump from 01-03? And will these motor's boltup to the aod in a 90sc or what else is gonna be a problem.:rolleyes:
 
Are you saying it's a no go for this motor swap without doing major mods?

Not that a healthy, moded 6 won't melt the tire's off the wheels!
 
Power jump was due to a liquid cooled intercooler in 03-04.
The only aod that will bolt up to a 4.6l is a lentech with removable bell housing,your will not.
It can be done but major mods isn't even the word.
 
engine swaps

If I remember correctly, the 03-04 "Terminator" Cobras, as they are named, had the 4-cam 4.6 V8 with an Eaton supercharger bolted on top. The engine internals were beefed up to hold up to the boost. Im not sure if the transmission will bolt up, but you may can use an automatic from an 02-03, or so, Mustang Mach 1. They didnt have the supercharger, but the trans. should work. A friend of mine put a trans. from a Mach 1 in his 04 Cobra, and it seems to be holding up pretty good so far. You may also be able to use one from a Mark VIII or Marauder, Im not positive, though. If anyone reads this and Im not correct, please feel free to say or do so. Im not exactly sure, but this is what I know. Thanks, and good luck with the swap if you decide to do it. Should be a mean combination!

Robert Miller
 
Also what crank and rods are used in those motors? forged or cast?

Found this on a website for you:


The 2003 SVT Mustang Cobra’s 4.6-liter, DOHC V-8 is equipped with an Eaton™ supercharger and new aluminum alloy cylinder heads that provide increased flow capabilities. The engine produces 390 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 390 foot-pounds of torque at 3,500 rpm, compared with the 2001 model’s 320 hp at 6,000 rpm and 317 foot-pounds of torque at 4,750 rpm.

To provide strength necessary for the substantially increased torque output, the new Cobra engine is built on a cast-iron block. This unit contains the carryover forged-steel crankshaft, which is fitted with new Manley forged "H-beam" connecting rods, forged pistons similar to those in the SVT F-150 Lightning, and an aluminum flywheel similar to the 2000 SVT Mustang Cobra R’s.

The engine is mated to a TTC T-56 6-speed manual transmission. Behind that, an aluminum drive shaft with upgraded universal joints connects to the rear axle, which now has a 3.55:1 gear ratio.
 
...Im not sure if the transmission will bolt up, but you may can use an automatic from an 02-03, or so, Mustang Mach 1. They didnt have the supercharger, but the trans. should work. A friend of mine put a trans. from a Mach 1 in his 04 Cobra, and it seems to be holding up pretty good so far. You may also be able to use one from a Mark VIII or Marauder, Im not positive, though. If anyone reads this and Im not correct, please feel free to say or do so...
A 4R70W from 99 and up is the best automatic transmission that will bolt to a 4.6 but they are computer controlled whereas the AOD is fully hydraulically controlled. You can buy a stand-alone controller for the 4R but I believe it is around 700 bucks.
Another option would be to re-wire the car using Mark8 wiring and computer and get it tuned.
 
32valve

i have an '01 Cobra, with 14k miles. Love it, I have been in a blown '03...and i thougth mine was fast!.....'01 is refined, and offeres a great ride/handling combo. Revs forever, a little lighter, having an aluminum block, not as nose heavy.
 
Last edited:
Ya the pre liquid intercooled svts made 320 hp/ftlbs.tq then jumped to 390 hp/ft. stock sc makes 250hp/320ft. can get 390 hp/tq pretty easy with a six. but a 5.0 sounds like a fun project? If I can find some super deals?
 
Ya the pre liquid intercooled svts made 320 hp/ftlbs.tq then jumped to 390 hp/ft. stock sc makes 250hp/320ft. can get 390 hp/tq pretty easy with a six. but a 5.0 sounds like a fun project? If I can find some super deals?

The big change with the Cobra in 2003 was not being liquid intercooled, it was being supercharged. Earlier models were naturally aspirated. BTW, a stock SC only makes 210 HP (89-93) 220 HP (94-95). How much power do you want to make ?

David
 
Last edited:
like 370hp and 420 or so ftlbs of torque. enough to spin the wheels easily without having to power brake or anything in the dry. I kinda like the thought of a blown small block.
 
like 370hp and 420 or so ftlbs of torque. enough to spin the wheels easily without having to power brake or anything in the dry. I kinda like the thought of a blown small block.

You can make your SC spin the tires on command a lot easier than swapping to a v8. If you must have a v8, suggest starting with a donor t-bird LX 5.0 of the same year, because you will need more than just a 5.0 motor.

Bad part is that even after you swap it over to a 5.0, it's going to be slower than your stock SC unless you use a power adder like nitrous or a supercharger or turbo. For what it cost to do all that stuff, you could have a real tire frying 3.8 SC.

David
 
This motor was supercharged in 98 aswell. I think it would be a awesome motor to swap in 390 across the board stock. Which means you could probably get a 100hp with just about nothing!
 
This motor was supercharged in 98 aswell. I think it would be a awesome motor to swap in 390 across the board stock. Which means you could probably get a 100hp with just about nothing!

What motor was supercharged in 98 ? If your talking about the cobra motor, they didn't get a supercharger until 2003. Swapping a 2003 supercharged cobra motor into an SC is possible, but it's not going to be easy. The swap has already been done on a thunderbird that was originally equipped with a 4.6, but I don't think it's ever been completed on an SC.

Chris Mendola was going to do it several years ago and planned to use an automatic transmission from a Lightning. The biggest difficulty was going to be the wiring/engine managment/transmission control. I seriously considered doing the swap prior to starting my 347 turbo SC project, but couldn't find the needed technical support to get the electronics portion of the project figured out. These days there are numerous aftermarket engine managment computers and stand alone transmission control computers, that will make the swap easier.

No matter how you do it, the swap to a 2003 Cobra motor and compatible transmission is going to be a difficult and expensive project. It will be a lot easier and cheaper to get 500 HP out of your 3.8 SC.

David
 
Ya I think your right. A healthy 3.8 with a s-port and ported heads maybe a slightly bigger cam ported manifolds and highflow resonater, cats and a hot timed chip should be plenty for a daily driver. just thught it would be a cool swap. Hey if I could find a svt motor and tranny for dirt cheap it might be doable.
 
Back
Top