2002 engine swap with modern engine

Notice: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!
L

ltsheets

Click here to upgrade
Last seen
Joined
Jun 4, 2017
Thunderbird Year
2002
My wife’s 02 has been at the dealer for months now. We had mice damage to the main wiring harness along with a bad FEM. They haven’t been able to find a new wiring harness and can’t replace it with salvage due to liability reasons. It is possible my insurance is going to total the car due to parts availability. If that happens, we might consider using the money to swap with a modern and easy to work on engine IF we can also gut and replace the electronics in the steering column and dash as well. I’m curious if anyone has ever done this kind of thing and how much it cost. Thanks.
 
ltsheets said:
My wife’s 02 has been at the dealer for months now. We had mice damage to the main wiring harness along with a bad FEM. They haven’t been able to find a new wiring harness and can’t replace it with salvage due to liability reasons. It is possible my insurance is going to total the car due to parts availability. If that happens, we might consider using the money to swap with a modern and easy to work on engine IF we can also gut and replace the electronics in the steering column and dash as well. I’m curious if anyone has ever done this kind of thing and how much it cost. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Total the car and buy another one. There's no reasonable or affordable way to pay someone to do an engine swap with a totally different engine. Even for someone with vast experience and doing the labor themselves, this would be a costly venture.
 
ltsheets said:
My wife’s 02 has been at the dealer for months now. We had mice damage to the main wiring harness along with a bad FEM. They haven’t been able to find a new wiring harness and can’t replace it with salvage due to liability reasons. It is possible my insurance is going to total the car due to parts availability. If that happens, we might consider using the money to swap with a modern and easy to work on engine IF we can also gut and replace the electronics in the steering column and dash as well. I’m curious if anyone has ever done this kind of thing and how much it cost. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Please evaluate the later models Jaguar 5.0 liter V8. It was claimed to be as compact, or even shorter, than the Jaguar V8s of your generation car. The engine comes in both supercharged and non supercharged forms, but the former is longer, per specs I've seen on the internet. If too dear, there is the delightful 7.3 new Ford gasoline engine, available in crate form. And, many engine swap specialists should be able to tell you if the ubiquitous Chevrolet V8 will fit. An ambitious swap would be the aforementioned Jaguar V8 with attached 8 speed automatic transmission. Good luck!
 
Take the salvage money and buy a 2004 or 2005 ...there are still a lot of low mile ones out there...you will probably have to put a couple grand into it, tires, brakes, struts, plugs and COP's but then you'd have a reliable and fun car to drive.
 
ltsheets said:
can’t replace it with salvage due to liability reasons.
Click to expand...
BTW I'm calling BS on this. They "Won't" replace it. I've seen entire used salvaged motors put into cars at our local Ford Dealer that was bought online. Also, I don't know of a single person on the forum that has done this in over 20 years.
 
Last edited:
These cars will be non-rolling collectors items in due time- either destined for the junkyard or in my case, my deadroom living room. (Yes, i live in Floriduh) I would strongly suggest you simply buy another one- You can find any year with very low mileage but the electronics will be breaking down on all of them whether you use it or not- GOOD LUCK whatever you do!!!!!
 
I'm curious, what are you thinking is a "modern" engine? Or "easy to work on"?
Any different modern engine will be fuel injected and require a custom made wiring harness. Let alone what will be required to get the dash talking to an aftermarket computer system. I wish you luck, but if they total it let it go ...
 
I read the "won't replace it" as regarding the wiring harness vs the engine which I could understand due to fire hazard, etc..
I'm very familiar with modern engine swaps into vintage Chevrolets that are basically all analog and kits have been develoed over the years ass it became increasingly popular. E.g. complte rolling chassis with LS-3 engine you just more or less drop a 60's Corvette body onto. As stated, with a more mordern car, as a first time attempt the cost would be several times the value of the finished product.
You would be developing a prototype for an end product that is not immensly popular or desired by a ton of people.

The end result would NOT be an "easy to work on modern engine"; you would have an amalgam of "one off", non-mainstream solution of wiring, components, mounting and many compromises and few mechanics would want to mess with it - certainly not a dealer.

HAVING SAID ALL THAT, the FEM's are repairable and not that bad of an install, wiring harnesses can also be repaired depending on how extensive the damage is (I've done failry extensive repairs to my 2002 tail light harness). And entire harnesses can be replaced if you find an independent technician willing - the dealer just doesn't wnat to do it I would say.

AS AN ASIDE- this is where a classic car insurance policy is important, nearly all of them will cover you for "AGREED UPON" value - e.g. a value that you and the insurance company agree upon is what determines your coverage (e.g. $18,000 for a 2002 TBird, which is what mine is insured for through the National Corvette Museumr) vs a regular insurance company that provides STATED VALUE, meaning you get a depreciated settlement for your totaled car just like it was a Durango or Camry. I will get $18,000 if my TBird is totaled and the premium is 1/2 of what GEIGO wanted withOUT collission coverage.
 
Last edited:
biddle said:
BTW I'm calling BS on this. They "Won't" replace it. I've seen entire used salvaged motors put into cars at our local Ford Dealer that was bought online. Also, I don't know of a single person on the forum that has done this in over 20 years.
Click to expand...
Certain salvage parts are just fine. A wiring harness is a no go for them due to potential electrical issues like fires…
 
Anewaltj said:
Take the salvage money and buy a 2004 or 2005 ...there are still a lot of low mile ones out there...you will probably have to put a couple grand into it, tires, brakes, struts, plugs and COP's but then you'd have a reliable and fun car to drive.
Click to expand...
I think this is the best advice. You should even be able to find one in the exact color combo you want if you are patient. (I sold my 2001 Sebring Convertible to a couple that wanted to replace the one they had totaled - exact same sterling blue with white interior and blue top. When they came to pick it up the wife was so happy she was crying.) I had to get it out of the garage to make room for 2004 Merlot I had just bought.
 
Has anyone have information about a 302, or 351 coyote engine swap into a a 2002 Bird
 
Anyone ever put a 4,6 liter in one of these 2002 to 2005 thunderbirds besides, Steve SALEEN?
 
inventz said:
Anyone ever put a 4,6 liter in one of these 2002 to 2005 thunderbirds besides, Steve SALEEN?
Click to expand...
Why would anyone do that? That 4.6 V8 has less horsepower than the newer 3.7 V6. It was awful in the Mustang and dropped the horsepower from 225 in the 5.0 to 215 in 1996.
 
This can be done. But.....
You will need to be ok with owning a hot rod and possible no creature comforts.
Rip out the the current engine, radiator, transmission.
Install a carburated small block Ford 302/351 with matched transmission radiator etc,, set up your linkage for acceleration. Remove the dash and install mechanical gauges, a GPS speedometer. Not to sure about your AC/heat system and controls. If you are a electronics person you may be able you figure out the wiring for electric windows, steering wheel, heated seats, air bags.
Easy piesy, I think exhaust manifolds maybe biggest issue. But no more computer junk!
 
My opinion ( and they are like Teslas, everybody has one ) - if you are going to make a salvage claim with hagerty or whoever, kiss the car goodbye. I dont even know if it will be worth paying their reclaim cost, if you have that.

Stating this since you asked the question, which implies you dont have a ton of experience with salavage titles - the cars value is halved about.

It is a major hassle to sell. Many big auction houses like Barrett Jackson or Mecum may not accept the car at all, same for consignment companies.

So unless you absolutely love it and none of this is a concern, which it is or you wouldnt have asked. Take the money and run away from the car.

Other people might say otherwise. I know folks that think Buffalo NY has the best weather in the world. They live there so have to lie to themselves to keep their sanity. Same for people who trade in salvage title vehicles.
 
ltsheets said:
My wife’s 02 has been at the dealer for months now. We had mice damage to the main wiring harness along with a bad FEM. They haven’t been able to find a new wiring harness and can’t replace it with salvage due to liability reasons. It is possible my insurance is going to total the car due to parts availability. If that happens, we might consider using the money to swap with a modern and easy to work on engine IF we can also gut and replace the electronics in the steering column and dash as well. I’m curious if anyone has ever done this kind of thing and how much it cost. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Junk the car and buy another one, don't know where you live but it will not go through emissions testing, and you can't delete the cats, and the state will not issue a rebuilt tile on a car that doesn't comply to YOM emission standards.
 
biddle said:
BTW I'm calling BS on this. They "Won't" replace it. I've seen entire used salvaged motors put into cars at our local Ford Dealer that was bought online. Also, I don't know of a single person on the forum that has done this in over 20 years.
Click to expand...
Mice munched muchly on my Mercedes wiring. A local independent shop repaired it to full operation. Wiring damage can be costly. The repair on mine cost $2100, which was much better than to lose the car. It had only 12,000 miles at the time.
 
If and when my AJ35 ever decides to let go, I'm seriously considering going the Coyote route with a Terminator-X setup. If I go this route, a 6-speed manual is definitely something I'd look into, but I'm alright with the idea of the 10R80 auto too. Ideally, I'd love to keep the original dash cluster working and intact, but at the end of the day, this isn't a deal-breaker either. When I purchased mine 5 years ago, it had 42k on the clock and I would have never imagined altering it to try to preserve it as a clean example, but as I cross 72k this year - I'm thinking about my own personal enjoyment with it, rather than any intrinsic resale value as I have no intention of ever selling it as long as I'm free of any surprise financial apocalypse.
 
I think it's a great idea. Probably won't be much of the tbird left except the body but these things are getting so cheap that they can certainly be played with. Since this post is over a year old I would like to know how it turned out. Did you eventually put a Mustang GT under/in it?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top