I just bought a 1979 pinto with the 2.3 and automatic and want to put in a v8 and tranny, can anyone help me with a parts list of materials that i may need to make this a smoothe swap cuz i just want to do this one time and get it right. Thanks, Kingpin
i did this swap about 13 years ago so i may be missing some things here but im sure the other v8 guys will chime in.
mustang ii oil pan and oil pump pickup. from what i remember the pan needed to be modded a little for steering rack clearance. mustang ii bellhouisng. i ran a c4 and the small m ii bell fits something like a 141 tooth flywheel. i had to notch the firewall a little for the top 2 bellhousing bolts. m ii exhaust manifolds work but there are some aftermarket headers available. the headers i had were hooker super comps. if i remember right, tranny mounts and driveshafts were the same on my car, which was a 76 wagon with an auto and an 8 inch rear. for my v6, i had to move one of the frame mounts back 1 inch and i used mustang ii motor mounts. the radiator core support was cut for more clearance and i mounted the radiator in front of the support instead of behind. i had kept it duraspark so that was all pretty much the same.
i do still have that bellhousing, flywheel and i believe the stock manifolds if you have interest. id have to look for the manifolds.
bob
I did my swap with the 71 model so it will be different than yours. The oil pan and pick up are key items, i made my oil pan, 71pintoracer bought a lowpro front sump from summit or jegs i think he says it works well. Wish i had a list for you but with mine being the early model it wouldnt be the same. But i can tell you the most important part you need is time. It takes some time to do it rite but its way worth your time. If you use the search field you will find A LOT of info on this subject.
Good Luck.
David, I did not use the low-profile pan, got lucky and found a MII pan on e-bay. They are really hard to find and can bring a good price. Somehow I got mine for $65.00! I've seen them bring $200+!! The pans from Summit and Jegs are Milodon, there is an e-bay store that sells a cheaper brand, can't say 100% if they will work or not. Same deal with the MII motor mounts. Rare and pricey.
The '79 model is an easier swap but by no means is it a cake walk. You need to be prepared to cut, weld, fabricate, ect, ect. Too many of these cars have been cut up and trashed by people who jump in with no planning and give up mid way into the swap.
There is a ton of info on this site, David (smallfryfarm) and I have both done in-depth articles on the swap. Mine is in the projects section and is called "71 V8 Swap, Let The Fun Begin" David's is posted in a different Forum (can't remember which one David!!) Type V8 swap in the search box and read, read, read!! I also did a thread in the projects section on sub-frame connectors which you will also need if you are making any kind of horsepower at all.
Good luck and if you still decide to do your swap there are a bunch of great people here to help you with parts and info along the way.
"I also did a thread in the projects section on sub-frame connectors which you will also need if you are making any kind of horsepower at all."
Very cool and helpful post. Missed seeing it before.
I have a question for you though. Do you have any pics of the front part of the connectors where they meet the original sheet metal? Just curious about how you did that end.
Thanks,
Russ
71pintoracer said it best, dont do this if your not ready to work. i,personally, did not find the swap to be hard. but, at the same time, i did not expect it to be a direct bolt in. i also had a v8 m ii as a parts car. no matter how many m iis there were, there wasnt one v8 pinto from the factory. be ready to butt your head to a wall from time to time.
bob
Russ, I don't have any other pics besides the ones I posted, but the front of the connectors just slid up over the factory rails and I welded directly to them. :)
Ok, thanks. That was my main question. I am not sure whether to go inside them or outside yet. Probably come down to what size tubing I can get when the time comes.
How far forward did you end up going with them?
Russ
Russ you have to go on the outside so you will have a place to weld to, and in my opinion the further you come forward the better. I used heavy wall tubing and came all the way to the front. If you think of it as leverage the rear of the car is picking up the front and further forward you go the better the leverage.
I know I answered this, hope it doesn't show up twice.
I've always heard of going on the inside, after drilling holes in the subframe for plug welding. But that is also with using full tubing, not channel, for the connectors. And that was also on the vintage Mustangs. Guess that is something I will have to play with once I get down under there. Suppose I could always use the tubing, but cut the top off where it meets the subframes.
Question, are the leaf spring front mounts welded on all the years? On the Mustang II's, they are bolt on. I haven't yet gotten under the Pinto that much to look around.
I like the idea of going as far forward as possible. Was just curious how far he had done his.
Thanks,
Russ
my name is mike i own a 1980 pinto wagon i want to install a 5.0 @ a c4 trans i need all information on this conversion please email me @ bigmike460@gmail.com headers motor mount flywheels rear end thanks for the info
:welcome:
type "V8 swap" in the search box and start reading! when you get to specific questions post them and someone will help. :)