I have a stock 71 Pinto that I want to do the 302 swap to, what 8" rear is a direct bolt in swap and which year cars migh have this rear in it,thanks Darrin
Got any idea what is involved in swapping a v8 into a '71? It's not a bolt-in! There are no motor mounts available, firewall needs to be cut out ect. (just asking ;) )
My 8" came from a '67 Mustang, it was a direct fit as far as the mounts go.
I got a book from Ebay thats states the whole V8 swap, I know you have to make your own mounts(this book has a template to follow for the mounts) there is no cutting of the firewall , least there is no mention of it , the motor mounts are what I call solid plates, so maybe with using them the motor sits more forward so no cutting of firewall. I just want to look for a 8" rear where the spring perches don't have to be cut and repositioned to fit,
I used a '70's era Mavrick V-8 / 5 lug. If I recall correctly the only thing I had to do was elongate the hole for the center bolt head - L to R. Ten minutes with a die grinder.
The 8" rear from a Mustang II or a later Pinto is the easiest (no cutting, grinding, or welding) but it is a four lug set up. The drive shaft length may need adjusting.
The 74 and later Pinto radiator support bends forward for more engine room. That ebay book may have been based on the later models. I have read that instead of cutting, the firewall/tunnel can be adjusted for clearance with a large hammer. Have back up transportation and have fun.
I have that book as well and it is a piece of crap for the most part. I did make mounts for mine similar to what is described. The engine bay in the '71-73 is smaller than the '74 up and you WILL without a doubt have to cut and modify the firewall. (ask me how I know)
That book makes it seem as if you can put a V8 in your car over the weekend. Believe me, you better be prepared to do a lot of research, fabricating, part searching, more fabricating, cutting, trimming, adjusting, more fabricating.... :P
Sooooo many nice Pinto's have been cut up by people trying to stuff a V8 in this little car, and when it didn't happen overnight and they realized that it was going to take FAR more work than they thought, then there goes another Pinto to the scrapyard.
If you are dead set on using the '71 it can be done, but if not and it is a nice car you may want to sell it and pick up a '74 up to do the swap.
I made a thread on here when I did my swap, it's called "71 V8 Swap, Let the Fun Begin" It is in the projects section on page 2 or 3. You might want to read it before you start. :)
On my 73, I cut the front radiator support (top and bottom) as well as adjusted the firewall with a sledge. Had to go back and weld the gaps I put in doing so. Wish I started with a 74. I did find using a Fox body Mustang drive shaft to be the same length as the pinto and used it to position the motor in the bay of my car. Check out my website for all of my work getting my 351w and 302 into the car. Any questions, shoot me an email. Hope that helps.
I put a 306 roller motor, aT-5 transmission, and an 8.8 rear end in a 72 wagon. I had to modify the radiator support top and bottom, modify the firewall(NOT with a hammer), make a transmission mount, cut ALL of the coil spring stuff off of the rear end and weld new leaf spring mounting on making sure the width was correct and the pinion angle was correct. I also used the original Pinto driveshaft by making it nearly 3 inches shorter and putting Mustang yokes on each end. Heddman Hedders makes an excellent set of headers for this swap(NOT cheap) and a stock early mustang oil pan works just fine. BIG BILL