SN95 Mustang as a school auto shop project

With any luck, a 1994 V6/automatic Mustang will be entering my life tomorrow, (in exchange for my 87 944), courtesy of Dean1484. As an auto shop teacher, I'm considering using that mustang as a basis for a shop project to build enthusiasm among the students. To that end, the first step will be a V-8 swap. I have two donor vehicles at my disposal, and that is the reason for this post. The first donor is a 1994 Ford F1 50 with a 302 in it, and the other is a 1995 Lincoln Mark eight. By popular vote, which swap would teach the kids the most, and produce the best end-result (Challenge priced V8 Mustang)? The 302 is appealing, because making power with a 302 is easy and cheap, but the four cam Lincoln motor is appealing because it is higher tech, and closer to the technology that the kids might actually encounter in the field. Plus, a dirt cheap pukka Cobra has its own appeal. Doing this on the challenge budget will be challenging (forgive the pun) because I am going into this with +/- $1500 into the 944 I'm trading Dean for his Mustang. To that end, whichever donor can be more profitably parted out after giving up its engine is probably the better donor.

I think that the motor in the lincoln is an early one and has very little power and not much potential due to the head design. You would probably meet to bring the trans with it. Hell at that point bring the entire Barnes across. A good learning experience in its self.

But

The 302 I think will require a k member but it can be made to really scoot. Headers, a cam, heads and intake from a explorer and you have the makings of a fun car.

302 should bolt into the 3.8 k member. As long as your staying below 500hp the 302 will do everything you want for alot less money. The early 4.6 cars are down on power compared too the later stuff and exspensive too wrangle power out of.

You guys confuse the 2v and the 4v. The 4v will have more stock power than the 302, thats a 280-290hp motor vs the trucks 205hp.

Granted, more parts are available for the 302 and it is much more buildable, but is that really the goal of the build and how much to make the 302 match the stock power of the 4v? (plus, the mod motors have proven more durable in Lemons )

The 302 mustang might be more sellable vs the 4.6 mustang in this case though.

I do not know if the linclon rear end is swappable, the V6 Mustang's had a weaker rear axle that wont withstand v8 abuse. The truck is likely the wrong width, but worth checking out. This may be the more determinant factor for donor.

Lincoln rear may or may not swap based on my research...

I think the 302 is the traditional path. Though I like the unique, I think as a skill learned in HS, the traditional could be better.
Of course, you point out that the more complex 4.6 is closer to the current world of modern cars so maybe this is their "traditional."

I see your quandary and I am no help.

Can you race the Lincoln Mark 8 as is and not have to do a swap?
Does that defeat too much of the purpose?

I agree, go with the tried and true 302. Plenty of resources for kids to learn how to build and it may be demotivating if they have to put in a bunch of work to get the 4v to work right or if it ends up not working out. Where are you located? I may have some parts that could help.

Once we get it all V-8 poweed and, of course, running, the next step is going to be figuring out how the hell we get an independent rear in it on the cheap. Maybe a Thunderturd parts car is what we need?

I also teach auto shop. I get excited and envious over projects like this.

Do the 32v! 5.0 is too easy and stock would probably be just as fast as the v6 in there

I gotta go with the 4v, too. As a fellow educator, I think that the bugs and "finnickiness" of the early mod motors will provide a richer pedagogical experience. It will also give students an insight into the evolution of ford engines which, I imagine, would be useful in the field. It will also give them experience working with unusual swaps which is definitely a marketable skill. I'm a big believer in giving students a project that exceeds their current level of understanding and letting them puzzle it out together.

chiodos wrote: Do the 32v! 5.0 is too easy and stock would probably be just as fast as the v6 in there

Wait What?

penultimeta wrote: I'm a big believer in giving students a project that exceeds their current level of understanding and letting them puzzle it out together.

Wheel nuts are my students' nemesis. Backwards (even shouldered nuts), not torqued, over-torqued, missing, rounded off with the wrong socket.....

Or even throwing a coat of paint on the hoist at the end of the semester (Video)

If it were in my shop, I would go for the simplest swap, put a Thumper cam and some glass packs in it, and paint it something racey. The kids would throw money at you to own it.

M030 wrote: Maybe a Thunderturd parts car is what we need?

Definitely not. It shares no parts commonality at all with the SN95 platform and besides...have you looked under the back of the Mark 8?

(Not that the Mark 8 parts will fit the Mustang either)

dean1484 wrote:

chiodos wrote: Do the 32v! 5.0 is too easy and stock would probably be just as fast as the v6 in there

Wait What?

Okay i retract my statement, i didnt realize the sn95 of that year was 145hp, ive driven a 95 v6 extensivly and still didnt realize it was that low. But 195hp is hardly a performance increase, expecially when a 280hp dohc v8 is the other option

The only real complications I can see with goin 4v is needing to source a 96-98 gt/cobra cross member and modifying or buying exhaust manifolds (nothing a welder can't fix) everything else could be modified to work

SkinnyG wrote: I also teach auto shop. I get excited and envious over projects like this.

In reply to SkinnyG:

Id love to talk with you sometime, to discuss our respective shop programs. Maybe we could even put our heads together and come up with a better idea than building a Mustang. I teach with fellow GRM user, "carbon" and the difficultly we face with project cars is our program's rolling admissions. So, we need exciting (to the kids) projects than can be completed in no more than a couple of months, because the students are constantly cycling in and out. - Brian

M030 wrote: I teach with fellow GRM user, "carbon" and the difficultly we face with project cars is our program's rolling admissions. So, we need exciting (to the kids) projects than can be completed in no more than a couple of months, because the students are constantly cycling in and out.

That makes it sound like you should be going for the absolutely least complicated option then (put a 302 in and call it a day) as opposed to messing around with stuff that will take significant re-engineering to work like MN12 IRS swaps and so forth. The benefits of a V8 swap are immediately understandable to kids of that age and something they would surely get excited about.