GibMax

I6 to V8 Upgrade - Price?
How much would it cost to upgrade a I6 to a V8? Okay, I know all kinds of other parts are needed (radiator, trans, backend) and labor. Anybody want to give a rough idea? I heard $3,500 for a rebuilt V8. Then $500 to pull the I6 engine and $500 to install the V8.

vineman

that seems like a lot of money to pull and install an engine to me. Maybe if they were the ones that were going to hook it all up and tune it for you then I could maybe see that. See if it'll drop the price if you can just have them drop it in and then let you do whatever you can to get it running/hooked up and have them do what you can't. Also, I would suggest setting up the I6 to be removed by unhooking everything from it except for the tranny maybe and then asking for them to give it to you afterwards so you can dispose of it. This is of course all assuming you wont be driving it to the shop. $3500 sounds about right for a good running v8.

andrewmp6

If its a 4 lug car your looking about 3 grand to change everything over to the v8 set up then the engine tranny and everything else.

JMD

The swap can be much cheaper with a rusty V-8 donor stang of the same generation.... If the cheap rusty donor happens to runwell by some miracle, (good engine and trans?) the swapwill be even cheaper.

TexasAxMan should comment on this, he did a very economical conversion...

We spent a lot on our swap, but we would have replaced much of the stuff that had to be swapped anyway.

To do a proper job, lots of stuff has to be replaced.... tie rods, tie rod ends, spindles, brakes, hubs, coil springs, tires & wheels, engine, motor mounts, throttle linkage, bell housing, clutch, transmission (auto or manual must be replaced), driveshaft, rear axle, (w/brakes),lots of hoses, and other incidentals.

Some of the stuff can wait for a while, but the safety stuff should be done fairly quickly or right up front. Everything about the swap is really easy, everything will bolt right up, no fit issues, no modifying the car body at all....

My opinion is that if you have or can get a 6 cylinder Mustang that is in great shape with little or no rust, the swap is a very viable option. If you were to need to do lots of rust and/or body repair + do all of this chassis work, you will need to consider the car a labor of love...

The generic prices you have been given will not hold.... the parts required alone will not allow a shop to completeeven a half *** swapforthe 1K quoted, ain't happening.Chances are the 3,500 you were quoted for a rebuilt 302 will not include pulleys and accessories, intake manifold, carb, distributor, starter, plugs & wires, motor mounts, V-8 bell housing & V-8 clutch... This stuff will cost...

I would certainly expect a lot more than just a "stock rebuild" for a $3,500 engine though.... a stock rebuiltlong blockcan probably be had for about $1,200....

TexasAxMan

Here's what I did.

Buy a parts car (I got a '65 coupe for $400) to strip everything you need for v8 out of, refer to the FAQ for a complete list but for starters: 8" rearend, accelerator linkage, engine wiring harnesses (although I'm not gonna use mine), engine mount brackets, etc.. Afterwards I sold the car (less all the parts I took off) for $350 (if memory serves).

Bought the Laurel Mountain Mustang full suspension kit for $809, this provides a complete new suspension front and rear (less drag link). Bought the www.discbrakeswap.com kit for $525. Spent about $170 on parts to rebuild the rear brakes (this includes wheel cylinders, drums, shoes, springs and clips).

So all told, about $1600 plus the cost of the engine and transmission, which I already had. Now, to be completely honest, I have also put in new fuel tank, fuel lines (tank to carb), brake lines, wiring harness (not in yet), etc. In addition, I have bought fuel pump, carburetor, distributor, etc. for the engine. So, if I were doing a budget based on what I know now, I would say you'll spend about $2,000 - $2,200 doing the conversion if you buy a parts car, considerably more if you don't, plus the price of the engine and transmission.

I hope this helps, feel free to PM me if necessary for clarification.