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It has been awhile since I last posted. As a recap, I have a 94 miata with a 5.0/302 engine swap here in CA. It was all done legally and has a smog sticker for CA emissions which states a 94 Ford 5.0L engine was used. As pointed out by you all previously, pictures of the motor say that it is a 93 302 and not a 94 302. The car passes 94 emission standards just fine.
Anyway, the motor needs to be rebuilt, I have driven the wheels off of it the past couple of years.
I want to spend the time learning to rebuild the motor myself, so in the meantime, I want to order a stock long block crate motor.
Shopping around, various builders always want to know the 8th digit VIN letter (usually a D, E or T)... I do not have this information.
From what I have learned so far: there is a block stamp ID I can get (haven't looked yet, too tight to see it with engine in car). There is a head stamp ID I can get, and a website suggested there is a stamped ID on the camshaft also.
What do I need to do to make sure I order a similar motor that will have the same fitting ports in the same locations and most of all will adhere to the emissions standards I need to pass.
I am hoping just matching up all of the IDs mentioned previously will suffice but I can't seem to find a straight answer nor even get a response from the various avenues I have tried.
Can you point me in the right direction so I can learn this stuff?
If you're gonna use the engine thats in your Miata currently for the rebuild,a machine shop is the best place to take care of everything youll need done to the block,crank & rods to get it ready for the rebuild.If you're planning to keep the stock displacement,the condition of your cylinder walls will determine whether you can remain the oem 302ci or step up to 306ci.A 306 is nothing more than a 302 with a 0.030" overbore.If you let them do the block work,you can simply buy a rebuild kit and assemble the shortblock yourself. They'll also have to turn/polish the crank (if needed) and fit your new pistons to your stock rods.If you do a stock or mild build with bolt ons,Summit Racing sells a complete rebuild kit with everything youll need to complete the shortblock,other than a cam/lifters/timing set.The pistons in the kit are available for a 4.000,4.020,4.030 or 4.040 bore and in hypereutectic,cast or forged material.As far as piston choice goes,the oem 5.0 HO pistons were as follows:
(86) forged flat tops with no valve reliefs
(87-92) forged flat tops with valve reliefs
(93-95) hypereutectic flat tops with valve reliefs
Thanks (93-95) hypereutectic flat tops with valve reliefs was a piece of information I was still missing.
I still need to find a local shop to do the machine work, that is down the road. Right now it is finding the correct crate motor online.
Below are 93 and 94 engine pictures that finally showed me the visual differences between the two.
93:
94:
I found this, which makes me believe I have a VIN "E" motor, based on the 8th coding below: 1981-1993 Mustang VIN: ex: 1FABP27M7EF100001 - 17 characters Character Significance Crack the code 1st to 3rd World manufacturer 1FA = FMC, passenger car 4th Restraint system B = Active manual seat belt, C = Active seat belts airbag 5th Passenger car P = Passenger car 6th & 7th Body model* 10 & 26 (L,GL,GLX), 12 (Ghia), 40 (LX, LX 5.0) = 2dr notchback 16 & 28 (GL,GT,GLX,L,LX), 41 (LX,LX 5.0), 42 (LX 5.0, GT) = 3dr hatchback 27 (GLX,GT,LX), 44 (LX), 45 (GT) = convertible 8th Engine D = 4.2 2bbl, F = 5.0L HO 2bbl/4bbl, M = 5.0L HO 4bbl/CFI/SEFI(1987), E = 5.0L HO SEFI, D = GT40 9th Check digit 0-9 10th Year B = 1981,C = 1982,D = 1983,E = 1984,F = 1985,G = 1986,H = 1987 J = 1988,K = 1989,L = 1990,M = 1991,N = 1992,P = 1993 11th Assembly plant F = Dearborn, R = San Jose 12th to 17th Production number x Mustang produced
Last for 93 and assuming Vin "E" is correct, I found these casting numbers:
So with all of this taken into consideration, when I take my existing motor out and I see these same casting numbers, am I confident that a crate motor order will be an exact match.
Again, space it tight, a wrong location for a connection port can ruin things and of course, I still need to pass CA emissions as a 94 apparently.
I've swapped an engine out of a 1992 mustang into my 1994 and all of the connections were in the same place (minus the intake manifold which is different obviously) If you are just doing a lower end swap ie just the block it's self, you'll be good with either.
I actually got a call back from the local CA smog referee. He penalized me with a loss of a down and 10 yards. j/k.
He basically said as long as it is passing tailpipe as a 94 and the smog technician isn't realizing the motor has the wrong intake manifold on it (amongst other visual cues). Then don't worry about it.
If at some point a smog technician catches it then he said I might be required to change the 93 intake manifold with the 94 intake manifold.
Is this a direct swap fit with no issues? (the wiring harness connectors will all match up, the ecu is compatible with the 94 sensors on the manifold, etc)
According to the link below,the E code is for the 94-95 Cobra 5.0,which would have GT40 heads and intake.Once you open the link,scroll down to where it says:
"AMERICAN ENGINE CODES"
"Engine codes for passenger cars"
:then scroll down to the Windsor section (in blue text) and youll see the chart for the 5.0 section.
Oh well, I guess I have gone as far as I can at this point until I get the existing motor out and start looking at the casting numbers and whatever else catches the eye.
06-12-2019, 06:14 PM
Is a 302 a 302?
