I know this is like beating a dead horse with a stick but i am about to start the conversion. I have a question for those that have completed the conversion or anyone with knowledge about the conversion. why have more used a donor front clip for the conversion? i have a donor available if needed but dont know the easiest why to get the 4.6 in. my thoughts were to cut the shock towers out (or front clip) and weld the donors towers in (or clip, which ever is easier/quicker). anyone know why this hasnt been much of an option. is it because of the structure integrity? any help would be appreciated.

 

sorry, i meant to ask why more have not used a donor clip or shock towers. wasnt able to edit after i posted. thanks

 

It's much easier to use a custom K-member and simply clearance the stock strut towers. The 4.6 is really wide. You seriously chose one of the hardest to shoehorn into and early pony.

 

yea i know the trouble people have placing the 4.6 in the bay but i havent found the article that says how to cut the towers though. still researching it and just curious too.

 

Do you plan to road race or autox? If so then you might want to consider avoiding this swap(especially on a budget) or at least be sure of what you're doing before you start cutting.

If you do notch the shock towers then you better have a good welder with good welding skills. Use good steel to close the tower back up and make sure the welds penetrate well. And consider doing some of the Trans-Am mods at that point(weld the stock reinforcing plates around the edges to the tower, throw more more reinforcing plates in, add gussets etc).

One of the biggest problems with this swap is not the size issue, but the early Mustangs have flimsy front superstructures ANYWAY...chopping stuff up and changing the suspension layout doesn't help.

 

i plan on starting off as a street race setup. i am copying a stock combo my friend has in his 03 cobra an he ran high 10's low 11's. i am aware of the flimsy structure and therefore thought a modern front clip would reenforce it better. i am trying to find the best stock tower setup at this time. since this is the suspension stage. that is my main focus at this point and plan on taking my time during the build. not that money is not an object but i am being patient so that everything is done right. do it right the first time, as my grandfather said.

 

anybody heard anything about these:


http://www.cjponyparts.com/shock-tow...968/p/M3631HR/

 

A modern clip would make it handle worse the fox body up is strut on spindle which sucks at handling.Honestly you can build a stroked 351w with more power and bolts right in,Or a 557 stroked 460 will eat any mod motor out there and bolt right in.

 

Contact Dave Stribling at DVS (Jeffersonville, IN if I remember correctly). He has done conversions using the front struts from the later Mustang. Most guys use a Mustang 2 type front end for clearance. There was a guy on another forum (http://www.modularfords.com/forums/f...ar-Conversions) who notched his towers and got a front sump pan for a mod motor.

 

I would strongly suggest you do the math for how much time and money will be spent doing the mod motor swap compared to building a windsor motor to the same power levels.

You are already talking about alot of cutting and fitting just to get it in the bay. Then you need to look at suspension and steering and the geometry involved in them to get it to handle properly. When a windsor motor is bolt in and ready to go.