if i ordered a brand

J. Quality · 08-01-2006

new 88' thunderbird 2.3 turbo engine, computer and transmission from auto zone.

wat else wuld i need to swap my stock 2.3 88lx engine

evintho · 08-02-2006

I doubt very much the engines from Autozone are turbo motors. I'll bet my paycheck they're just reconditioned naturally aspirated 2.3's, which will do you no good at all! As I said before, buy a donor car! Instead of spending $1500 for the above motor, grab this XR4ti which has everything you need and have $600 left over!
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/car/183944042.html

All the wiring and technical info you'll need are right here....................
http://www.stinger-performance.com/TechMain.html

Judging from your posts you're probably new to the automotive/turbo game. IMHO I think you'd be best served by purchasing a donor car (if you've got the room to store it) and reading up on basic mechanics and turbo conversions.
www.turboford.net is the mother of all turbo websites. Also, this is an excellent reference book. It explains everything in great detail. There's no substitute for knowledge.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FORD-...spagenameZWDVW

If I were you, I'd educate myself and collect the necessary parts over the summer (it's too hot to work on cars down there at this time of year, anyway). Once the weather cools down begin your swap. Take your time and ask lots of questions. It's practically a bolt in swap. Not too hard at all. Good luck!

**74stang2togo** · 08-04-2006

Evintho is definitely right in that buying a donor car and reading and studying up on the swap is the way to go.

I haven't done the 2.3 to 2.3T swap (YET! lol) but I have swapped from 2.3 carbureted to 2.3 EFI, Chevy 2.8 to Chevy 350 in a Camaro, and I'm in the middle of my second 2.3 to 5.0 swap in a Mustang right now!

If you park the two cars (donor and recipient) side-by-side, work carefully, and remove what you don't need from the recipient first, you'll do fine. Make sure and read up on the swap from good, reputable sources, (there are a few books and magazine articles out there, as well as forums such as this one) and if/when all else fails, take pics (digital cameras are godsends when doing this kind of work) and post them with your questions here and someone will be glad to help (including myself.)

J. Quality · 08-04-2006

thas alot of dam work........thanks i really appreciate it

J. Quality · 08-04-2006

overall all i that is necessary for the swap is just the engine, tranny, wiring harness, and computer right??????

evintho · 08-05-2006

Pretty much! You could even reuse your tranny. Hopefully it's not an automatic!

J. Quality · 08-05-2006

thanks....i got a manual....thank you..though

J. Quality · 08-06-2006

would i have to change my radiator since that merker is a automatic??????

evintho · 08-07-2006

Swap your Mustang bell housing and manual tranny onto the Merk's 2.3 and use your Mustang radiator.

J. Quality · 08-08-2006

so i would have to change the tranny afteral.....and wats da housing.....

sorry im new

**74stang2togo** · 08-16-2006

He's not saying to change the tranny, he's saying to re-use your Mustangs tranny and bellhousing (large, dome-shaped housing that covers the clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, and throwout bearing. It's bolted directly to the engine block, can't miss it.)

A 2.3T, five speed, and decent rear gear (most 2.3s are in luck in that regard, usually having a 3.73, but not always) will give you a FAST car that gets fantastic gas mileage.