Ford Mod Motors - Swap In A 4.6

While we were in the yard, we came across this Lincoln Mark VIII. These cars came equipped with a 4.6L four-valve that is essentially a '96 to '98 Cobra engine only with a cast crank.

If you want to swap in a four-valve 4.6L and you can't find a Cobra engine, the Mark VIII might be the way to go. Bolt on a flywheel and a Cobra intake manifold and you are ready to go.

This is a '66 fastback modified by the Mustang Shop with an '01 Cobra four-valve 4.6L with the Tremec 3650 purchased off of eBay complete from a wrecked Cobra. It put down 300 hp at the wheels.

The first step The Mustang Shop used to get the block into the car was the RC Motorsports suspension kit. It consists of the tubular upper control arms, coilovers, a rack-and-pinion steering system, an engine crossmember, and a disc brake kit. The factory shock towers need to be removed for the installation and the support brackets need to be welded to the chassis. This could be done by a car crafter with a flat garage floor and some welding skills. The Mustang Shop recommends sending the car to an alignment shop to be sure it is square before you start.

The '64 to '73 cars are rear steer. The RC Motorsports kit eliminates that and adds a rack-and-pinion in front of the crossmember. The stock Cobra rear sump pan will fit, so if you do not have the pan or if you run into a pan that no one has seen before (it happens), you can buy one from Ford Racing or use an aftermarket road race pan from Milodon (PN31120).

It is possible to use the stock radiator (four-core heavy-duty) for the swap. The upper connection is on the right side (passenger) and the lower is on the left (driver) side. The Mustang Shop recommends an aftermarket radiator in any case.

All the factory accessories will bolt in with the RC Motorsports kit, including A/C. The engine sits in about the same position as a standard 289 or 302, but because the mod engine is shorter, it looks like it is farther back in the engine compartment.

The Mustang Shop has the best luck with Ford Racing shorties that are designed for the GT Mustang (PN M-9430-E464). They go in with the motor and clear the stock steering shaft.

Most of the installations we've seen have used five- or six-speed manual transmissions. The easiest way to mate a standard transmission to a '64 to '73 Mustang is to find a wrecked Mustang GT and use the factory T45. It will fit without altering the floorpan, but you need to make sure you match the number of bolts on your crank flange to the number of bolts on the flywheel. It can have either six or eight bolts. The larger Tremec TKO 500/600 requires the floor to be raised to get the transmission and driveshaft angles correct.

The factory steering column needs to shortened and a new steering shaft needs to be connected to the new rack-and-pinion that comes with the RC kit. An alternative to cutting a stock column is to use an aftermarket column from Flaming River or ididit.

If you buy a complete engine and transmission, be sure to get the original harness and computer. We've seen complete used drivetrains selling between $2,500 and $3,500. An engine wiring kit from The Detail Zone is about $850 and will add everything you need to control the drive-by-wire throttle body and fuel system. It is possible to use a stock harness and make it work on a relay or control module board, but that is a job beyond the scope of this story.

For the carburetor guy, Edelbrock and Sullivan Performance Products make a carbureted 4.6L intake manifold. You still have to control the ignition, so Edelbrock sells its intake with a coil-on-plug controller. That saves cash, wiring time, fuel system expense, and a lot of other things you might not want to deal with. If you are doing this swap just to get fuel injection, you can swap one onto your 302 for a lot less cash.