What if Motor Swap

the sandman · Saturday at 9:57 AM

I have a 07GT with 180k . It is a pleasure to drive sounds awesome and very comfortable. Just not enough giddy up at mid 13,s. So do I throw money into 4.6 or coyote swap? Godzilla swap? Boss swap? Or possibly 408 Cleveland or Windsor. If 500plus whp na is the goal at the minimum cost that pretty much eliminates the Coyote. 7.3 is a easy to work on package and can get complete crates or take outs for 8k or less. I like the idea of the 6.2 and can get a used runner under $2500 but everything for it is pricey. I dont think the old tech is feasible because I would have lots invested just in heads alone. I do have a 400 complete. But trans would be a problem. Car is manual. I would probably plan on a 6060 or TKX or similar. I could run pump gas with these also. Thoughts?

StockishS197 · Saturday at 10:16 AM

5.0 would be the easiest - can get a complete swap kit easily, and it’s largely plug and play, and could use your T3650 behind it. And with the right combo and E85, you could do 500rwhp NA.

7.3 would be my second suggestion as companies have started selling swap harnesses for this one too.

Anything else would be custom and far more difficult/expensive.

Dino Dino Bambino · Saturday at 11:45 AM

It depends on your budget and how much down time you can afford.
When it comes to engine swaps, anything that didn't already come in the S197 body is going to require the additional down time of custom fabrication and sourcing custom parts. A Coyote swap is virtually plug n play but even that can take a few weeks to complete, and that's if you have a complete donor car. If you don't, make that months.

2005-2009 Ford Mustang Coyote 5.0L Engine Swap

If you're aiming for 500rwhp N/A you're going to need a Gen 2 or 3 short block with Gen 2 heads & Gen 1 cams/timing gear (2-2-1 or 3-2-1) as a starting point plus full bolt ons & E85.
There is another alternative though. You could rebuild your 4.6 with some tasty upgrades https://web.archive.org/web/2025080...ngelfire.com/my/fan/Mustang2006GT/Engine.html and add forced induction.

cavero · Saturday at 2:09 PM

Are the wiring harness mostly plug-n-play now? When I was looking into it a couple years ago I was reading a lot about things like the instrument cluster not working properly.

Depending on your budget, you could look for a Voodoo Gen 2 (the 5.2L out of the GT350, 2019 - 2020). I've heard the Gen 1 had issues. Would be a really special build, but expensive and probably a lot of work to get everything right. I've seen engine/transmission combos on eBay for like $15k.

MrBhp · Saturday at 4:32 PM

Or just strap a single turbo to that 4.6 and call it a day.

Dino Dino Bambino · Saturday at 5:15 PM

cavero said:
Depending on your budget, you could look for a Voodoo Gen 2 (the 5.2L out of the GT350, 2019 - 2020). I've heard the Gen 1 had issues.

Yeah the Gen 1 Voodoo had a tendency to burn oil. If you didn't check the oil level regularly and top it up as required, the oil level could drop low enough to starve the rod hearings, and that's not a very good thing if you run the engine up to 8000rpm!
I'd love to see someone do a Voodoo swap into a white 05-09 GT and build it up as a 1965 GT350 style replica with blue stripes (or a 1966 Hertz GT350 style rentaracer replica in black & gold).

the sandman · 2026-07-26T08:54:59-0400

Im intrigued by the 6.2l Boss. Might be heaviest but easy to get 500plus whp on pump gas and all stock engine minus cams and springs. On pump gas. Why hasn't anyone done this? 7.3 is logical choice and engine needs only cam. Swaps are pricey so if you can run stock heads and internals. That saves a bunch.

the sandman · 2026-07-26T10:52:16-0400

Putting all new in 4.6 to get to desired level would be pricey. I could get a running engine that needs nothing and puts out what is desired.

StockishS197 · 2026-07-26T21:07:06-0400

the sandman said:
Putting all new in 4.6 to get to desired level would be pricey. I could get a running engine that needs nothing and puts out what is desired.

Any engine swap will be more expensive than building the 4.6, HP/$

Dino Dino Bambino · 2026-07-26T23:51:58-0400

StockishS197 said:
Any engine swap will be more expensive than building the 4.6, HP/$

A LOT more expensive when you add up the number of man hours of labour involved.

the sandman · 2026-07-27T05:31:16-0400

I got on the 6.2l boss forum and asked for anyone thats done a s197 swap and they blocked my post. I have been told I could run my ecu with a 7.3l, just need to change wheel on crank. That would save a bundle. A used 7.3 , headers, k member, clutch and trans and im in for $10k cam and intake $4k. So now I have say $15k plus cost of car into a 21 year old car worth less than expense of swap. But it should be fast and fun. Plus they look better than newer stangs.

2008_ScarlettGT · 2026-07-27T09:24:27-0400

Doing any swap will most likely occur more expense than the car is worth afterwards unless the car is bought at an excellent price. I’m very upside down financially in my build, but I don’t intend to sell for quite a while (if ever) so it doesn’t bother me at all.

Ultimately, if you’re doing a swap you need to set a budget and know what it’s worth to you. Also, realize that unless you budget every detail, your swap will end up costing more than you planned! In the end, I spent $8k above my original budget and I still have more I can do. My kids have taken an interest in the car so it may stay in the family beyond me so cost wasn’t a huge concern and I also came to terms that I will never recoup what I spent.

Another important thing to note…I did not pay for labor since I did the swap myself. Labor will greatly impact any project!

What if Motor Swap

the sandman

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StockishS197

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Dino Dino Bambino

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cavero

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MrBhp

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Dino Dino Bambino

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the sandman

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the sandman

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StockishS197

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Dino Dino Bambino

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the sandman

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2008_ScarlettGT

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