1stGenCelica.com

so i just bought a tbird with a rebuilt never run carbed 302.. the car is scrap, was going to throw the motor into my celica. this guy is offering to trade for a wrecked late 90s tbird with a mod motor with 80k. ive been doing some searching and cant find anyone who has swapped the mod motor into our cars.. does it fit? its ohc, so its wider.. i liked the idea of the 302 cause you dont have to cut anything to get it to fit. any thoughts?

Hello, its way wider, and requires much more skill to install, due to fitment, and electronics required to run it...Mike

Run AWAY!!! The 90 and some 91 4.6L engines are bastard motors, they are not completely MOD motors as they carry over some mounting traits from the 5.0L. The later year MOD motors are good, but are WAY more expensive to modify compared to the 5.0L, and the 5.0L is way liter, and way smaller physically. A 4.6L is dimensionally the same size as a 460ci big block, so just imagine trying to put that in the front of the Celica. A 5.0 swap would be a walk in the park in comparison to the MOD motor.

thanks alot guys... i was wondering why i didnt see a mod motor swap and now i know why. i was just talking to my buddy, and up at his shop they have a 1uz and a mod motor next to eachother, and the 1uz is way smaller by like 6 inches or so on a side. so i guess if i wanted to go newer that would have to be my route .too bad the 5speed stuff is way too big of a pain in the @$$.

And a 5.0L is like 6 inches smaller than 1UZ.

I wouldnt do the 4.6 either. It will fit, but with way too little clearance. Plus on top of that, they arnt really powerhouses...unless say a 3V or 4V with a blower.

Heres a vid to watch... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU5iiyBzl8E

Now as far as the 302. Im slowly swapping a 302 in my pickup. The 302 is just a tad bigger than the 22R, but not by much. Its a much better fit than say even a SBC.

A tidbit of information...The 5.0 T-Bird and Cougar, (like 90 body style) seem to have the closest serpentine setup for the SBF. Giving the most rad clearance.

Actually, the 94-95 Mustang and 91-93 Cougar and 91-93 Thunderbird all ran the same engine setup (which is the one I have in my Vic). And he is correct that it is the most compact belt setup of all of them.....except! Maybe the V8 Explorer, which might actually be even tighter, and as an addes bonus, it's also the best 5.0L to get as they are equiped with the same heads and intake as found on the Cobra model 5.0L engines.

Don't do a 4.6 unless you get a late model 3 valve. But you'll still have fitment issues.
The 5.0 is much better fit and the aftermarket support is crazy.

its been a while, but i have found my drive train. i have a carbed 302 that was built to go into a turbo coupe, but then the swap never got finished and a cat died inside, making the car very cheap. and i found another tc with a t5 in it, so i think im going to go ford all the way back, including an 8.8 rear lsd. finally started to tear into it, now that i have my own garage. will post pics soon...

Just so everyone knows there is a all aluminium 4.6 Dohc from a lincoln continental. That you can swap the 2valve PI heads onto. Mixed with a carb conversion while maintaning the coil on plug could be a fun build. Same dimensions as a 460ci BBF Bad@$$ when you think about. I personally have found these lincoln intech mod engines for $250 at the pick a part. Not to mention that the T45 transmissions are fairly decent. My calculations are under $3k to build and mount a mod engine as i spoke of. Including parts and machine work. If one where to by a donor wrapped around a telephone pole 99-2004 mustang gt an entire fuel injection setup with iron block and 2v heads should stay in the 4-5k range and that would contain a rear axle lsd and rear disc of course with an entire donor car and the mustang having a similar chassis configuration some individaul could get very creative.