Putting a turbo 3.8 in my stang

chris88lx

New Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2003
I'm interested in this swap, but I have a few questions.

1. If I go ahead and put in the Buick powerplant, can I retain my
T-5 transmission? I relly hate automatics.

2. With some simple bolt-ons, maybe a stroker kit, and some nice
flowing heads/intake, what can I expect for horsepower?

3. As this car is my daily driver, would it be best to park it for a
while and plan on it being down for quite some time?

4. Is there anyone out there who is available to help me with the
technical side of it (i.e., wiring, motor mounts, etc...)? Possibly
for monetary compensation?

5. Should I just sell the Mustang and buy a GN/GNX/T-Type like
everyone else? Would it be easier? Cheaper?

If someone could help me out with some starting points, I would be most grateful. I am fairly new to the Turbo-6 crowd, but I love the sound of a turbo and the style of the GN's is awesome. There are a couple reasons I would be considering this swap in my Stang, number one because I feel an emotional attachment to the car, and number two because it's unique, and no one else in this area has done such a thing as far as I know. Any help that you turbo gurus can offer is most appreciated. Thanks in advance. -Chris-
 
Board member Longduckdong(sp?) from Montgomery,AL can help you out.He can make the motor mounts for ya. His email is jcarswel1@yahoo.com I beleive.He can also be found on turbobuicks.com in the hybrid section. Do a search. To anwser one of your ??s is no you cant keep your 5 speed.HTH

Drew
 
Has been done in several light bodies of all makes, great power-to-weight ratio.

I'll take a stab at some of your queries...

1. Yes you can stay with your manual trans, but you'll lose ability to launch under boost by power braking. Stick/turbos usually have horrible 60 foot times. Definately consider an automatic with a nice high stall converter.

2. Stick with stock stroke, plenty of power to be had elsewhere and for less money. Custom cranks are big dollars. The sky's the limit on horsepower depending on your wallet... 300 on up...

3. Definately a long project. Fuel return line mandatory, baffled fuel tank, custom mounts, adaptors, plumbing, custom exhaust, wiring etc.

4. Engine wiring would be easiest with harnesses from a donor car or new aftermarket are available also. Use the Search feature here for tons of help.

5. Definately the fastest (and usually less expensive) route to TR fun is a complete car, you should also consider the `89 Turbo Trans Am also for max stealth or a GNX for ultimate cool :)

Whatever way you go, you won't look back.
Welcome to your future :cool:

HTH - Jimmy
 
chris88lx

If I were you I would just keep the 302 and buy a nice PRO TURBO KIT. It will fly. There is a guy in town with a 5.0 with heads, cam, etc. He runs one of those kits and the car only has a TE 44 turbo and it runs low 11's with a 5 speed trans.:cool:
 
Yes, but there are plenty of fast 5.0's in town, i want something unique. I still havent made up my mind, just an idea I am tossing around for now.

edit: Also, California law outlaws a turbo added on if it didnt come from the factory like that. For instance I can get away with a V6 Buick Turbo, but not a Ford 302 single or dual turbo.
 
That is bad that you can't modify your car the way you feel like it. Those pollution laws kills the fun of drag racing. Good Luck on what you choose. :cool:
 
Forget about the manual transmission with a GN engine. Do a search here about it, it's been covered before. Not only would you have horrible spoolup, the engine plain wasn't designed for it, the thrust bearings aren't strong enough to handle dealing w/ a clutch.

for your horsepower goals, search for 'recipes' on www.gnttype.org it has proven buildups and timeslips for each. the mods you're used to in the NA or supercharged mustang world aren't the same ones that these cars need.

I don't know if I would do this in a daily driver, but definitely plan on a good ammount of downtime. you'll need all sorts of custom work for the wrong-brand motor going into your car, motor mounts and whatnot will be in the wrong place.

lots of people have done this swap before, search for engine swaps on the board and you'll find tons of helpful advice.

I'd just buy the GN/t-type and be done with it. After you've had one and understand the ins and outs, then I'd think about motor swaps.
 
Couldn't be any worse than my swap...Go to Turbobuicks.com and do a search for dennis butt. His mustang flies with the 3.8.


-scott wile
 
Chris,

I live in CA as well and you can't swap an '87 motor into an '88 chassis. You need to get an '87 or older Stang to be legal. Also to be legal you have to retain the stock transmission it came with! Your T-5 will break sooner than later with the torque these motors put out.

Visit the hybrid section on T*U*R*B*O*B*U*I*C*K*S*.*C*O*M

Same spelling as this website but with an s after the Buick word.

The swap isn't too bad I don't think... but you have to be very creative with your downpipe. 3:27 gearing should be about perfect as well even with 28" tall slicks. These motors are low revving and like engine load.

I have a few GN drivetrains if you need a source for one here on the West Coast.

-Mark
 
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