LSX Swap in a Mustang

**2000GT** · 05-27-2013, 09:22 PM

Not trying to start a flame war or 20 pages of e-fighting, but I am curious of everyone who wants to chime in’s opinion. I see a lot of fox bodies with a lsx swap. Again, I am not getting into what is better. As a hard core Ford guy, no one is going to make me switch brands just like I am not going to change the mind of a Chevy guy (which make perfect sense to me). I also realize that there are three types of gear heads out there (ok, I know I am generalizing)
1. Gears heads that do not care what brand they drive.
2. Gears heads that are hard core Ford guys that would not be caught dead in a Chevy
3. Gears heads that are hard core Chevy guys that would not be caught dead in a Ford
Now the first one listed there makes sense to me, you really cannot beat a SBC in terms of bang for the buck but the second and third ones are what have me perplexed. As a Ford guy, there would be no way that I would ever drive a Camaro. I thought that would be the same thing on the Chevy side. Maybe I am mistaken. Your thoughts?

**lib88stang** · 05-27-2013, 09:42 PM

Hot Rodding started with guys swapping big motors in small cars, like flat head 8 in a model A or SBC, cadillac, buick motor in a small old car. The LSX swap is no different. Domestic and Imports do it--Its what keeps this hobby going

**Troll** · 05-27-2013, 09:50 PM

I'd say I'm a #1, BUT... why not stick to what you got? Is it that much cheaper to swap an LS1 into your Stang than to build a decent 347 ?

**jaa55** · 05-27-2013, 09:51 PM

I just wouldn't do it because resale, gear head #2 and gear head #3 don't want that car. That's probably 75% of your market. And let's be honest at some point in time everyone wants to sell.

Everytime I see a car with a mis-match brand engine I don't even give it a second look, I always walk away saying wow that f'd that up.

If your doing it in the name of cost effectiveness just pick up a camaro and come to terms with it

**2000GT** · 05-27-2013, 09:52 PM

Troll, I agree plus to lib88stang - back in the day the SBC was the way to go. I think a SBF is a similar option, no?

**2000GT** · 05-27-2013, 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by jaa55

I just wouldn't do it because resale, gear head #2 and gear head #3 don't want that car. That's probably 75% of your market. And let's be honest at some point in time everyone wants to sell.

Everytime I see a car with a mis-match brand engine I don't even give it a second look, I always walk away saying wow that f'd that up.

If your doing it in the name of cost effectiveness just pick up a camaro and come to terms with it

that is my point. I would not anyone to think I was a Brand X guy if I had a Brand Y motor in it.

**Dan B.** · 05-27-2013, 10:34 PM

I'm a hotrodder at heart and respect what folks put their time and money into. It may not be my "thing" but it must have been theirs since they built it. But I'm not a big fan of mismatch brands in the engine bay. The back end of my Ranger is a total contradiction of that though.....Mopar rear and S-10 springs.

**JOlbert** · 05-27-2013, 11:02 PM

Since I have just recently finished my LSX swap in my Fox, I feel comfortable in saying the bone stock 5.3 that I actually choked up with a regular LS1 intake would whoop the hell out of the full bolt-on 5.0 I pulled out of the car. I did the swap because I've always kind of liked the Foxbody platform & also liked how the LS series engines respond to modifications. I'm not real concerned about resale, as I'm pretty sure that if I wanted to sell the car, I will get what I want out of it. I didn't take any shortcuts or half-ass anything & knock on wood the only issue that I've had since completing the swap was a power steering hose I made came apart. Also, to look at my car, it looks pretty much like a stock Mustang until I open the hood & even then, it looks as if the LSX should be in there.

**ModularMike** · 05-27-2013, 11:06 PM

SBC and SBF are on totally different playing field than LS.

Here is my take on it. I used to be against crossbreeding cars. I owned a clean '98 GT and I loved that car. Had 2v mod motor, was reliable as shit but only went 13.6 driving the balls off of it. Wanted to go faster, no real way of doing so with a 2v while staying within a budget. I had an '03 Cobra bottom end and 4v heads ready to put together for the car. Then thought it out, I was going to have probably $2500-3000 into this swap all said and done, and I will go MAYBE high 12s. Sold car and what I had for it and bought a '00 Formula Firebird LS car. Stock motor just bolt ons went 12.2 @ 110.

Stock/junkyard style builds you CANNOT compete with LS engine. Now, my issue is I liked how my old stang looked better, and f-bodies suck to work on. Mustang chassis comes stock with 4 link suspension, 8.8 rear end, all kinds of room under the hood, can be made light, and parts are everywhere for them. They are cheap, and they look good.

Looking back on it, I'd LOVE to put an LS engine into a Mustang like my old one. It can be done cheap, and it will go FAST. Currently my Firebird has gone best of 11.47 @ 114 on some junkyard shit. The motor is a stock Chevy truck motor with stock GM truck heads and stock GM intake. All it has is a cam I paid next to nothing for, and some valvetrain components. Keep in mind my car weighs roughly 3850lbs with me in it. I like the Mustang platform but why spend double the money to make a ford engine run like an LS engine?

**2000GT** · 05-28-2013, 06:58 AM

That is a good point. I know you can build a LS much cheaper than a SBF. You summed it up pretty well as the F-Bodies are hard to work on. To each their own and no disrespect intended, but I guess I am too much of a Blue Oval nutswinger to ever perform such a swap

**SAC81** · 05-28-2013, 10:38 AM

I wish more gearheads were of type #1. Brand loyalty is stupid.

I like anything that performs well. I tend to prefer the sound and feel of a RWD, 8 cylinder powered domestic, but if it's fast in general I like and respect it. I tend to end up in Mustangs because of their availability, price, and how easy it is to work on them. I actually really wanted an LS-powered GM when I bought my '05 GT, but it was clean and so cheap compared to GMs that I couldn't pass it up.

**pwtmxracing** · 05-28-2013, 12:50 PM

I think about it like this,it's your car who the hell cares what anyone else thinks,but some people do care what other people think,I could give a rats ass what you think of me or my cars,I like things that are different for bang for your buck you cannot beat a ls swap or a fox body roller.

**Terminated** · 05-28-2013, 12:52 PM

MY thought is... it's your money and your car, do with it what you'd like.

**somethingclever** · 05-28-2013, 02:38 PM

For a true junkyard deal I feel I can make As much hp and more torque for the same money as an ls based deal with a BBF. Aircleaner to pan water pump to flexplate.

**Dan B.** · 05-28-2013, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by somethingclever

For a true junkyard deal I feel I can make As much hp and more torque for the same money as an ls based deal with a BBF. Aircleaner to pan water pump to flexplate.

True....the problem with that is the BBF presents more challenges when packaging it into a smaller platform car. BTW...I like my BBF's....currently have 5 in the garage.

**2000GT** · 05-28-2013, 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by SAC81

I wish more gearheads were of type #1. Brand loyalty is stupid.

I like anything that performs well. I tend to prefer the sound and feel of a RWD, 8 cylinder powered domestic, but if it's fast in general I like and respect it. I tend to end up in Mustangs because of their availability, price, and how easy it is to work on them. I actually really wanted an LS-powered GM when I bought my '05 GT, but it was clean and so cheap compared to GMs that I couldn't pass it up.

But Brand Loyalty is what is fun for me. I wouldn't say it is stupid. That is like saying that I like the color blue, but someone would say it is dumb. I repsectfully disagree.

**2000GT** · 05-28-2013, 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by somethingclever

For a true junkyard deal I feel I can make As much hp and more torque for the same money as an ls based deal with a BBF. Aircleaner to pan water pump to flexplate.

Spoken like a true Ford man

**2000GT** · 05-28-2013, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by JOlbert

Since I have just recently finished my LSX swap in my Fox, I feel comfortable in saying the bone stock 5.3 that I actually choked up with a regular LS1 intake would whoop the hell out of the full bolt-on 5.0 I pulled out of the car. I did the swap because I've always kind of liked the Foxbody platform & also liked how the LS series engines respond to modifications. I'm not real concerned about resale, as I'm pretty sure that if I wanted to sell the car, I will get what I want out of it. I didn't take any shortcuts or half-ass anything & knock on wood the only issue that I've had since completing the swap was a power steering hose I made came apart. Also, to look at my car, it looks pretty much like a stock Mustang until I open the hood & even then, it looks as if the LSX should be in there.

Do you consider yourself a Chevy guy or just a gearhead (see #1)? If you are brand loyal, I could not do the swap. Case in point, I am a Ford guy since birth. I could not sport a Camaro even if it had a Ford engine in it because I would not be caught dead driving a Camaro. Not hating nor no offense - just curious.

**JOlbert** · 05-28-2013, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by 2000GT

Do you consider yourself a Chevy guy or just a gearhead (see #1)? If you are brand loyal, I could not do the swap. Case in point, I am a Ford guy since birth. I could not sport a Camaro even if it had a Ford engine in it because I would not be caught dead driving a Camaro. Not hating nor no offense - just curious.

I would say that I could be classified as #1, but I do swing from the Generals nuts more often than not. About a month and a half ago I was going to buy a 2013 Mustang GT, however ended up buying a house instead. I have owned a bunch of different hoopty vehicles of all makes, but that comes down to finding a good deal on something for me to drive to work. The first Ford that I intentionally bought was my wife's 03 Mustang GT. I had my WS-6 at the time & drove her Mustang around for a while until I was comfortable enough with my wife driving a stick car by herself. I'll admit that I did like driving the Mustang although I felt it was gutless, especially compared to my WS-6. Right now my current vehicles are a 08 Impala SS, 96 F-250 hoopty truck & my 5.3 swapped Fox. For myself, you will never see me with a foreign car for a toy car, but have had a couple foreign hoopty trucks & even bought my wife a brand new Mazda 3 in 06.

**Mark Aubele** · 05-29-2013, 12:55 AM

I have zero brand loyalty, even though I have always loved Mustangs, I have owned everything from Mustangs to BMWs to Corvettes. I guess I am partial to Cummins diesel Dodges, but that is different :). If the SCCA didn't have insanely stupid rules, my car would have some form of LS motor in it. My friend Stick947 on here fought with an dumped an untold amount of money into trying to make a 2V 4.6 pile make power and live on a road course, went through a bunch of motors finally swapping a junkyard LS1 into the car YEARS ago, has run thousands of track miles and still makes 350 rwhp stock TB to oil pan with exhaust and a stupidly safe tune.