1981 6cyl. to 302 v8 swap?

[mikeAZ]

Is the 1981 6 cyl. "K" member able to use the later 302? V8 engine?.... Some say yes, some say no?. The 6cyl. is shot really not worth major repairs. We know abut the brakes, spindles, trans mount, etc. and have most of these upgrades on hand.

[xctasy]

thank you Exctsy, what i was looking for was in what you Posted,,, here it is for ease of me finding it and others looking for the same thing http://fast-fairmonts.weebly.com/engine-swap-info.html i really appreciate it,, thanks again,, Timmy

The k-member can be trimmed back..

You cut off the 2 forward protruding horns, and elongate the existing holes for use with F150 engine mounts, and it fits like a glove. After that the I6 K-member accepts all the Fox body goodies for suspension and brakes. That is all there is to it. When you cut down the protruding parts, there are no interference issues at all.

We have a V8 in ours with Fox body equal length headers, stock starter, no relocation of oil filter, quick ratio Stang rack, huge Stang front sway bar, Mustang accessory package, ect so on...

Easy cheezy, and still tough as nails.

You'd be suppised just how much....one instance here from rhd82glx showed a trim back and weld job for the 138 hp 2-bbl 183 cubic inch British 60 degree Essex V6 they used in 1970-1977 British Ford Granadas, along with the same cars Adwest/Ford Granada power steering rack used in the Right Hand Drive conversion. It used Land Rover/Vauxhall/Ford barrel type engine mounts, common to the 2 liter Pintos. So you can shift the engine mounts forward 6 in line style, or way, way back, English V-6 style. You can do whatcha wanna do with blue clues.....

http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...e-Six-k-member

Sorry guys should have included some pictures.

See as well

http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...80-i6-K-member
http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...T-SEEM-TO-JIVE
http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...n-the-K-Member


http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...K-member-issue

No I6 x member is a good candidate for a V8 swap. But American smarts and Fords native cunning over interchangeable parts allow the conversion to accur with no non Ford bits, so its sure possible to dump a V8 in any stock 3.3 crossmember. On some V8 and V6 applications, you have to shift bits.

There are a few limits, though. Aside from the awful Ackerman mismatch because Ford refused to change the angles for the short wheel base until the late 80's Mustangs.. The stock spec is the 4c yl spec brakes, spindles and lousy geometry, but you can get around those easily enough.

Its the further forward horns/perches/mount bases that make a swap an occasional problem. Its just that the I6 mounts aren't V8 and V6 friendly, and in some instances they are a collision point, requiring lines, whole components to require shifting in some applications. You trim them back with an angle grinder to the same profile as the stock V8/V6/4-cylinder mounts.

Like this



What is cool about the 1978 to 1983 T,B and X code crossmember is that those long I6 mount perches can take F150 mounts , and you could fit any Ford V8 or even 250 I6 or , with some sump and oil pump clearancing work, the huge 240/300 I6. With the Cologne V6, ancillaries can collide with those horns. That's why Ford changed them with the Fairmont I6 frame. Do you think Ford would change a part for no reason

The V8/V6 and non Super Coupe I4 ones have the short motor mount horns. They effectively mean you cant mount some front accessory packages, such as some of the later EFI without changing the engines ancillary mounts. The neat low mount aftermarket Sandown A/C compressors often hit the frame mount, and need a trim back.

[wraithracing]

My .02 for what it's worth. If you have access to a V8/4cyl K member you are money and time ahead to just swap the K member and install your V8. If a v8/4cyl K member is not readily available, then YES you can trim the inline 6 mounts back to install a V8. If you are into custom fabrication and building one off setups then jump in with both feet and enjoy. If you goal is a bolt on affair with fewer issues and headaches, then a K member swap is the way to go. This is my opinion and my experience, your mileage may vary. Good Luck!

[richpet]

Kind of agree. Almost always easier to have the right k member.

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