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Modular in a 62 Fairlane

62K views 180 replies 36 participants last post by  Dave R 
#1 ·
New guy here. Putting together my plan to put a modular motor in my 62 Fairlane. The car is completely disassymbled at this time, bead blasted and in primer, so that is where I am starting from. Considering the coil over front suspension from RC Motorsports, removing the towers completely.

Questions on what motor to look for. Seems to me I need to be looking for one of the following:
93-98 Lincoln VIII
96-98 Cobra
95-98 Lincoln VIII LSC
98-2002 SVT Cobra
2003 Mach 1.

Any comments on any of these over the other? Trying to find a compelte salvage, have a friend in the insurance business keeping an eye out for one.

What about the 5.4L?

Just getting started, long road to go! Need to settle on the engine/trans first.
 
#2 ·
the 5.4L would be the best bet for torque...350ft/lbs? I think, out of a ford excusrsion..but I really thequestion is what are your final HP/torque goals, I myself used a 94 mark engine, cheapest one and will support my goals
 
#4 ·
I think you'd be surprised at what Craigs list or other classifieds will bring up. We found several well used Mark VIII's for cheap... almost went with a low mileage rollover for $1800.00 but the owner found out we were "TV" and jacked the price at the last minute, so we found a used Marauder engine/trans for less than $1500.00 The Marauder TB and inlet are on the drivers side... Mach 1 and Mark VIII and cobra are on the passenger side and it's easier to fit things and find parts for these engines, FYI. Be aware of the taller deck height on the 5.4 as well, (Im sure you are already) That's one reason we went with a 4.6 in the ranger... we can still close the stock hood. I dont think there are too many raised or cowl induction hoods for a '62 fairlane available. Either way, I think you're better off buying a complete vehicle, rather than a long block and piecing things together... probably less cash investment as well. Check this website out as well...

http://www.copart.com/c2/copart_home_page.html

Lots of potential donor cars come up... Cobras too.

Good luck!

KT.
 
#5 ·
KT I agree on the whole car thing. You will be surprised with all the thing you forget or just don't realize that you will need till you get knee deep into the project and will end up costing you tons more in the long run. Where as when you have the donor car there you can just walk over and pull what you need.
 
#6 ·
I missed the show last weekend! Darn.
I have been watching the copart auction site. Not sure how it works. don't you have to know someone with a license to be your proxy?
They guy that is watching out for one for me is an insurance adjuster and he can bid on cars.

My plan is to get a complete car.

On the 62, hoods are not really available, even in the aftermarket. 63 and on are not an issue, but the 62 is just not out there. I started with the 62 as that is what I have and it has been in the family since originally purchased. Plus it is different! I will have to check out that deck height issue.
 
#7 ·
If you go with a complete Mark VIII and your still early enough into you build you might be able to merge the front and rear sub suspension assemblies from the Lincoln into the Fairlane but ditch the air bags for the strut kits, way less hassle. You'd get the sweet ride with classic looks.
Just my too cents, I always go overboard.
Patrick
 
#8 ·
I put a 427FE engine into a 63 Fairlane ( did I pre-empt the Thunderbolt?) and had to trim the spring towers to within about 1/8" of the spring coils. Used 3/16 plate to close back up since strength was lost in cutting out a curved section. The fit was still tight so I'm wondering if the Mod engine is even wider than an FE and if so you may have to change front suspension. Getting rid of that awful spring on top of the upper A-frame design would be no loss.
 
#11 ·
Man we need pics in this thread!
Love those early 60's Fords....:drool:

5.4 would be nice, whether SOHC or DOHC is a question of getting rid of the shock towers, since the 5.4 DOHC is very wide.
 
#12 ·
I will post pics, once I get some thing done worth it! The picture in my avitar is pretty much were I am at this point. Hope to get started on the metal work and fab in the next month or so. Need to find my donor car and motor soon...

Anyone have any input on my original post on what engine/car to look for? Looks like the 5.4 deck height might be an issue like Kev said. I am still leaning towards the 96-98 Mark VIII.
 
#14 ·
Markviii is decent but I went with C heads for better power N/A. Plus you can slap a carb on a Sullivan intake and be done with it.
But plenty of guys run the stock Mark intake/fuel injection also.
Are you going EFI or carb?
 
#17 ·
Hey I just saw your posts about the motor swap. I have a 64 falcon wagon and p[lan on putting a 4.6 from a 95 Mark 8 in it. I was able to get the whole car for 500 bucks. I was fortunate to find a car with 63k that had been wrecked. To start, i plan on doing a direct swap of electrical and drive train for now to reduce issues. Keep posting what you come across, im really intersted to see how things turn out. O, where you planning on running headers, if so did you get some threaded for O2 sensors or are you going to adapt headers to take the sensors.
 
#21 · (Edited)
so far I havent had any of those issues...though I did notice poor ball joint dust boot fitment...though I'm fairly sure I can find boots that fit somewhere else...I will also say i plan to replace the LCA bushings with some type of roller or ball bearing at some point in he future...not because of issues, just for less deflection and smoother operation, I will also say one more thing...from the pictures I have seen of R&C kits the Heidts stuff looks to be better quality(just judging off pictures, since I have no experience with R&C pieces) ...Heidts customer service sucks though...but I wasnt much impressed the time I emailed R&C either...evidently the owner of R&C used to sell heidts kits before building his own...which I am sure were at least partially based on heidts
 
#22 ·
Going back to my original question, does anyone have any comment on what motor to be looking for:

Questions on what motor to look for. Seems to me I need to be looking for one of the following:
93-98 Lincoln VIII
96-98 Cobra
95-98 Lincoln VIII LSC
98-2002 SVT Cobra
2003 Mach 1.
 
#24 ·
What to pay

I know this is moslty an opinion/personal situation issue question, but what should one pay for a driver, 98 Mark VIII with 100 to 150 K on it as a doner car for engine/trans/harness/computer and what ever else can be used?
 
#25 · (Edited)
The best of the N/A motors would be an 04 Mach 1. They had the best heads, but will be the most expensive (03 Mach 1 would be next). 99 or 01 Cobra (01 as the 99s had HP issues and not all of them were updated by Ford) would be next. After that the 96-98 Cobra. Other than the Mach 1, these will all have electronics for a manual tranny, so if you want an auto, think about the auto Mach or the Mark VIIIs (or changing the harnesses and ECM - expensive).

The cheapest and easiest to find would be 93-95 Mark VIII, but the 96-98 Marks have better intakes and COP ignition (looks much cleaner), and are ODB 2 so you can tune them without a chip (tuning a 93-95 EEC-IV ECM requires putting a chip in the diag connector and finding someone to do that might be difficult - it was going to be for me when I considered it). You can put a 96-98 Cobra intake on any of the Mark motors, but you will also need the Cobra IMRC plates for the 93-95 Mark, and maybe for the 96-98 (but I don't believe so). The Cobra intake will give you a little more at the top end, but the Mark cams limit the top end so they peak around 5200 RPM (vs. the Cobra's 6200).

Definitely get a complete donor if you can - the doodads will eat you up on these motors (my mistake). I've seen 93-95 Marks go for $500 to $1000 wrecked. The 96-98 LSC will go for a little more. If you try to buy a complete running one, I've seen some of the 98s still going for $6000-$8000, which is way too much to pay for a donor car.

If you can get the 98 Mark for a good price ($1000-$1500???), that doesn't sound too bad. You might want to freshen it up if you plan to run it hard, which is expensive - a gasket set for these motors is like $400. But I've opened up 2 Mark motors (93, 94, from which I used the block) and both had around 100K miles and the cylinders were still close enough to spec that the machine shop suggested a hone and new rings.

The Marks have some cool features like the mileage computer and compass you can use. You might even pull the power seats (I have 98 Mark seats in my Mustang - a little too big, but like a leather recliner), some good soundproofing material (pads) you can make use of, as well as the IRS (if it will fit under your car). You might even make use of the air-ride stuff if you are real creative. It probably won't let you go around corners on 3 wheels like the Low Rider guys, but you can probably drag the bumper like the mini-trucks .:dumb:

The 96-04 GTs will all have 2V motors and unless it's a Rousch or Saleen with a blower, I'd skip it. Not enough power and no eye candy.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Sparky-U still haven't stated what ur goals for power are.Yes a 99' GT is 2V.Are u wanting a 4V for the looks under ur hood.The reason I ask,is if u read some of the latest mag's doing 2V 4.6L build ups.They are getting close to 400hp. And u may not have to cut ur towers with a 2V.
4.6 and 5.4 Weights Engine Type Weight 4.6 SOHC 500 lbs 4.6 DOHC 425 lbs (al. block) 5.4 SOHC 525 lbs 5.4 DOHC 540 lbs

Engine Dimensions Engine Height Depth Width 4.6 SOHC 26" 23 5/8" 26 5/8" 4.6 DOHC 27 1/8" 23 5/8" 26 5/8" 5.4 SOHC 28" 23 5/8" 27" 5.4 DOHC 35 1/2" 23 5/8" 28 1/4"
 
#35 ·
Engine Dimensions Engine Height Depth Width 4.6 SOHC 26" 23 5/8" 26 5/8" 4.6 DOHC 27 1/8" 23 5/8" 26 5/8" 5.4 SOHC 28" 23 5/8" 27" 5.4 DOHC 35 1/2" 23 5/8" 28 1/4"
On the height meaurements, what is the 35 1/2" on the 5.4 measured from? Does anyone know of dimensioned diagrams?
 
#28 · (Edited)
Not looking to go raceing, but if I can start out with a stock motor in the 280-300 hp range and improve it later, that is my goal. 400 hp tops. Automatic on the tranny.

I do intend to remove the shock towers in any case. There just is no room in the engine bay, and the stock front suspension on the 62 fair lane sucks.

I found a 96 Mark VIII listed for $1800 OBO, have not looked at it. Thinking if it is not too bad, maybe $ 1500. I could drive it for a while before a strip it. Or I could just keep looking for a salavge with rear end damage.
 
#29 ·
Another option for the auto is 03/04 Marauder (04 pref). They are the same motor as the auto Mach (cast crank). The intake lid is backward (TB on driver's side) but that is just the lid - easy to change to a 99 or 01 Cobra, or Mach if you don't want the snake.

If the 96 Mark is in good shape, with reasonable miles, that sounds like a pretty good deal. It should be 290 HP factory, and with the 96-98 Cobra intake and better exhaust (change to 99-04 Cobra, 03/04 Mach, or 03/04 Marauder manifolds with no cats) it should make over 300 easily (probably ~320). I mention the 03/04 Marauder exhaust manifolds because they are probably easier to fit in these old cars. The Cobra manifolds kick out on the passenger side and come real close to the frame rail. The Marauders go straight back and down. Any of the 4V exhaust manifolds will fit any 4V motor (but the 96-98 Cobra, and probably Mark, have air injection ports, the later ones don't, and the older 93-95 Mark have clunky, large stainless manifolds that won't fit without cutting).
 
#32 ·
The main ones are:

1. Ignition - waste spark (93-95) vs. COP (96-98). The COP is a lot cleaner - no spark plug wires or coil packs.

2. Tuning - 96-98 use EEC-V, which can be tuned with a programmer. 93-95 are EEC-IV, which requires a chip in the diagnostic port. A lot of tuners only do EEC-V systems. I couldn't find anyone to tune the 94 ECM I had originally planned on using. If you're going to leave it bone stock, that probably isn't an issue.

3. If you are planning to switch to a Cobra intake, the IMRC controllers are different. The 93-95 use vacuum solenoids which work backwards from the electric/cable mechanism on the 96-98 and 96-98 Cobras. You can put the Cobra intake on with the Cobra IMRC plates, but will have to fabricate IMRC stuff (e.g., make mounts so the solenoids move the plates the opposite direction. I've seen it done and it's not impossible, just not as clean or easy). Along those lines, the 93-95 have a lot more vacuum hoses, solenoids, and sensors than the 96-98 - thus more complicated and busier under the hood.

If you are not planning on switching to the Cobra intake, the 96-98 intake is probably a better intake. It certainly looks better - all aluminum and has passenger-side inlet. The 93-95 Marks have a rear TB which makes it very tight against the firewall and you have a LONG intake tube to the air filter.

Nothing that can't be overcome (unless you want to tune it) but if you can find a 96-98 you'll have an easier time and a cleaner setup.
 
#31 ·
I picked up a 95 Mark for 500 bucks and are planning to put the Drive train in a 64 Falcon. I havnt pulled the motor from the Mark to take measurements on the front suspension, but i want to try and use as much from the Mark on the Falcon. Im assuming ill have to purchase a sub frame for the Falcon, but without measurements Im not certain if i can use the Mark sub. I dont know frame width differences from the Fairlane to the Falcon, but it may help you some. Ill post once i have a better idea
 
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