See our SN95 Mustang Coyote Engine Swap Project! Click now to watch videos & read tech articles to help you with your Coyote Engine Swap!
If you are flirting with the idea of a Coyote Engine Swap for your Fox Body or SN95 Mustang, you have come to the ultimate source of Coyote Swap parts and technical information! We have accumulated technical information and install videos to assist you with all your Coyote Swap needs. Whether you have questions about fuel and brake system modifications or enjoy watching a good project car being built, check out all the informative articles below.
Each article below contains an informative video and plenty of technical information from Jmac’s years of Mustang experience. If your Stang’s power plant is lacking, then the 5.0L Coyote Swap is the ultimate engine swap for your Mustang. The 5.0L Coyote Engine packs a serious punch with its factory 400+hp. Because this engine responds well to bolt-on modifications, it is quickly becoming the favorite motor swap for Fox Body and SN-95 Mustang owners!
Before we install the 400+hp Ford 5.0L Coyote motor in the Bondurant Cobra, we wanted to go over a few of the key pieces that are required to do a Mustang Coyote Swap in a Fox Body or SN-95 Mustang. There were a few modifications that were required to install some of these parts. Follow along in the video as Jmac shows you what parts are needed and what modifications were required before we installed the Coyote engine.
The first major component you will need to look into is a Mustang tubular k member. If you have a 96-04 Mustang, you can use your factory k member. Because our Bondurant Cobra’s suspension was built around the stock k member, we decided it was best to keep the stock k member. We encountered some clearance issues with the k member and the long tube headers. Jmac will point these out in the video. With a little mild modification to the header tube (hammering in some slight clearance), the BBK Coyote Swap headers cleared just fine. We recommend using the tubular k member to gain more clearance in your engine bay as-well-as you get the benefit of dropping a few pounds off the front end of your Mustang! If you have a 1979-95 Mustang that came with the push rod 5.0L engine, you have to use a k member designed for 4.6L mod motor.
Next up on our list was oil pan clearance. The stock Ford 5.0L Coyote oil pan would not clear the Cobra stock k member without being modified and cut up. To avoid trying to figure out exactly what needs to be cut and added, you will need to use a Coyote swap oil pan to properly clear your 79-04 k member. For this, we turned to Moroso and used their Mustang Coyote Swap Oil Pan. The oil pan will not clear the BBK long tube headers, so we made a quick trip to a local fab shop ans we were back in business! Modifications can be seen in the video.
Next up, we addressed the transmission installation. We saw no reason not to re-use a good functioning transmission, so we decided to reuse the Tremec 3550 transmission that was previously in the Bondurant Cobra. To accomplish this task we used a Quick Time Bellhousing (RM-6081). This SFI approved bellhousing came with all the needed hardware: Bell-housing, spacer plate, pivot ball, fork brackets, grade 8 hardware and install instructions. Since this bellhousing was designed for 4.6L/5.4L Ford modular motors, there was some modification needed to install this bellhousing. The spacer plate and dowel pins were both modified to for clearance – refer back to the video to see the what modifications are necessary. We used a 96-04 4.6L Mustang 8 bolt flywheel and clutch assembly to finish off the transmission set up.
The final piece we had to address before installing the motor was an important one – how to mount the coyote motor to the k member? Luckily this is much easier than it sounds. You can simply take 96-04 4.6L Mustang motor mounts, bolt them right up to the Coyote motor and you’re done. No modifications needed here!!! With all of these steps complete, we can now turn our focus on installing the Coyote into its new home. Stay tuned… it is about to get fun!!
If you have been following along with our Project Coyote Swap Mustang, you know it is time to install the Ford 5.0L engine in our Bondurant Cobra! We have been waiting for this day for some time now. With the BBK long tube headers, Moroso oil pan and transmission all installed, we set out to install the new potent power-plant in between the fenders.
To retain the race suspension that was already in place, we set out to keep the factory k member. This made for a tight fit when installing the motor from the top. We quickly found out that this would require us to do just a little more work to stab the 5.0L motor into our Bondurant Mustang. So Jmac rounded up some help from our general manager Scott and even got a helping hand from the camera guy.
The first step was to remove the steering shaft to give us some much needed clearance. After this, we moved on to lifting the Stang into the air. With the Stang in the air, we then moved on to removing the steering rack from the k member. Next up, we supported the k member with jacks and removed the k member bolts. With the help of the jacks, we lowered the k member down to gain even more clearance for this 4V engine to go into place.
Once we had the engine in place, we installed the k member to the motor mounts. This allowed us to properly align the k member to the Cobra with the help of the engine hoist. With everything properly aligned, we re-installed the k member bolts and steering components. The only thing left to do is address a few loose ends and fire up this motor. Be sure to subscribe and get ready for the next part. We will address brake system, power steering, connecting fuel system and much more! If you are like Jmac in the video, I’m sure you are excited to see this project almost running!!
After a hard thrash, we were staring at a 1997 Mustang Cobra that was ready to fire its 5.0L TiVct Coyote powerplant for the first time. So we did - and it was awesome! No muss, no fuss, just turned the key and she fired right up. I wish all engine swaps went this smoothly!
Exhaust System
We were able to keep our existing exhaust and you can do the same, whether it is a full catback or dumps. We used the BBK Coyote Swap Long Tube Headers and 3" Off-Road x-pipe.
Drivetrain
We saved lots of green here by reusing the existing 8.8" rear end, Ford Racing Aluminum Driveshaft, Tremec 3550 transmission, Quick Time Bellhousing, clutch and flywheel from our previous 4.6L 4V. We did add in a Stifflers Transmission Crossmember to allow additional clearance for the massive 3" x-pipe.
Accessory Drive
We originally intended to use the FRPP Power Steering Pump Mounting Bracket, but it would not clear the anti-sway bar. Plus it would have required custom power steering hoses. So we enlisted our SVE Coyote Accessory Drive Kit to solve our problems. It moves the alternator over to the passenger side and keeps the power steering pump in the stock 96-04 location allowing us to keep the stock hoses and lines.
Oil Filter
The anti-sway bar struck again as it would not clear the stock Coyote 5.0 oil filter location. Ford Racing solves the issue with their remote oil filter adapter. It allowed us to plumb in a remote oil filter kit with our existing engine oil cooler.
Brake System
If you are converting a 1996-2004 Mustang GT or Cobra, you can retain the stock hydro-boost brake system. You can convert 1979-1993 Fox Mustang, 1994-1995 Mustang, and 1996-2004 V6 Mustang to hydroboost to keep power brakes, or manual brakes are always an option.
Cooling System
We were able to keep the 4.6 radiator, electric cooling fan, and de-gas bottle. The upper radiator hose included with the FRPP control pack worked like a charm, but the lower required a bit more thought. Luckily we found the solution with our SVE Coyote Swap lower radiator hose. If you are running power steering, you will need to fabricate a shield to keep the hose away from the pump pulley
Battery Relocation
Because of the driver side air inlet location, a battery relocation to the trunk is in order. Moving the air inlet to the passenger side isnt an option because of interference with the upper radiator hose. Also out of the question is a 79-85 battery location as the battery will hit the valve cover.
Next up for Project: Coyote Swap is a trip to the dyno to see exactly what she's putting down to the tires!
For me, dyno days are always very stressful. There is a never-ending list of things that could go wrong running through my head. On top of that, what if the car doesn't make the power you'd hoped? No one likes that letdown. All this was running through my head as we made the trip down to Central Texas Performance with Project: Coyote Swap.
Once we arrived and unloaded the car, it was only minutes before the CTP crew had the Mustang strapped down to their dyno. After a quick run to warm the fluids, a baseline pull was made. On the FRPP Control Pack tune and air inlet, she put down 420 horsepower and 408 lb/ft torque. To say we were impressed is an understatement!
We swapped out the air inlet for a JLT cold air kit and Jeff loaded a preliminary custom tune using an SCT 3015 handheld tuner. After a few more pulls and some tweaks to the tune, we had our final numbers. There was much whooping, hollering, and high fives going on once we looked at the screen. 447.4 horsepower and 411.5 lb/ft torque!!!
Right now you are probably raising the BS flag. 2011+ Mustangs don't even come close to those numbers with the same mods. You're right, but we also arent working with a 2011+ Mustang. The entire drivetrain is lighter and therefore easier to turn, reducing parasitic loss. We have a billet flywheel, Tremec 3550 5-speed transmission, FRPP aluminum driveshaft, 28-spline 8.8 rear with 3.55 gears, and a 17" wheel with a 26" tall race tire. Everything is smaller and lighter. The dyno we were on was a Dynocom and all pulls were done in 4th gear (1:1).
I'll leave you to make your own decisions from here. For us, we know the dyno is nothing more than a tuning tool and the real performance test will be on track. Stay tuned as we will be putting Project: Coyote Swap through the ringer on several road courses in the very near future!!
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