Mark Sanchez's '83 Mustang convertible has been around the block and then some. Serving as a test mule for Advanced Engineering West, Sanchez's high-tech Ford engine swap and ECM reprogramming business, the well-worn ride has seen everything from carbureted 5.0L small-blocks to muscular 460 big-blocks. Now in its latest incarnation the engine bay is packed with a Vortech-supercharged 4.6L, DOHC '97 Mustang Cobra engine. At the time the photos were shot, Sanchez was using a production T45 five-speed, but since then he has also test-fitted a stronger T56 six-speed. Yet another alternative is a TKO five-speed, which installs behind a 4.6/5.4L Mod motor using Lakewood scattershield PN15230.
Longtime Ford man Sanchez prefers to use factory or equivalent aftermarket replacement parts where possible. Many of the parts used in this swap are directly out of a late Mustang Cobra, so you can score 'em from the local wrecking yard, your friendly Ford dealer, or even the local auto parts store. If you're going the used-parts route, Sanchez says, "Getting all the pieces together is the most tedious part. The best candidate is a donor car because then you won't miss anything." This includes the engine, trans, front accessories and drives, radiator, wiring harness, computer, hoses, and cables.
Although this swap specifically covers the installation of a Mustang Cobra 4.6 into the '83-'86 Mustang/Capri, much of the information is also applicable to installing these motors, as well as their SOHC brethren, into any '78-'93 Ford Fox-body. Normally for street-driven cars Sanchez prefers to swap in a late SN95 factory K-member from the wrecking yard, but there are aftermarket alternatives available. Sanchez likes the beefy Maximum Motorsports tubular K-member (PN MMKM-2.1); it has more gusseting than some other units out there, making it more suitable for a real-world street-driven car.
