My swap shop on day one. All work was done in this high desert driveway.
After reviewing my activities with the Soul Survivor last week, this week we’ll take a closer look at the engine swap. The car originally came with a 109 horsepower 2.8 liter Cologne V-6 with a carburetor, and I’ve upgraded it to a 150 horsepower fuel injected V-6 out of a Merkur Scorpio (I acquired the engine and many spare parts by buying a Scorpio for $500). As I explained at the time:
“All 2.9 Cologne V-6s were fuel injected, but I was concerned that the engine plenums used in the Ranger and Bronco II would not clear the Mustang’s hood. Since I used to own a Scorpio, I knew the induction system had a very low profile and would fit without question.”
It’s been a few years, but here’s the Scorpio engine between extraction and installation.
There are two issues to any engine swap- Matching the block to the mounts and drive line, and connecting the ancillaries (fuel lines, throttle cable, electrical system, exhaust and cooling). Since the 2.9 and 2.8 share the same block, for my swap the engine mounts and drive line were a bolt up proposition.
I’m thinking this is a failed LS swap due to clutch linkage problems…
Another issue is the clutch linkage- Many engine swaps languish behind the shop due to clutch linkage issues.
The odd Cologne V-6 clutch linkage incorporating a cable, lever, and rotating shaft.
This is NOT an issue on the Soul Survivor- Since my car uses the factory bell housing, throw out bearing, and clutch cable, I’m assured reliable and smooth clutch action any time I step on the clutch pedal.
The 2.9 L oil pump- A story for next time…
I had very few problems matching the external connections, but I did fight with the vehicle’s oil system for several weeks, and also had issues with frame rail clearance for the alternator and exhaust system. This week, I’ll cover the straightforward modifications, and then cover these headaches next week.
Shortly after I completed the project- It looks so easy once it’s done…
First up is the fuel injection system, which breaks into two topics- Electrical and fuel.
The basic EEC-IV electrical layout- The five red boxes highlight all needed vehicle power connections.
The electrical system was very straightforward, as I used the factory PCM (EEC-IV- Ford’s fourth generation system) and wiring. I reused the Scorpio wire harness, and since most system components and sensors were attached to the motor, I only had to connect the Mustang’s power feed to the harness, attach the harness grounds to the vehicle frame, and route the harness to the PCM mounted above the passenger’s footwell.
A typical EEC-IV PCM- To change the software, swap the box
The Scorpio Powertrain Control Module was designed for use with an automatic transmission. I’d performed a manual transmission swap on a Scorpio back in 2000, and discovered this PCM had poor driveability when mated to a manual transmission. To address this issue, I changed over to a 2.9 Ranger 5 speed manual PCM (a “plug and Play” modification). My first test drive confirmed the Ranger computer solved my drivability problem.
A typical in-tank high pressure fuel pump- The ideal solution
To supply fuel, I needed a high pressure pump on the feed side, and a return line from the pressure regulator to the fuel tank. Ideally, the high pressure pump should be inside the fuel tank, with baffles to prevent sloshing while going around corners or tackling hills.
Typical metal fuel lines with factory bends and mounts.
The Mustang II tank would not accept an in-tank pump without major modification, but I was able to re-use the existing metal fuel lines. Factory lines are always the preferred choice, since they are engineered to fit the vehicle, minimizing the likelihood of a fuel spill in an accident, and preventing damage from chassis vibration.
Inline high pressure electric fuel pump- My initial solution
Instead of an intake fuel pump, I mounted a high pressure fuel pump at the fuel tank outlet. This approach has worked for the most part, but the pump did overheat while driving through Las Vegas, and occasionally sucks air when the fuel level drops. I’ve developed a fix for both issues, which I’ll review in the future.
2.8 and 2.9 liter Cologne water pumps- Similar but different
The cooling system changes reflected the minor differences between the two engines. On the 2.9, Ford moved the thermostat from the lower radiator hose to the top of engine, but I found upper and lower hoses that worked with minor modifications (From a ’79 Mustang with the 2.8 as I recall).
This is the Ranger fan- Note the extra long hex mount at the grey pulley
The Scorpio engine had a bad fan clutch, which also placed the fan outside the radiator shroud. To solve this, I acquired a (longer) clutch and fan assembly from a junkyard Ranger. This gave me a working clutch and also positioned the fan correctly, improving cooling performance.
Gates Power Grip shrink to fit hose clamps
I also used Gates “Power Grip” hose clamps on the radiator and heater hoses. During installation, these thermoplastic bands fit over the hose at the hose barb, then a heat gun shrinks the clamp and locks the hose onto the fitting.
A Power Grip clamp installed on my radiator- As the coolant heats up, the clamp fully tightens and matches the outlet tube shape
This design applies pressure perfectly around the hose diameter, and give me a very clean look after installation. Since they are single-use parts, some people don’t like these clamps. However, they have additional benefits, including the fact that they won’t deform the thin wall fittings on radiators or heater cores.
I chose corrugated water heater connectors to connect the engine to the heater core. The tubes are made of stainless steel, and this approach allows me to disconnect the heater lines without cutting off the Gates hose clamps.
As installed in the engine bay- A clean look that should never leak
They also have a nice bright finish, adding a little “bling” to my engine bay.
The Scorpio intake manifold, as delivered
Speaking of bling, the 2.9 Scorpio upper intake plenum looks rather plain as delivered from the factory, but it does have the letters “EFI” and some nice ribs built into the casting. I also found some ’70’s vintage aftermarket Cologne V-6 valve covers with similar ribbing.
Overall, I’m very pleased with the final result, but now I need to repaint my engine bay…
After many hours at the polishing bench, and a few coats of black paint for contrast, I ended up with a very attractive engine. I’ve been driving this upgraded engine package for about three and a half years, and it’s proven to be very reliable, with 1990’s performance in a 1970’s package.
Check back next week, when I highlight the problems encountered during this project, and the steps taken to address them.
This is the first that I’m hearing about the Power Grip clamps. Wish I knew about them when I had the radiator hoses on the Escape changed out a few months ago.
Learn something new each time I read CC.
Same here…I just put a new radiator into my Ranger, and those clamps would’ve looked slick!
How much of a hassle is it to take them off?
“How much of a hassle is it to take them off?”
Gates makes a removal tool, but I just use a carpet knife. If you’re worried about nicking the hose, you can also cut it with a hot solder gun tip.
Power grip clamps were developed for silicone hoses in fleet applications. Metal can shrink away from silicone hoses in extreme cold, leading to seepage. Silicone hoses are also more likely to seep at the screw assembly on a worm gear clam.p.
Very nice work! Looking forward to future installments of this story!
That’s a very tidy installation and not a very obvious swap (to me) but makes perfect sense, I’ll bet most people think a Scorpio is a dead end with zero uses at end of life. I’ll bet the swap wakes the car up nicely. And as stated above those clamps are very interesting indeed!
Really nice work! I still remember what a revelation the 2.9 V6 was when I first test drove, then owned for almost 10 years, my ‘86 Ranger. My benchmarks were various carbureted 4 cylinder cars I had owned, Toyota and Nissan 4 cylinder pickups, plus the GM 2.8 V6 fitted to the S10 and Jeep Comanche (4.0 Jeep in-line 6 not yet introduced). Smooth, excellent drivability, decent power for the time. Leaky valve cover gaskets though; do your cast valve covers help with that?
” Leaky valve cover gaskets though; do your cast valve covers help with that?”
Absolutely, but those DOBI valve covers are now unobtanium. I also used a set of upgraded Fel-Pro gaskets made of synthetic rubber instead of cork. Five years and still no leaks.
There is an outfit in Ireland that makes custom cast covers for the Cologne V-6 (You can even choose custom lettering), but we’re talking $250- 300 delivered.
As someone who’s replaced a lame 307 Olds in an ’89 Caprice wagon with a 350 Tuned Port Injection, I’m very impressed by the thought that’s gone into your swap. Even the hose clamps are interesting.
The after shot above looks like a factory job…probably better, truth be told.
Looking forward to the next installment!
“The after shot above looks like a factory job”
Praise indeed- Thank you!
I often “daydream” about swaps like this. And one of my dream projects involved a Mustang II but with the DOHC 4 cylinder replacing the SOHC Lima engine.
I look forward to more write-ups like this.
I am a huge fan of using OEM molded hoses in a engine swap wherever possible. Back in 2013, I swapped a OEM V8 Explorer radiator into my V8 ’83 Ranger. For the upper hose, I used the Explorer hose with no mods needed. The lower is a V8 Fox body hose I merely had to shorten by a couple of inches at the radiator end. Thank you, Ford Motor Company, for making it even easier to swap a small block into a early Ranger. Back in ’91, when I first did the swap, I did not have the luxury of using an OEM radiator as the V8 Explorer did not exist at the time. Went thru a couple of aftermarket ones that were, frankly, junk. Sweet ride you have there, can’t wait until the next part! One of my dream swaps is to put a 4.0L Cologne V6 and 5 speed into a early ’70s 2.6 Capri….
So, why didn’t you do a 4.0L swap?
Frankly, I wanted that shiny plenum in my engine bay, and the 4.0 does not have the same visual impact. Keep in mind, the 4.0 has more displacement, but is working off the same valves and intake path as the 2.9. It was tuned for torque rather than power, so the smaller engine comes close in horsepower rating, and is more willing to rev.
This project really kicked off when I stumbled across a Scorpio for $ 500 only ten blocks from my buddies house. Without that element, the Mustang II might still have the 2.8 in it.
Scorpio = 4-door – 4-door = parts car – It’s OK
No, it’s not…because a Merkur Scorpio is automatically cool.
It would have been WAY cooler with the XR4ti engine…but I don’t think they made those. =(
No offense, but considering the extreme rarity of these Merkur Scorpios, why would you tear apart a running and driving one for a car that is significantly more common? I’ve been looking for a Scorpio for years, and here one is, being chopped up. To each their own, and congratulations on your swap, just curious. Why not swap in a 4.0L?
“considering the extreme rarity of these Merkur Scorpios, why would you tear apart a running and driving one for a car that is significantly more common?”
I think you over estimate the rarity of a 1974 Mustang II, and under estimate the rarity of a Scorpio. I know from personal experience there aren’t a lot of Mustang IIs left, while Scorpios are still fairly common in Europe.
Furthermore, there are MUCH nicer Scorpios here in the US for very little money, which is why this roach was available for $500. I’ve linked an example from last year here:
Interesting Scorpio for $2,800
I should also note the following:
We pulled this particular car out of an alley where it had been sitting for 9 months. By purchasing it, I salvaged the motor and engine control system, but without my involvement, EVERYTHING would have gone straight to the crusher.
I have to agree, you actually did that Scorpio a favor. 🙂
I was also sad to see an extremely rare Scorpio get torn up for parts, but I don’t think this was a running and driving one. I looked up his first post on the Soul Survivor and he said he had to tow the Scorpio to his work site:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/curbside-classic-1974-mustang-mach-1-the-soul-survivor/
I would have preferred to see the Scorpio survive, but I’m guessing this one had some fatal malady that made it not worth repairing.
It’s a California car, so everyone back east thinks it look really clean, but out here it’s just another high mileage car. I believe this one fell to the number Scorpio killer, a bad A4LD automatic.
By co-incidence I saw one of those later Granadas (Scorpio outside the UK) yesterday.
This is my favorite kind of engine swap – one I can observe from the air conditioned comfort of my office and that results in not one wisp of grease under my fingernails. 🙂
Seriously, this is a really nicely done job that looks extremely professional. And you have to have one of the nicest driving MII’s that there is.
Without grease therapy on the weekends, I’d have a hard time walking into my air conditioned office on Monday mornings….
That’s a good one! Magnificent job Dave.
I can only echo everyone above about what an admirable job this is—looks better-than-factory, and an impressive job of troubleshooting and finding reliable workarounds.
Plus, I’d never heard of those Gates shrink-clamps, either.
Bravo, bravo, bravo!
(I remember a 1976 Mustang II with the 302—I’ll guess it’s less horsepower than yours, plus carb issues, plus even more weight up front, right?)
Very nice job Dave; thanks for the update the other day and the closer look above! (And for the rabbit hole of your previous articles about it that I’ve just read again!).
The 2.9 Cologne is the same as in my ’89 Ford Sierra (which has featured on CC previously). Engine pic below from when I had it rebuilt when I bought the car – nothing was wrong with the engine, but the car had been sitting unused for several years so I wanted everything checked and all the seals and gaskets replaced to set me up for years of reliable motoring.
It has been very reliable until this year when the fan clutch died. While taking that apart, the Ford dealer found the water-pump had cracked. Ford NZ don’t do any Sierra or Cologne bits anymore and couldn’t easily source anything from overseas either, so eBay came to the rescue and everything’s back together and running strongly again. These Cologne 2.9s are interesting engines, nice-looking with that plenum, nice-sounding, run beautifully, and endow a car as light as the Sierra with very quick performance. The only downside I’ve found is that the fuel consumption is rather spectacular. As some wag once said: ‘Only Ford could design a large engine that produces so little power while using so much fuel’.
Anyway, wonderful job you’ve done with the conversion, looks so neat and tidy, congrats to you and your friend!
Wonderful article – very much enjoy reading how CCers are maintaining and modding their cars. Can’t wait for the next one!
Nice job.
I used to own a moderately optioned 1979 Mustang with the 2.8 V6. It was a good little car that served me well. I never had any issues with the engine; it was a relatively smooth, quiet motor and offered adequate power. I’m sure EFI would have been a benefit, but the V6’s Motorcraft carb it was born with worked just fine.
EFI swaps definitely complicate things. When I had to replace the engine in my 1985 Ford Ranger the only parts I needed were a fuel pump and a clutch pilot bearing since the donor was Fox body Capri with automatic. It turns out the fuel pump on the Lima 4 is mounted in opposit directions on cars and trucks for frame clearance. otherwise the carb, ignition etc. were straight bolt ins other than capping some vacuum ports.
I think products like Megasquirt and aftermarket TBI to replace carbs are a wave of the future.
OK, serious question: does the Scorpio 2.9 still use solid lifters?
Nope- I talk about that in the next Soul Survivor posting. D/S
Beautiful job! I love the flex lines and hose “clamps”, and your intake and valve covers look great!