[4 Cam Bird]

I got the Mark motor dropped into my Bird today and got everything required to start it hooked up. This did not include the MAF because there wasn't anything to attach it to yet anyway. Just wanted to make sure it ran before we spent the rest of the day getting everything settled in. Fired it up, checked the gauges, NO OIL PRESSURE! Turned it off right away to make sure I didn't hurt anything. We decided maybe there was a problem with the Oil pressure sender. So we pulled the one from the SOHC motor and put it in the new motor. Fired it up with crossed fingers and the guage climbed to it normal spot. So, I don't know if it was a bad sender or if the Mark sender does not work with the Bird's gauge? I just know it works now.

The engine went in fairly easily. We had the cowling and hood removed from when we took the old motor out. We lowered the engine craddle some because there was no way we would have gotten the mount lined up without the extra room. All engine lifting was done with a chain hoist attached to a hook welded to an I-beam that spans the ceiling of the garage, this was an intentional design feature of the garage when it was built. The I-beam cannot actually be seen as it is above the sheet rock. Once we got the radiator back in and all the hoses on and some water, along with the air intake tube and Maf we went for a little spin. There is a problem with the shifting that's cause has not been detemined yet. Don't know if some wiring is needed or what. The only thing we did to the tranny was change the torque converter to a Mark converter. The j-mod is coming next week along with some new plugs, wires, valve covers and a couple other things, assuming we get the current tranny problem solved.

For the air intake tube I am using the Mark tube with the resonator chambers hacked off and the holes filled. In front of that is a connecting tube that has not actually been determined what it will be made from, ideas appreciated. This TBD tube will connect to the MAF which has been modified to connect to the Thunderbird air box, which already has the reonator removed and a tube leading to the fog light hole, the box currently contains a K&N but based ont he actually recommendation of my well respected mechanic, who wired the motor in, and what i have heard is recommended by a well respected person who knows more than anyone about these cars, I will be gong to a Motorcraft filter, which will be changed frequently with that tube to the fog light hole.

The actual fitting of the engine and pulling of the old engine was pretty easy. I had access to someone who would do all the wiring for me. If you have this same acess and the money this is really not a bad swap, but you need someone who knows wiring and can ge tthe diagrams for the car the motor came from and the car you are putting it in. The guy who wired it also told me that he thought it would be a areal easy wiring job if both cars used an EEC V or OBD 2, the 94 Mark was EEC IV and the 94 Bird was EEC V which made the wiring for mine more difficult.

any question, ask away, pictures as soon as they are developed, won't be developed for another week and a half though.

 

[AverageJoe]

Glad to hear it worked out rather painless for you. I guess you next logical step to please the TCCoA masses will to be those pics developed and do a nice little writeup with a cost for us MN12 engine swap noobs.

 

[Robinson]

greats news. good to know everything went semi-smoothly. whats the nature of the shifting problem? WOT, light accel. etc.

 

[4 Cam Bird]

Nature of shifting problem was it wouldn't shift, no wide open throttle yet at all, it isn't done, just driving it making sure everything worked, no hood, no exhaust, etc. The pictures should be done in a week and a half, more pictures to take next weekend when I get the new valve covers on and have the intake tube painted.

As for the cost, let me start here $700 for DOHC 4.6L with nearly complete harness (one thing needed from it was damaged)
My prices will be pretty unrealistic to expect since I found a lot of parts I needed real cheap, any new parts were purchased through my dad who works at a Ford dealership so were cheaper than even through five star except for FRPP stuff, he doesnt work at an FRPP dealer so any of that stuff I get is from 5 Star (like the set of spark plug wires that was $140 list...$110 shipped from Dan though). The DOHC wires are MUCH higher than the next cheapest set of wires in the catalog.

 

[gkasper]

R/R thru Top or Bottom?

It sounds like you R/R'd the motor out the top as opposed to taking it out the bottom as per the shop manual procedure. Do you think this was easier? If you had a lift would you still do it the same way or would you have gone out the bottom. I am currently planning to do my Cobra swap out the bottom but I may change that based on your experience.

 

[4 Cam Bird]

If you have a lift the bottom would be easier. No lift in the garage. We removed the black cowling and wipers and hood. there is still enough steel cowl work attached to the car though that gets in the way and kind of complicates things. The way the motor mounts attach to the engine cradle made it more difficult to get the motor out the top then it should have been. You have to lift the motor a good distance before the mounts clear the portion of the cradle they bolt down to, it is pretty stupid engineering. We did lower the cradle to get the new motor into the car to make it easier, we needed the extra room, really would have needed it if we just put the original motor back in.

About the tranny shifting problem, this has been linked to the throttle position sensor, it was bad, also fixed an idel problem which we were thinking was from using the wrong IAC but it turns out the wrong IAC (wrong means wrong part #) still works with the motor once the TPS was fixed. Have an appointment for exhaust on Thursday (2.5, x pipe, Flowmaster 40 series originals), my FRPP plug wires came in UPS today but require signature so I have to go home after work tomorrow afternoon and wait for them, valve covers and j-mod parts should be in by Friday. This is the longest week ever, and it is only Tuesday.

 

[4 Cam Bird]

I got my plug wires from Dan the man at 5 Star today. Strangest thing I've ever seen. The connector on the plug end is as long as my hand! No wonder they list at $140, its weird, you really would have to see it...so I'll take a picture

 

[gkasper]

I'll go out the bottom

Based on what you told me and since I will have a lift to use, I'll do the swap out the bottom. Now I need to fabricate some sort of a moving platform/fixture so that I can easily maneuver the engine/transmission/sub-frame around on the floor and under the car.

Does anyone have any ideas on this?

 

[4 Cam Bird]

Hmmm...maybe it is more difficult in practice than in idea to take the motor out of the bottom than I thought...could you in some way get everything loose with the car on the lift but keep it propped up in the car, then lower the car on the lift to a point where a jack can be placed under the removed assembly to lower it all the way to the floor? This would problaby require a couple jacks to do. Or, cherry picker the motor out the top, we used a chain hoist, thus, any time you wanted to move the motor very far forward or back, you had to move the car itself, with a cherry picker you can move the motor. I have pictures of how we got the motor to meet the angle of the tranny I believe...this weekend that role will get polished off, I will get it developed ASAP and get the pictures scanned and posted.

Dad picked up the car from the exhaust place today...said it was pretty quiet . Guess I will have to get something done with those cats...the left one is part of the exhaust manifold though, major bummer, stupid freaking engineers (I am an engineering major, I do believe most engineers can't open their hood or they wouldnt design things the way they do). Also said it laid serious rubber on the shift to 2nd. Great, my dad is beating on my car while I am away. This is before the j-mod coming this weekend. Bought a tranny cooler tonight, got the valve covers today, Cobra ones, almost half the price of Mark VIII ones but, funny enough, inside both part numbers, the Cobra and Mark ones are listed...lol, don't buy Lincoln stuff if there is a Ford part just like it. Real excited, can't wait til I get off work tomorrow so I can take it for a spin and not just a put around the hood.