61 Econo turbo

Hello, new to this group, I thought Id share one of my projects. I bought a rough 61 3 window for a shop truck. It came without an engine and trans, my first plan involved a 351w, but I decided to go alittle different route. I had a 2.3 turbo from a Mustang SVO sittin in my barn so I dug it out and set it in to check the fit. Its kinda funny that the truck came with a 144 I6 with 85hp and the 140 I4 that is goin in has 235hp. It is in good shape considering that it is a Mich truck and the previous owner stripped all the paint off then let it sit outside for a couple years. I did remove all the rust on the outside, wasnt too bad I had a secret weapon, now Im working on rebuilding the floor pans. I bought a Thunderbird Turbo Coupe for parts, Im goin to scavenge everything that I can to put in the Econo, like the wiring, trans, A/C unit....
Ill put up pictures of the before and during. Thanks, Tim form Mich.

Sounds like this is going to be a wicked little truck. Look forward to the progress.

Welcome!!!! You'll have to come to the Baker's early show in June, alot of econo's there and not far from you

Welcome !! Sounds like a fun project !

Bring on that bad boy build!

Welcome, can't wait to see some pics. I was just eyeing a 2.3 turbo on Craigslist wondering about the possibilities... guess you just answered that question.

Interesting choice of motor, I like the idea. I had one in a mid 80's TBird and that thing just flew!

kgdb

Welcome to the site Tim. Sounds like you have a bit of work a head of you. Can't Waite to see build pics as you get this project started, especially that motor install. That things going to hall A$$, and various other stuff...lol

Got some pictures up today, now everyone can see my bucket of filth!

Looks like you know how to deal with that rusty floor for sure ! I think that is a pretty cool engine to swap in ! Ya got alot done already, look forward to seeing more.

G-Man wrote:Welcome!!!! You'll have to come to the Baker's early show in June, alot of econo's there and not far from you

Yeah, Ill be there. I go to Bakers quite a bit over the summer. Ive taken one of my Corvettes and an old 39 Indian Four there a few times, cant wait to get the Econo over there.

I posted some update pictures. I have the front passenger side floor pan installed and welded in!! Just needs a little primer and on to the driver side.

I finally finished the front floor pans!! Now I think Im goin to strip the parts car so I can set-up the engine/trans, see if the heater/AC unit is goin to fit where I want it to, and lay out the wiring. When all this is done Ill finish the rest of the floor pans and fit the dog house. [img][/img]

I have been working on the same idea for about 3 years now. Mine is a work in progress but hopefully it will run by next year. And you are correct, those engines really do fly, and they get max HP and TQ way low in RPM's. My Turbo Coupe and Turbo Mustang pull hard from 2K all the way to redline.
I would like to see pics if you have any.

PS, are you going to try and run the T5 or an Auto?

Does a C4 bolt up to a 2.3? How could you use a t5 in a van?

A C4 will bolt up to a 2.3 if you can find one. The T-bird ,Mustang guys are paying big $$$$$ for them. The best bang for the buck would be a C3 from a mid 80s 2.3. Stay away from the A4LD, they are a real POS!
I am working on a remote shifter so I can use the T5. The 2.3 box has a wide ratio design with a 4.05 low gear and a .68 overdrive and should work very well in a van and get good economy. The design is sort of like the shifter in a VW bug or a tilt cab semi tractor.

Interesting swap! Please post some pics of this

Havent been on in a while, tryin to get a few projects done for spring. I have pictures in the gallery under 61 Econo turbo. I bought a complete 86 T-bird turbo coupe with an auto trans. I gutted everything that I thought I could use, engine/trans, wiring, heater/ac unit, pwr windows/locks, gas tank, and anything else I could get my grubby mits on!! I bought the t-bird mainly for the auto trans, I didnt want to have to deal with the linkage. Im goin to string out the 150lbs of wiring to see what has to stay and what needs to go, and build some motor mounts and a trans mount. Ill have more update pictures soon. Tim,in Mich.

You may want to get in touch with me. I collect and build Turbo Coupes and Turbo Mustangs. There is a lot of info out there that will help you with your swap. My current daily driver is a converted 88 Mustang(SVO clone). You can cut out some of that harness but you will need to keep the stuff for the fuel injection and you will need a high pressure fuel pump and add a fuel return line back to the tank.
The 86 you have is one of the best choices because it was the last year to offer the C3 automatic. The C3 is not an overdrive but is much stronger than the A4LD that came in the 87-88.
I will PM you with a phone number.

I just added some new pictures of my pup. I decided at 9:30pm the other night that I wanted to do something different with the truck, wasnt sure what though. I was cleaning all of the trim and small pieces and thought, I dont want flat black anymore so I changed it. By 12:30am
it was almost the same blue as original. By 11:00am it looked like it had sat in a field for the last 20+ years. Now I just need to sort out the T-bird wire harness, make some mounts, and assemble. Hopefully in time to drive it to Bakers, if not Im towing it!!

I found a can of paint on the shelf that I thought was bad, I opened it and found out it was fine and I thought the color was kool! Its a Harley color called Aztec Orange. So, I decided to use it on the truck. I put a couple pictures in the album section.

I havent had much time to work on the E-pup lately, but I did get the engine mounts built and the eng/trans bolted in, and started on the wiring harness. Im not sure if Ill have it runnin by Bakers, but Ill be there even if I have to tow it!! I was told that some people are goin to meet up at Boomers on M59 in Waterford the day before bakers. What is the date for Bakers?

June 24th.