Donor 80k mile 1997 T-bird V6 and auto trans..?

Our neighbor has a 1997 T-bird with the Essex 3.8 and auto trans. It has less than 80k on it but the sub-frames are rusted and it has been side swiped. They are talking about scraping it.
I'm not opposed to grafting wires, so that being said, what do guys think about using these in my '64?  I know nothing about that model of car, or motor, so I thought I might ask the pros.

thanks for any input

the engine can be carb'd pretty easily as well.. just not sure about trans options. as it sits, it appears to have an electronic speedo?

I would worry about the width being a 90 deg block. I don't know much about it other than what I just read on wikipedia. Is the Thunderbird a Super Coupe? Looks like you could put an AOD behind it, but I'm not sure how that would affect the engine's ecm. Looks like it was out since 82, so AOD/carbed is an option, but the engines output in that configuration looks to be no better than a 200.

I'm not really in the mood for a swap. But I should walk over and measure the width of that motor...

I thought about that myself. The 3.8 isn't that good of engine. (My opinion) They had head gasket & tranny issues. I would use a noncomputerized 302. They are bullet proof. The less wires the better.

Remember= "YOU Could Have had a =V-8!!" 

I think its interesting that there is a movement toward modernizing the vans with power AND economy in mind. Modern engines are getting smaller, while putting out comparable power to the push rod sixers that they were built with. While I grew up with the hot rod van thing, it can be a bit cliche' these days. Plus, I can't imagine driving one with that kind of power and additional weight, while having the front suspension design and brakes they came with. I'm an aggressive driver, but that just sounds dangerous as L. Why stuff all that power into something that cant use it for anything other than burnouts and exhaust note?

I agree, the newest Ford turbocharged I4's, 2.3's, put out more than 3 times the power of the 144 that came in my van and do it with better economy  

If I had the money I'd be all over that just for the novelty of it.