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SHO V8 in the Contour

H

hcl

CEG'er
Joined
May 28, 2010
Messages
118
Okay. I know there have been lots of posts about trying to put a SHO V8 in the Contour. And of course, the price to having it done could be a lot. I've done some searching. And this is what come up with. Hope this could help anyone who is interested in doing it.

1. The SHO V8 3.4 is about 22" from crank to tranny side. And should be able to fit in the Contour, but the right inner fender need to be trimmed or cut to accommodate it.
2. The SHO V8 does not have a top engine mount. Must fab something for top engine mount.
3. The MTX-75 can bolt up to the SHO V8. But need a 0.250" spacer plate. The Taurus Club guys have done this.
4. We need to find an ECU that's able to handle 8 cylinders. Using Taurus SHO V8 3.4 PCM is okay, but need to get it tuned to remove the ATX parts. Maybe an 99 Cobra PCM would work, it has 8 cylinders, Coil On plug, IMRC, MTX, and returnless fuel system. It is noted that this will need some work to deal with the speed input (from ABS).
5. For the MTX-75 to handle the increased torque, a Torsen or Quaife LSD is suggested.

Overall, I think it is possible to put a V8 in a Contour. I'll do it if I win the lottery. :laugh: Please feel free to correct me or add anything.
 
The question is WHY? For thousands less you can turbo a 3.0 which fits perfectly and will run away and hide from a SHO motor.

Do what the cool people do, put a Turbo 3.0 in.
 
Some info I learned (this was/is speculation) The 3.4 was designed after the 2.5 duratec just 2 more cyls added. The pistons, rods, and caps have the same part numbers on them as the 2.5 duratec does. Some speculate that if you bored out the cyl wall to the 3l duratec size you can put 3l pistons and rods in the engine Creating a 4.0. Now this hasn't been tried maninly bc the 3rd gen sho was pretty ugly and the fact of the matter is who wants to spend R&D money on a car that's ugly and only came in auto not many people were interested in upgrading this car so what is the point in R&D?
 
I think converting to RWD is much more work. Keeping it FWD should be easier?
Hope I win the lottery. Haha!
 
It is easier since you don't have to deal with finding the drivetrain to support, although Pole is doing it right now. But if you're gonna do a sweet motor swap, why not just go all the way?
 
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