1980 wagon engine swap

[offroadrebel]

Hello, i am currently looking at a 1980 eagle wagon for sale, asking price is $650 but needs carbeurator rebuild so i am thinking of an engine swap for more power/smoother running (is the asking price reasonable?)i currently OWN the engine and transmission to a 1995 crown victoria (4.6l SOHC MODULAR v8)  and am wondering if anyone has any knowledge as to if this swap would be possible? i have tried searching google with no helpful results and figure the eagle owners on here are quite knowledgeable. thanks in advance

[amcfool1]

hi, and welcome to the den. $650. is a very good price, especially if the car is not rusted out. If all it needs is a carb rebuild, may I suggest you try that first, a carb kit is only $30. or so, and your 80 should have a  non-feedback Carter BBD., get it running, and see what else it needs, before you jump into an engine swap. The most common, imo the ONLY cost effective engine swap into an Eagle is the AMC/Jeep 4.0, do some searches on that, lots out there. Even here, go to "Your  Eagle(s)" section, and check out the thread "Tootie is Alive...finally" to see a well done Eagle. The Ford modular motor is physically very large and wide, and probably won't fit, and you will have to reengineer the whole car. good luck, gz

[eaglefreek]

Welcome. Ford Modular engines are rather wide and will be  tight fit, if it will fit at all, between the strut towers. I had a Ford 5.0l and a Chevy 5.3L in two different Eagles and those were a little tight and are much narrower than a 4.6l. Plus, if you want to keep it 4wd, it adds a whole bunch of other complications. As said, a Jeep 4.0L is the easiest.

[offroadrebel]

hi, and welcome to the den. $650. is a very good price, especially if the car is not rusted out. If all it needs is a carb rebuild, may I suggest you try that first, a carb kit is only $30. or so, and your 80 should have a  non-feedback Carter BBD., get it running, and see what else it needs, before you jump into an engine swap. The most common, imo the ONLY cost effective engine swap into an Eagle is the AMC/Jeep 4.0, do some searches on that, lots out there. Even here, go to "Your  Eagle(s)" section, and check out the thread "Tootie is Alive...finally" to see a well done Eagle. The Ford modular motor is physically very large and wide, and probably won't fit, and you will have to reengineer the whole car. good luck, gz

thanks for the advice! i will definitely look into the carb rebuild kit if i purchase the eagle. only other issue im seeing with the vehicle is it states in the ad that it "hasnt been driven for several years, but  turns over and runs." as well as the previous owner was in the process of replacing the heater core but never did... is this a huge red flag even if the engine runs that it could possibly be non driveable?

[amcfool1]

hi, well, if it runs that is definitely a good sign. A bad heater core won't make it undriveable, you just won't have heat until you fix it. note though, that a car that's been sitting for several years will need a thorough "check up", brakes, fluids, filters, probably tires, etc, before it's ready for daily duty. How much mechanical experience do you have? good luck, gz

[offroadrebel]

hi, well, if it runs that is definitely a good sign. A bad heater core won't make it undriveable, you just won't have heat until you fix it. note though, that a car that's been sitting for several years will need a thorough "check up", brakes, fluids, filters, probably tires, etc, before it's ready for daily duty. How much mechanical experience do you have? good luck, gz

i currently own an 88 montero and have dissasembled and put back together about 3 of those engines. my dad is the one who is the big mechanic, but i have a pretty good understanding for everything in terms of breaks, fluids and such. And yes, i would replace the tires as i would not trust them after sitting for several years. i figured i could probably get away with doing most work on the vehicle myself with help from youtube and the forum.

[amcfool1]

sounds like you're in good shape, go for it! good luck, gz