Lincoln Mark VIII engine swap

[MagicBird96]

Hey all,
I have a 1996 T-BIRD LX 4.6L and looking to swap in the Lincoln Mark VIII DOHC 4.6L. Any advice before I proceed??
Thanks

 

[XR7-4.6]

Hey all,
I have a 1996 T-BIRD LX 4.6L and looking to swap in the Lincoln Mark VIII DOHC 4.6L. Any advice before I proceed??
Thanks

The biggest hurdle (and expense) you’ll face will be the exhaust. The stock mark viii manifolds will fit but the driver side one is integrated into the catalytic converter and most used engines will have had that torched off. That pretty much leaves your only direct fit choice Kooks headers from Supercoupe performance, which are a bit over $1,000 a set(which actually aren’t a bad value these days, but will exceed the cost of the engine which always hurts)

93-96 Mark VIIIs have a low profile tubular intake manifold which will clear the Thunderbird hood, while 97-98s have a taller cast intake that won’t. Something to keep in mind.

You’ll also need to rig up an RPM switch to keep the IMRCs functional, which I recommend you do as they make the DOHC much more drivable with the extra low end torque they create.

Otherwise it’s a pretty much direct fit. You’ll just need to have the computer tuned to run it well.

… that said if your goal is a stock Mark VIII engine for the sake of it being a power upgrade over your stock SOHC 4.6, I actually would recommend the PI swap instead. The power difference between it and the Mark VIII DOHC is negligible and actually feels stronger at lower RPMs. Exhaust, hood clearance and IMRC controls are no longer things to worry about and if you wanted you could still go with Kooks headers and aftermarket cams and make a little more power than any *stock* NA DOHC Ford produced. Not as cool or or exotic as the DOHC under the hood but food for thought