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How about an SHO V8?

5K views 19 replies 14 participants last post by  Young Gt Lover 
#1 ·
Hi, guys so I have liked these late 1990s Ford Taurus Sho's. They are the only sho with a v8. They are 3.4 Liters and make about 235hp. The heads are designed by Yamaha. The engines only came with an automatic trans. Also they are front wheel drive. This engine would be kind of cool to put in any Opel. I think It might even fit in the GT. I wonder if you could convert it into rear wheel drive? Would this be a cool engine and what do you guys think about this.

Thanks Sam.

P.S. I would never do this unless I find a very beat up GT.

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#2 ·
You would have to replace the whole drive train and rear axle, probably the front suspension, too, then do all sorts of reinforcement to the chassis to handle the power. You'll have overheating issues, the car won't handle like a sports car anymore, and you'll constantly be losing traction.

The V8 swap is the sad tale of far too many GT's. It has been attempted hundreds of times and hundreds of GT's have gone to the crusher after failed attempts. There's a saying we have: " If you have to ask how to do it, then don't do it, because you don't have the skills and the money to pull it off."
 
#3 ·
Well if you get a GT shell then you might be able to do it. It would be easier to reinforce it. Also there are two v8 GT's at I car show that I saw right by my house. I just wonder if they were solid cars or not. I wouldn't hot rod a solid car.
 
#7 ·
We had an early Taurus SHO v6 with a 5 speed. That was an awesome car to drive. Yamaha did a great job with that engine, unfortunately the quality of the rest of the car was pure Ford. An Escort transmission? Aluminum alloy pilot bearings? The final straw was driving down the road and the trunk popped open with the lock mechanism torn right out of the thin sheet metal mount.

It is not a small engine. Fitting it in a GT is fun to imagine but I doubt it could happen while maintaining the lines and dimensions of a GT.
 
#9 ·
Sam, Over the years this has been a topic, that comes up from time to time, on this forum, mostly by people that are not that familiar with an Opel GT. I have seen them start a conversation with really big plans and talk a good game and then just disappear. Don't get me wrong I believe they are sincere in there belief and desire but the job turns out to be much more difficult than they ever dreamed. Based on what I have read over the years on this forum, written by people that have a lot of practical knowledge and experience, that the way to go if you want a powerful GT is install a 2.4 which I believe will deliver around 165 HP which is a ton of power for such a small car. The advice from this forum, 99% of the time is to stick with what will actually fit.
And not to be a downer as it is nice to have goals and to dream but you already have your work cut out for you, getting your new GT road worthy. However in the event you decide to move forward I along with the rest of this forum will be there pulling for your success. Good Luck if in fact you decide to move forward. Remember the one thing that really drew us all to the GT was not it's massive engine but the lines and the look of the car and that is why it is so special. Best, Carl
 
#10 · (Edited)
I have thought about many possible engines for an Opel Gt swap over the years.
Here are my thoughts:
1. Without major chassis modifications, there is no reason to go with anything over 150 hp. Even at that level you will want some mods.
2. Pretty sure you can get about 150 hp from a properly modified 1.9 platform and keep it pretty reliable. I am sure Rally Bob will correct me if I am wrong. I am sure you could do more with forced induction.
3. If you are dead set on an engine swap, don't go down the road of one of the failed attempts. An engine from a front wheel drive car normally carries additional complications with it. Doesn't mean it can't be done. Find a car someone did a SUCCESSFUL swap and replicate it at least to some degree. Doesn't have to be a cookie cutter duplicate, but really no reason to reinvent the wheel. The BEST one I have seen is right here on this site: heliman's ruby red GT is just stunning in every way.
4. If you want a really fast sports car with world class handling, you will spend a lot less on a BMW MRoadster circa 1999 to 2001. Best handling car I have ever driven. The early ones with the S52 engine are scorchers and as well balanced as any street car ever.... even to this day. The later ones with the S54 engine up the HP ante by about 50 more, making it a real world beater. You will likely spend less on one of those.
5. I personally would like to see a Honda S2000 power train married to a GT. I have not measured engine size to see if it will fit without modding the hood. I believe a giant hood bulge would wreck the whole project. Wrecked S2000s come up for sale for less than 10k with pretty low mileage. By purchasing a complete car, you can use the same ecu and many other parts that normally nickel and dime you do death on a swap project.
6. Anything can be done if you don't mind completely changing the character of the car. Personally, I would not want to change a GT very much. I am no stranger to swaps. Put a V8 in a 240Z way before it was popular. I put a later model Chevy engine and trans from a 70's farm truck into my 49 Studebaker farm truck. BTW, I just hauled a load of crap to the dump this morning in that truck. Friend of mine used to own this 55 Chevy. Talk about changing the character of the car!!! P51 Mustang V12 engine.
 
#11 ·
A cool thing about the SHO engines is they were designed to mount transversly or longitudinally. I agree that major mods would have to be done to body, suspension and steering to pull it off, and I think the result would be scary to drive. But that engine is amazing.
 
#12 ·
All things are possible, but not all things are equally possible...or even possible for all people.

The biggest problems with V8/GT swaps is either failure (not enough money/know-how/time/patience) or they are successful (usually too successful and either too powerful or undrivable on the street). I don't count GT drag cars as anything other than what they are.

The best 'non-dragrace' GT I've heard of is the Katrina GT. It has been written and talked about on the forum before, but read what kind of work went into it.

1969 Opel GT - Under Water - Popular Hot Rodding Magazine
 
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#16 ·
Thans for all your replies. I am definently not going to do a v8 swap, I was just wondering if it would work or not.

Thanks Sam
 
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#17 ·
A V8 swap will work, no doubt, but it takes fabricating skills and money. And time, many projects have ground to a standstill because the builder got tired. And keep on dreaming up stuff like V8 swaps, it's free and somtimes you can even come up with something useful. A good imagination is good to have when you are looking for a solution for a problem there is no bolt on answer to.
 
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