I’ve done a similar swap, putting a 4.6 Cobra into a ’79 Futura, so I may be able to help a little.
Wiring is the most difficult, or at least, the most tedious part. If the Marauder is anything like an SN-95 Mustang, the ECU wiring is integral with the rest of the wiring and not a stand-alone setup like those on the 5.0 Fox Mustangs. You can do either of two things. You can take the Marauder under-hood wiring harnesses and strip away all the non-essentials that already are in place with the original LTD wiring (lights, horns, etc.), making a stand-alone harness for the ECU that connects to the rest of the car’s existing wiring. Or you can strip all of the existing wiring forward of the firewall on the LTD and use the complete Marauder under-hood wiring, connecting it to the LTD dashboard. That’s what I did because I used an ’88 Mustang dashboard which wasn’t compatible with the Futura’s original under-hood wiring. Either way you’ll need the wiring diagrams for both the Marauder and the LTD. (The LTD wiring diagrams may have been posted on foureyedpride.com and your friendly Ford/Lincoln dealer should have the Marauder wiring diagrams on CD. If the service manager is a good guy, he might let you burn a copy of the CD.) Wiring can look pretty intimidating as a whole but if you break it down into individual systems it’s fairly easy, just time-consuming. Do one circuit at a time, starting with something simple like the starter, and trace the current path from the battery to the switch and solenoid, the starter itself and to ground. Then determine where you will make the connection between the Marauder wiring and the LTD. Then do the same for ignition, oil pressure, temperature sensor, etc., until you have everything figured out. And WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN – a year from now you won’t remember what you did.
You have to take the oil pressure and temperature sensors from your LTD and put them on the Marauder engine. The existing sensors on the Marauder won’t work with the dashboard gauges if you have them on your LTD. You’re lucky that your gas tank and gas gauge sender in the tank are already set up for fuel injecting and don’t have to be changed. The Continuous Flow Injection (CFI) in your LTD has a low-pressure pump in the tank and a high-pressure pump external to the tank. You can eliminate the external pump by replacing the low-pressure pump in the tank with a pump for an ’87-’92 Camaro with a 350. It’s almost a bolt-in. Without the external pump, you’ll have room for dual exhausts. I used Mustang pipes and hangers, lengthening the pipes forward of the mufflers for the longer wheelbase, and adding 18 inches to the tailpipes for the longer trunk overhang.
Bill’s advice to use an SN-95 K-member is spot on. The crossmember and rack and pinion steering are a little lower, allowing the hood to close when the engine is installed. Be aware that the mounting points for the suspension arms are also lower and will affect the front end geometry by changing the rate at which camber angle varies under load. I kept my original K-member and had to put half inch spacers on each of the mounts on the K-member, and three-eighth spacers between the motor mounts and the block. The combined seven-eighths spacers, turned on a 45 degree angle, raised the engine about an inch and a quarter, clearing the crossmember and steering but requiring me to make a clearance bubble on the hood.
Good luck, keep us posted with plenty of pictures, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
