My dream didn't start out big. Five years ago, I bought a 99 MTX in Silver Frost with the intention of doing a 3L swap. Needless to say, the swap got postponed... until the 100,000 mile extended warranty ran out. Last Spring, I commenced planning the engine swap during. It wasn't long before I came across a motor for sale that had never been used and was built - by Buckshot77 - to handle more than just mild boost. About the same time, the turbo kit by Nautilus Performance became available - the product of a partnership between Warmonger and BurritaSVT. That would be too much power for the Cougar, but I convinced myself that it would help me postpone the purchase of a Corvette a bit longer. Thinking that it would save some money doing both installs at once, and by dyno tuning the car just once, I figured I should put the two together and make it happen. I had been talking to DanG for awhile about doing the engine swap. DanG's impending fatherhood gave me a deadline to work against.
Powerplant
2003 Taurus 3.0L Duratec
Diamond 8.5:1 compression pistons (.020 overbore)
Pauter rods
Clevite main and rod bearings
PnP 3L heads from Kinger
ARP head studs
New oil pump
Upgraded oil pan
Dual-Mode Damper
Transmission
SPEC Stage 3+ Clutch Kit
Torsen LSD
Upgraded shift forks
Turbo Kit
Precision Turbo T3/T4 60 trim .63 A/R
Front-Mounted Inter-Cooler (27 x 6 x 3.5)
38mm Tial Wastegate
TurboXS Type H 38mm Blow-Off Valve
MSDS 2.5L Headers
Magnaflow 2.5" Hi-Flow Catalytic Converter
42# fuel injectors
NGK TR6 spark plugs
K&N air filter
SCT XCalibrator2
For the installation of the turbo, I also purchased the Steeda Batter Relocation Kit. A battery box and fuseless, distribution block were purchased separately.
For the installation of the 3L, including the amazing fabrication work done by DanG, checkout my thread in the 3.0 Performance forum:
Best Upgrade Ever: 3L. This thread concerns the installation of the turbo kit by Nautilus Performance.