BoostedBrandon
BoostedBrandon Reader
9/2/11 2:00 p.m.

On craigslist I have found a gen one probe for 600 bones. V6, 5 speed, 234k miles.

I know the vulcan V6 was built for YEARS, but I'm thinking SHO swap. Anyone care to enlighten me? Think this may be challenge stuff...

92CelicaHalfTrac
92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork
9/2/11 2:06 p.m.

Probably the worst probe ever, in my personal opinion.

I know the SHO swap has been done on this platform, namely in 2 88-92 MX6/626s, but i haven't seen it in a Probe yet. Don't know if it's easy or not.

If it runs, drives, and is clean, i'd buy it just on the basis that it's a somewhat "neat" car that runs and drives for $600.

I know a few people have put M90s on the Vulcan. Might be worth looking into that instead of a SHO swap for simplicity's sake.

belteshazzar
belteshazzar SuperDork
9/2/11 3:02 p.m.

come to think of it, i have never seen a dead vulcan before. see what you can do about that.

BoostedBrandon
BoostedBrandon Reader
9/2/11 5:13 p.m.

I'm thinking E85 and boost...

92CelicaHalfTrac
92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork
9/2/11 5:16 p.m.

I'd be thinking about finding a donor smashed 2.2 litre Probe, and a good deal on an FE3. Then E85 and boost.

Or a smashed 2nd gen V6 probe. That swap has been done a few times, and will both make more power and weigh less than the Vulcan lump. Should be cheap to do, too.

1988RedT2
1988RedT2 Dork
9/2/11 8:45 p.m.

I test drove a new V6 5-speed Probe back in '92 (93 maybe) and I liked it, but not enough to buy one.

Streetwiseguy
Streetwiseguy Dork
9/2/11 8:54 p.m.

Terrible hard to buy odd parts for- Ford abandons their captive imports really quickly, so if its a Mazda part, they are available through Mazda. Ford specific parts are long gone.

Lesley
Lesley SuperDork
9/2/11 9:24 p.m.

Pretty sure KLZE can go in the Probe too, I bought heads from a Probe guy just to get the spring locks and retainers.

JamesMcD
JamesMcD Reader
9/2/11 10:23 p.m.

IIRC they have the same transmission as the F2T cars but with different gearing (perhaps final drive?)

81cpcamaro
81cpcamaro New Reader
9/3/11 12:16 a.m.

When I had my Probe, someone did the SHO swap in a 1st gen Probe, first with a supercharger then a Turbo. The SHO fits where a Vulcan V6 was, the only issue I remember was the hood didn't fit because of the intake manifold. It was documented on Probetalk but that was close to 10 years ago.

huggybear626
huggybear626 New Reader
9/3/11 9:38 p.m.

I got a set of k-sport coilovers for a first gen probe/mx6/626 if you pick that car up. reasonable price of course and a rear strut tower bar if interested

cwh
cwh SuperDork
9/4/11 9:18 a.m.

I was successful in blowing up a Vulcan. Well, a rod let loose. 320,000 miles. That truck did not owe me a thing. Tough motors.

just_james
just_james New Reader
9/11/11 9:48 a.m.

Used to own an '89 Probe back in the day (2.2 n/a version). I'm assuming you're talking about a 1st gen based on the price and the reference to the Vulcan motor. The SHO motors have been swapped into the v6 1st Gen cars before, but iirc it wasn't as easy as it played out in one's imagination. The KLZE's only swapped into the 2nd gen cars (well... i'm sure someone on here could put one in a 1st gen car). The 1st gen V6 cars were pretty much an orphan from the get go. It was only around from 90-92 and the turbo cars were a lot quicker. Due to the price of these cars and the owners that can afford them, not too many people are doing a lot of mods to these cars anymore. The old probe mailing list had a bunch of people doing mods back in the 90's, but I think that is long gone and most people hang out on probetalk.com now. There was a recent bubble when all of the sudden people figured out the the turbo 1st gen's did real well with MS and more boost, but a few random CL searches over the years and it looks like a lot of those cars have been blown up. Still... fun little cars and I want another one day. My choice would be an '89 GT or a '95 GT.

dansxr2
dansxr2 Reader
9/11/11 7:02 p.m.

Not to hijack this thread, but what are you looking for out of those ksports? They may be -ice for my mx-6 swapped mx-3

huggybear626
huggybear626 New Reader
9/11/11 8:13 p.m.

I got them for sale for 650 obo. I am very negotiable for a GRM'er. The y have about 2000 miles at the ost on them and I mostly did auto-x and back counry crusin.

dansxr2
dansxr2 HalfDork
9/11/11 8:16 p.m.

Hmmm.... Can you send pics to dansxr2@yahoo.com???where are you????

huggybear626
huggybear626 New Reader
9/11/11 9:08 p.m.

sent pics to you and i am located outside of Baltimore

92CelicaHalfTrac
92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork
9/12/11 9:05 a.m.
just_james wrote: Used to own an '89 Probe back in the day (2.2 n/a version). I'm assuming you're talking about a 1st gen based on the price and the reference to the Vulcan motor. The SHO motors have been swapped into the v6 1st Gen cars before, but iirc it wasn't as easy as it played out in one's imagination. The KLZE's only swapped into the 2nd gen cars (well... i'm sure someone on here could put one in a 1st gen car). The 1st gen V6 cars were pretty much an orphan from the get go. It was only around from 90-92 and the turbo cars were a lot quicker. Due to the price of these cars and the owners that can afford them, not too many people are doing a lot of mods to these cars anymore. The old probe mailing list had a bunch of people doing mods back in the 90's, but I think that is long gone and most people hang out on probetalk.com now. There was a recent bubble when all of the sudden people figured out the the turbo 1st gen's did real well with MS and more boost, but a few random CL searches over the years and it looks like a lot of those cars have been blown up. Still... fun little cars and I want another one day. My choice would be an '89 GT or a '95 GT.

KL has been put into the 1st gen cars a couple times now. It's interesting... like it was meant to be there. If i can manage to blow up my F2T, i'm not sure if i would put an FE3 or a KL in it the next go around.

just_james
just_james New Reader
9/12/11 9:38 a.m.

Well anything CAN be done, it's just the amount of fun required to do it, right? . I was trying to say that the KL's were essentially bolt in for the 2nd gen's only. You're right, a few people have put KL-series motors in the 1st gen Probes. I was debating about doing a FE3 or a KL or just a F2T, but a deer running out in the road one night made the decision that it was going to be none of the above.

Just for hotlink fun- A "1990 Ford Probe" with a big block from the NHRA race in Georgia about two years ago

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:
just_james wrote: Used to own an '89 Probe back in the day (2.2 n/a version). I'm assuming you're talking about a 1st gen based on the price and the reference to the Vulcan motor. The SHO motors have been swapped into the v6 1st Gen cars before, but iirc it wasn't as easy as it played out in one's imagination. The KLZE's only swapped into the 2nd gen cars (well... i'm sure someone on here could put one in a 1st gen car). The 1st gen V6 cars were pretty much an orphan from the get go. It was only around from 90-92 and the turbo cars were a lot quicker. Due to the price of these cars and the owners that can afford them, not too many people are doing a lot of mods to these cars anymore. The old probe mailing list had a bunch of people doing mods back in the 90's, but I think that is long gone and most people hang out on probetalk.com now. There was a recent bubble when all of the sudden people figured out the the turbo 1st gen's did real well with MS and more boost, but a few random CL searches over the years and it looks like a lot of those cars have been blown up. Still... fun little cars and I want another one day. My choice would be an '89 GT or a '95 GT.
KL has been put into the 1st gen cars a couple times now. It's interesting... like it was meant to be there. If i can manage to blow up my F2T, i'm not sure if i would put an FE3 or a KL in it the next go around.
92CelicaHalfTrac
92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork
9/12/11 10:06 a.m.

Haha, and then there's "Probezilla," the 2jz powered drag car.

The KL swap is actually not hard at all, by the way. I think it required one custom mount and your standard wiring work.

Cotton
Cotton Dork
9/12/11 2:37 p.m.

here's an 89 GT for 500: http://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/2593086897.html

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