I RECENTLY BLEW A HEAD GASKET IN MY 1980 MERCURY CAPRI AND I WANNA PUT A NEW ENGINE IN IT.I GOT A 2.3 LITER 4 CYLINDER IN IT NOW AND WOULD LIKE TO GET THE SAME IF I COULD FIND A CHEAP ONE OR POSSIBLY UPGRADE TO V-8.SO WHAT TYPES OF ENGINES WILL FIT IN NO PROB AND WOULD I HAVE TO CHANGE MY REAR END FOR A V-8…THANKS
The 2.8l V6 was an option that year. I don’t know if a 302 or 5.0l would fit or not. It would be awesome.
You should be able to drop a small block Ford (289/302/etc.) in with few problems. A 351 or 400 should fit but this might require a change in the hood to a cowl induction or scoop type hood as these engines have a higher deck height.
The rear ends hold up pretty well as they are so I would not worry about that. Depending on the transmission used you may have to modify the driveshaft.
There would be a number of changes to be made (motor mounts, exhaust, cables and wiring, etc.) but it should be a fairly straightforward swap.
This was the Mustang twin, so listen to OK, should be very straightforward to put in a v8 (302), just takes $$$, but would be easier to find than the 2.3l 4, and the tuner options are unlimited.
As stated above, the Capri and Mustang were twins so any engine that fit a Mustang should fit.