While the Mustang II isn’t exactly everyone’s favorite variation of the popular muscle car, it holds a special place in ‘Stang enthusiast’s heart, Jason Bowman. He’s had his vehicle for a long time now and just recently made the very big decision to swap out its engine in favor of a (gasp!) Nissan alternative. Check out some photos of the car and learn why he made such a drastic decision.
Jason Bowman has owned his Ford Mustang II for a very, very long time
While the Ford Mustang II might not be most people’s favorite edition of the muscle car, it does hold a special place in Jason Bowman’s heart. Bowman bought his 1978 Ford Mustang II Mach 1 when he was a teenager in the early 1990s because that was the low-budget used Mustang at the time.
Worth noting: It was the final year for the Mach 1 until the name was revived on the 2003 Mustang.
How Bowman came to put a Nissan engine in his prized ‘Stang
Bowman’s Mustang II has had multiple 302 V-8 Ford engines under its hood, the most recent of which made 300 horsepower and was attached to a three-speed automatic transmission. The problem, though, was that its current power plant breaks pretty far from its Ford lineage. So, naturally, Bowman wanted something light, fuel-injected and easy to keep cool to make his Mustang a bit easier to live with.
After much research, Bowman chose to go with a turbocharged Nissan 2.0-liter SR20DET inline-four with a five-speed manual gearbox which originally saw duty in the S14 Nissan Silvia. He got the engine imported to his home country of Canada by a friend of his who owns a shop that specializes in JDM Subaru STI swaps.
>>Join the conversation about this Silvia powered Mach 1 Mustang 2 right here in The Mustang Source.
Why didn’t Bowman go with an older engine?
Bowman admits he considered a few other engines, including the supercharged Essex V-6, which was available in the Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe in Canada from 1989-1995, and the 2.3-liter EcoBoost currently available in the S550 Mustang. But he felt that these older engines were “getting a little long in the tooth” and the new engines were just too expensive.
“At the moment in time I did my swap,” said Bowman, “the old engines were too old, and the new engines were too new.”
>>Join the conversation about this Silvia powered Mach 1 Mustang 2 right here in The Mustang Source.
How does Bowman’s modified engine perform?
According to his estimation, this engine makes about 275 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque making the performance of his car respectable without being crazy. Despite a slight dip in horsepower compared to the old 302, Bowman says his Mustang is “noticeably quicker” with the Nissan engine. The car even handles better thanks to the weight reduction.
As for driving it: “The 302s always ran really hot because the Mustang II is a subcompact car with a small frontal area and limited space for a big radiator,” Bowman told The Drive. “The Nissan engine runs as cool as a cucumber even after hours of full throttle romps.”
Bowman adds that his Mustang is getting driven a lot more than it used to out of his six-car fleet thanks to its overall lack of fuss and good fuel economy.
>>Join the conversation about this Silvia powered Mach 1 Mustang 2 right here in The Mustang Source.
Additional updates to Bowman’s Mustang II
The interior is just as unconventional as what’s been updated under the hood. It has JAZ Turbo Pro seats and a custom dash of Bowman’s own design made from aluminum, fiberboard, and fiberglass. Right in the middle of the dash lies a Tech Vapor all-in-one digital display with a long row of toggle switches underneath controlling the basics like lights and windshield wipers.
>>Join the conversation about this Silvia powered Mach 1 Mustang 2 right here in The Mustang Source.
Mustang community reaction
Bowman says that most of the Mustang community is split on his decision to use a Nissan engine in a Mustang; that his decision was either clever or heretical. “Surprisingly the Mustang community as a whole has been very positive about the swap,” said Bowman. “It does anger a few purists, but I won over many of them with my approach.”
Story and images via TheDrive.com
>>Join the conversation about this Silvia powered Mach 1 Mustang 2 right here in The Mustang Source.
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