This is paperwork witchcraft. Somehow, the owner of this 1995 Ford Mustang GT managed to swap a 2JZ engine under the hood and keep the car legal in California. How did he do it?

In order to get this car certified, the engine needed EGR ports drilled. The turbos, injectors, and intake manifold were reworked in order to meet US-spec requirements. The ECU is stock but chipped in order to remove boost cut limitations. Of course, this still wears the stock emissions gear from the Toyota Supra that donated this engine. It has to in order to gain legal status bolted up in the Mustang.

After that it’s paperwork. Oh, but before you get there you’re going to need to spend time with your tools.

The fitment of the engine wasn’t easy. Owner Stephen basically had the car down to a tub at one point. He built brackets off the engine mounts, made brackets from a T56-swap crossmember for the transmission, and then didn’t use that transmission but instead used the six-speed that bolts to the back of the 2JZ normally. Oh and Stephen also swapped in an IRS setup.

Zack Klapman says the shifter feel and action is great. And it’s a perfect compliment to the unexpected engine under the hood. Additionally, the sound works well with the look of the car. It’s definitely not the growl you expect from a 5.0-liter V8, but it still sounds good.