Converting to EFI questions

What are you converting has some bearing on these questions. StuK

Hmmmm...How right you are! It's a '66 coupe with the original 289 block. Currently it has a 570 Holley, Edelbrock intake aluminum heads and their Performer cam (that's the small one) and JBA's shorty headers. I have an AOD in it with a set of Curry

3:55's. It's good running and quick, not F A S T. Mid-14's is it's best time. I am going to EFI for driveability reasons as well as efficiency. This is my everyday driver car.

TIM -aka- MUSTTANGUY "at" AOL "dot" COM

I've studied both those sites. Both have great products, but way out of line prices.$850 for a wiring harness for instance...

The swap I did was a '68 Cougar.

First the fuel rail feed is on the other side of the EFI setup so we installed new fuel lines and a new return line along the passenger side ( mirror the original fuel lines). The friend I helped worked for Ford so he had a lot of cast off pieces from warranty claims so he got a virtually complete fuel and return line for a Crown Vic complete with clips and fittings and flex lines. We just modified it and added where necessary. We installed a fuel filter on the inside of the front frame rail. We removed the sender and cleaned it well and drilled and brazed a return line nipple onto it. The fuel pump was an external unit from an early 90's PU truck we mounted in the hump ahead of the tank and used factory flex lines and couplings. We also wired in the inertia switch in the trunk to kill it in an accident.

The throttle cable was not the best engineering job I ever did but it worked. I kept the stock cable and snaked it back and forward under the upper manifold in a big S. I drilled and tapped two holes into the upper intake at the rear sand casting hole and made a bracket out of aluminum to bolt the cable to I hung down just below the plenum above the valve cover. I made an eyelet from a bolt and washer welded and split it to install the nylon sleeve of the cable to ( where it attaches to the modern gas pedal) and installed it on the original '68 throttle arm lever.

Firing order stays the same as the regular 289 as firing order is a function of the cam timing and is pretty much determined by where the spark plug wires are put not the 'puter!

My friend had a new exhaust installed prior to this work and had made provisions for the O2 sensors. The EGR valve and spacer were removed and the heat riser hole plugged with a frost plug. The battery was moved to the trunk so we mounted the MAS and a K&N cone where it used to be. HTH StuK

Ron Morris uses brand new harnesses straight from Ford and then converts them for use on the early cars. He doesn't, and won't, take used harnesses and then cut'em up to make'em work. I know this because I just talked to him on the phone about 30 seconds ago. He said the average cost to convert a 5.0 EFI into a "vintage" pony is ~$4K, sans motor. With what you get though, it should pay for itself in more power and better fuel efficiency fairly quickly. And all new parts, nothing used. Worthwhile to me for a daily driver!

Scott W. '66 HCS

StuK

Let me suggest something in regards to the firing order.

As you said it is dependent upon the cam and where the spark plug wires go...does it make sense to plug the injector connector for cylinder 5 into the injector at cylinder 3 and the injector connector for cylinder 3 into the injector at cylinder 5. Then the same for cylinders 4 and 7. These are the differences in the firing orders. Assuming that they'd reach to the otherside of the manifold, or perhaps an extension could be built.

That would have the plugs firing at the same time as the injectors. Make sense?

fuel pump was an

in the trunk to

big S. I drilled

and installed it

not the 'puter!

K&N cone where

conversion.

Stu -

Good information, however, if I remember my books right, there is an injector timing issue with a 289 firing order. I can't recall which firing order it uses, but the late model 5.0 H.O. engines use a 351W firing order and the non-H.O. engines (truck, Cougar/T-bird) use a standard 302 firing order. The computer needs to know when to fire the injectors as well, for if you're lighting the injector off on the power stroke, you won't do much good and just end up ponding the gas on the head of the valve.

Also, as far as I can remember, this is the difference of the PCM. For accuracy, use a computer from a car with the same firing order as yours.

This is all just from memory of the EFI books I've read and not by any practical knowledge though. I just throw it out there as a consideration to be looked into.

JS

not the 'puter!

DING, DING, DING! Thanks! You're correct. We weren't using an HO PCM setup. Sorry, did this a while back and it's getting hard to remember all the intricacies. I also rebuilt the front end changed the rear springs Shelby dropped it and did a Granada brake swap at the same time ( it truly WAS a project)

Having said that you could just "rewire" the appropriate injector to fire with the 289 FO as you stated or use the NON HO PCM. The Cougar was C code stock 289 so there was very little HO about it! StuK

Absolutely see my other reply below. I had a brain fart! StuK

I'd like to thank Charles Probst for providing me with that wonderful and exciting information...

Sounds like a fun project and something that was a good solid driver when it was all said and done, though, like you said, not overly H.O. ;-)

JS

with the 289 FO

consideration to

StuK, Thanks for the check! I really don't want to do a cam swap if I can avoid it!

with the 289 FO

consideration to

If your 289 has the firing order of a late model non-H.O. 5.0, just look for the PCM from a non-HO 5.0 - easily found in 5.0 T-bird/Cougar/Marquis/Crown Victoria (non-PI) cars, as well as possibly some Lincolns, though I think they were equipped with the H.O. The truck 5.0s might also have a non-H.O. arrangement, but I think their computers are set for more low end torque than a slightly more performance minded T-bird/Cougar would be.

IIRC, the non-H.O. firing order begins 1-3 whereas the H.O. firing order begins 1-5.

JS

Here's the car. No motor shots sorry! StuK

*Very* sharp looking car. I know a guy that'd be drooling all over himself looking at that. Personally, I was never a big Cougar fan, but that's one sweet machine.

JS

intricacies. I

Nice Cougar! Is that the 360 Bridge of Austin in Cougars and Kittens?

intricacies. I

It was in Cougars and Kittens but I think the pics were taken near Buffalo or Niagara Falls NY. Can't remember. ( I don't have the pic with the bikini clad lady, sorry!) StuK