351 is in!

[86caprirs]

money on wickedwindsor!!!!!!!

 

[Ford_Racing_Guy]

modular 4.6? what trannies bolt up to that?

that would be a sick swap haha. wiring would probably be hell but whatever that thing is pretty nasty.

the 4R70W.....i have one of those 2

 

[Ford_Racing_Guy]

OH what a feeling it is.
Dont worry there will be bugs to work out........

Looks really nice! wanna race?

oh man that would be a sweet race

 

[j602]

It would be close; bigger engine versus lighter truck.

 

[410Fortune]

exactly gear ratio's and tire size too dont forget
Its not about who wins its about driving a v8 converted rig = fun

 

[WickedWindsor]

Headers

I used MAC 351 Windsor mustang swap headers for '79 - '93 Mustangs.
I had these lying around from putting a 351 in my old '84 Capri. They worked pretty good though not perfect because I did have to trim the passenger side frame to accept the collector and flange.

As for the wiring harness......I started out with an '89 mustang 5.0 harness. I went to the junkyard many times to gather all the appropriate connectors from other Explorers and 5.0L cars available to make an intermediate harness. Right now, I could theoretically disconnect all the connectors and plug the original harness back in. Nice and clean and easy to troubleshoot if I ever need to. It makes the install so easy. I had made the harness back during Xmas from schematics from HelmsInc for the Ex and Haynes manual for the mustang harness. I did rewire the fuel pump circuit so that the relay is now located in the passenger kick panel along beside the EEC relay. The mustang fuel relay was located under the drivers seat. I removed the Explorers two relays that were originally located in the power distibution block. These were actually wired into the 4.0 main harness. When I was first planning the wiring, I was going to reuse the 4.0 relay locations but that was going to make alot more fabrication to an otherwise stock 5.0 main harness. K.I.S.S. formula ruled here!

 

[86caprirs]

I like what yo did. I may have to talk to you about some stuff though.I have a 351w going into my 86 Capri rs but it will be on hold for a while.So now i am looking to put the 351w into my 92 Explorer. Where did you buy you transfer case swap parts in Canada??? Also, i am ****ty at wiring...Can i use you for help on the wiring???
Shane
Calgary,Alberta

 

[86caprirs]

Also, what tans did you use????Aod from what vehical and year.What flex plate too???

 

[410Fortune]

Come on get those relays inside a power dist box, makes it so much cleaner, then you can add more later! I put a big plug on my power dist box (94 explorer style) and I can disconnect it in about 4 minutes and have it on the bench to add new wires, all my accessory fuses and relays are in that box and I still ahve 1 relay spot left and umpteen fuses and sizes to still use.

Those boxes RULE!

My truck harness is still 88 and I have only cleaned it up/repaired some wiring, otherwise I could still plug a 2.9L drivetrain into the truck, hahaha and this is after a 4.0L and now 5.0L conversion....

 

[WickedWindsor]

86Caprirs,

The tranny I used was an '88 from a Lincoln Mark7. The '88's had oiling improvements made to better lube the output shaft. They also had more clutch disks, 5 as opposed to only 3.

The transfer case adapter I got was through Summit Racing. Advance adapters makes it and can be purchased through any Dealer that carries AA merchandise. Advance Adapter P/N 50-8404 (9" long adapter) $499.95 right now at Summit.

The flexplate I have came from an '85 crown vic with 351W. It has to be 28oz. balance for a 351W. This car came with an AOD so it's a perfect match, flexplate to torque converter.

I will do what I can to help you with the wiring. I made my own schematics of the splice areas within the harness.

Keep in mind that with a 351W EFI, you're going to need a lot of EFI parts. Unless you have them already, It gets quite expensive.

I used a fuel rail from a '96 EX with 5.0L. The 351W from F150's will not work because the fuel pressure regulator is on the drivers side of the rail. The 302 rail from a mustang will work but the connectors are on the passenger side. I wanted my connectors to come out the back drivers side.
The intake I used is an Edelbrock clone made by Professional Products. It gives me the Edelbrock performance without the price. For the upper and lower I paid $600 CAN.

If I had to do it again, would I do the 351????????

Heck ya!!!!! I don't see many people that did it so I wanted the challenge. Planning paid off (one year to be exact). The swap only took me a month with vehicle "down time" and that's taking my time working one day a week on it (plus an hour here, an hour there).

Big note.........There was much cutting and fabbing of metal for it to work. The exhaust Y-pipe took me two days to complete. I hacked up the original and rewelded it to connect.

Looking at my Dad's F150 351W, the stock manifolds on it would likely go in with next to no cutting and the F150 Y-pipe and even exhaust could be used. I will venture on this project next in a few months. I'm going to take some measurements of his truck and compare to mine. What I'd like to prove (hopefully) is that headers designed for an F150 351W will bolt in along with the Y-pipe and Cat. There are many aftermarket Cat Back manufacturers for these trucks. Getting a Cat Back exhaust that would be the length of the EX maybe a shortbox style pickup? Wouldn't this save some $$$$$ on a swap? I'm looking for bigger diamater pipes down the road. 2x2" into one 21/4" to 21/2" Cat Back is what I have now. Choke, choke, choke!

 

[86caprirs]

Well so far the engine is completly built already for a drop in and turn key.I used a 95 roller block,gt-40 heads,gt-40 5.8L lower,cobra upper,Comp cams XE270HR,cobra 1.7 RR,Kirban AFPR and a modified mustang fuel rail.I was thinking of using the stock cast 5.0L Explorer exhaust manifolds and a 5.0L explorer fuel rails and lines to connect the fuel rail easier.I know the exhaust manifolds will choke the engine, but right now the 351w will be a temp install.That engine is for my capri project but is just sitting there so i am just going to put it to use while i finish my car.Then i will find another 351w to drop into the Explorer....or maybe go a fuel injected 7.5L in the capri.....hmmmmm.

Well i may bug you on the wireing because i want to be able to drop in the engine and plug the harness in and go.No hack and chop job.I would like it to look factory stock sort of thing.
Now, did you make your own engine mounts???I have heard that people do that so the engine sits a litle lower.....and the aftermarket stuff is crap too.They just used 1/4 inch plate and set the engine back as far as possable.

Well i thank you for your help and if i bug you too much, just let me know.

 

[86caprirs]

I also see that you did a 2" body lift....I guess that would be a mandatory thing for this swap. You also said that you lowered the rad mounts and pushed it forward by an inch. Also, what accesory drive did you use????Is it all from the Econoline???

 

[86caprirs]

What accellerator cable are you using???

 

[WickedWindsor]

I'm using a throttle cable from a late 80's thunderbird with 3.8L engine. Fits perfect with no mods.
The accessory drive I have is from an E150 van (early 90's). The power steering pump came from that as well. It is a much stronger pump but I had to buy a new pressure hose. I got one that was for an '91 E150 with 351W. I had to bend it slightly and route it differently but it has the right ends to connect the pump and steering box without mods.

 

[86caprirs]

Well i thank you for your help...I am now trying to find the trans/wire harness and all the misc stuff that i need. I hope by the end of the summer i have completed and installed the engine into the beast and can use the X like it should have been built.....
I always wondered why Ford never followed Dodge when it came to stuffing the 318 or 360 into the Dakota and Darrango's....Ford has always been behind in that aspect....And i wish Ford released that mini lightning they did a couple years ago...
Thanks again for you info.

 

[86caprirs]

OK. how does the AOD work for you???Does it seem to shift at the right RPM...does it shift gears to fast???Does OD seem to low???? I was wondering this because i guess you can upgrade the AOD with a planetary from a 4r70w and give it a better 1 - 2 and OD gearing for the heaver Explorer.

Update, so far i have the engine,88 t-bird aod and fuel rail/lines. I am having trouble locating a EEC harness here.I guess people are treating the mustangs like cars and not crashing them anymore.

Still need to get 5.0L Explorer cast exhaust maninfolds,eec harness,oil filter relocator and a tranfercase adaptor from AA.

 

[86caprirs]

Oh, i forgot to ask....Did you look into the 351w exhaust manifolds on your Dad's truck??? Do they look like they will work for the exhaust system along with the Y-pipe????

 

[WickedWindsor]

The stock F-150 manifolds definitely are the way to go for easy clearance of the steering shaft and passenger side frame. After I wiggled and grinded to get the 351W Mustang swappers in I decided that it would have been worth the while to use the F-150 stockers. Headers for the F-150 are my BIG question for fittment. The collectors dump in the same location (good) the tubes run further out from the block Drivers side (Bad-steering shaft).

I have not had a chance to check out my Dad's truck lately. Since I had to weld up a Y-pipe custom myself, I'll be looking into this option as my welds rust out down the road eventually. To have a parts bin replacement for exhaust would be sweet!

The AOD was used in some full sized trucks with 302's and 351's before the newer electronic models. They came with the same internals as mustangs/Lincoln 7's. I'd say that the shifting/power-to-weight is quite acceptable. I don't beat on it all the time either though. Maybe this is why my '91 A4LD lasted 14 years in perfect working order until extraction. It's tough yanking out a perfectly good engine & tranny!!!!!!

 

[86caprirs]

So you just put in the trans with out a shift kit of some sort or did you just run it stock form and function?

Yeah, i hear you there.....I may have to find some good 351w manifolds and bolt them on the engine.Then try the F-150 Y pipe and use that as a starter exhaust system and work off of it.I will find a 4x4 f-150 to make it easier for fit....then just cut and weld.

Now i was going to use the Mark 7 engine harness and swap to a mass air set up. I checked the "How to tune and modify Ford fuel injection" book and found that the only difference between the mustang EEC harness and Mark 7 harness is some wire colors. example::: pin 52 is red on mustang and DG/Y on the Mark 7 but the pin 52 was for the same part.So i am thinking this is ok to use??? I found a crap load of mark 7's but no mustang 5.0L.

So as soon as i remove the harness from the mark 7 i am going to find a Explorer 4.0L harness and start with the cutting and splicing on the harness to make it a plug and go.

Thanks for your help.

 

[BOLT]