Thanks!


I'm running a 50-oz imbalance setup, so I used the stock flexplate for a 5.0 Mustang with AOD. The truck had an FMX transmission in it, which used the same 164-tooth flexplate size, but the old engine was 28-oz. I got a used 50-oz 164-tooth flexplate to match the engine. They do sell 50-oz 157-tooth flexplates if you need to mount a 50-oz 5.0 engine to a transmission that takes a 157-tooth plate.

 

Great - thanks! Loving the build!

 

Well, I finally got the TV cable setup for the AOD sorted out today. The one good thing I can say about the Lokar kit is that it includes a good, long cable ... Maybe for an Edelbrock on a Chevy it works as-is, but the geometry was way off for the Holley/Motorcraft 4180C in my application. And the "geometry corrector" levers you can buy for the carburetor don't seem compatible either. The setup is just not even similar.

However, the cable does work. I got it set up using the kickdown provision Ford had included on these carburetors, which moves in the opposite direction of what the Lokar kit is set up for (they expect a kickdown lever pointing down from the throttle pivot rather than up); fortunately, the cable is long enough to loop around and come in from the front.



I used a little L bracket with a plastic bushing/spacer to mount to the factory kickdown stud (using an E-clip that came with the carb kit). The piece with the set screw from the Lokar kit works OK here, but they're set up to connect to a lever with a hole in it that a bolt can go through, and there was no good way to modify the rest of their parts to work with this. I'll trim the extra length off the cable once I've got it permanently installed/adjusted.



Here's how I mounted the cable at the top end - put a stud in an existing hole in the intake manifold, and found an L-bracket sitting around in my garage that I could mount the Lokar bracket to.



One of the main problems I had with this setup was getting the lever arm lengths right at both ends. The kickdown lever at the carburetor is 2.25" from the pivot to the stud, and travels through ~75°. The lever at the transmission travels through ~45°, so (after a little math), we should want a 3.75" lever arm at the transmission end, which is close to the same as the factory lever (any difference is possibly due to my imprecise measurement of angles). So far so good. The Lokar lever is shorter than that, but it is set up to handle the cable, while the factory lever on the transmission has a stud for a rod:



So, adding a little extra length to the Lokar lever should work:



But ... for a while, I kept not getting enough travel to get to WOT even when I had the transmission lever significantly longer than I had calculated it should be. It turns out there's yet another shortfall of the Lokar setup: the return spring only pushes the transmission lever about halfway back. So, I rigged up a bracket to hold a return spring on the transmission end:





The spot where I attached the return spring was the most extreme I tried in my trial-and-error approach to getting the lever arms right, before I figured out it wasn't returning all the way. As you can see, I ended up going back to the correct position for the cable mount hole, but using the extra-long one for the return spring. For the spring, I used a spare throttle return spring I had lying around.

With this done, the TV cable travel on the engine and transmission match perfectly, as they should. Finally!

Next up: getting the column shift linkage attached...

 

I went through the wiring harness today in complete detail. Looks like the other wires were in good shape, but anywhere there had been insulation melted to them, I taped over each wire individually just for an added level of protection in case there was damage I didn't catch, thinning of the insulation, etc. I'll splice in new wire for the one that was destroyed and bundle it all back up, then get back to straightening up the ignition system wiring like I was starting to do when I discovered the damage.

 

very cool setup, i wonder if one could do the same with a 351m or 400 with the 460 AOD( that would be a cool setup).

 

460s came with the E4OD not an AOD, E4OD requires a computer transmission controller.

I have to say I'm really disappointed in that Lokar cable setup, you just shouldn't have to modify a product that much, ecspecially with Lokar's prices.

 

Yeah, there are two main issues:


1. It's set up for an aftermarket carb with a Chevy-style reverse kickdown geometry while I'm using a 4180C with the Ford-style forward kickdown geometry. Given that applications with the 2150 were available with the AOD and wouldn't need a kit (just the OEM rod), the 4180 and 4300 would be the only carburetors that wouldn't be compatible at that end, with the appropriate "geometry corrector" lever. So I'll give 'em a little slack on that one: if I had an aftermarket carb like they expected, the lever arm lengths may've been OK.


... but


2. The return spring is too short/weak - this is a common complaint online even for people using this kit with the carbs it's set up for. This just shouldn't happen.


So yeah, I'm not impressed. But at least I've got it set up now, and the cable was plenty long.

 

While I had the instrument cluster out to work on the wiring, I decided to go ahead and refresh it - repainted the needles and installed a new lens to replace the old one that was semi-opaque due to yellowing.




I also got a bit of work done on the wiring harness - finished the ignition system harness and got started on the main cab harness. I think I should be able to get it mostly wrapped up tomorrow.

 

I also got the charcoal canisters mounted up today, and mostly plumbed - still need to straighten up the hose routing a bit:

 

Since I was unable to find a 6-quart truck oil pan and used the front-sump 5-quart car oil pan, the oil plug ended up directly above the crossmember. In order to drain the oil, I rigged up a remote oil drain system. The direct-mount valves would have protruded too far and hit the crossmember, so I installed a banjo bolt, hose, and solenoid valve - mounted the latter to the front of the crossmember. I plan to wire the valve to a safety toggle switch, and additionally power that switch through a relay such that it can only be activated with the ignition off. Should make it nice and easy to change the oil: place a pan and flip a switch.

 

Neat idea with the Oil Drain.

I don't think I've ever seen so many vacuum adapters in one place as you have with that charcoal setup. haha

 

Thanks. I'm thinking it should be convenient at least.


Yeah, a few of those are the factory vacuum restrictors from the '83-'85 Mustang 5.0 HO setup I'm copying since I'm running the carb/distributor/etc. from that application. Others are because I don't have all the original lines and Ford had some things that went back and forth between 3/8 and 5/16 or between 1/4 and 3/16 at either end (e.g. small nipple on the canister is 1/4 and canister purge valve lines are 1/4, but the vacuum restrictor that goes in between those two is 3/16, or elsewhere: carb bowl vents and canister are both 3/8, but the bowl vent solenoids in between are 5/16 - and this is with all Ford components for the same model year application). Not sure whether they had hard lines/adapters or molded hoses or what ... I probably could've done without the restrictors and not had a problem, but figured they included 'em for a reason, so I put 'em in. Most of the rest are tees just because so many things all tee together on the factory diagram. *shrug*

 

This thread was awesome, look forward to progress

 

that truck would have had a front sump pan factory, my 390 does- but it is a 390 so... but my oil drain hole is above the cross member and you have to get up there with an elbow Wrench to get it undone.

 

Thanks! Me too! Hopefully I'll have updates to post soon, if I can find time to work on it when it's not raining.
Yes, it would have - but there were two different front-sump pans that Ford used: one for cars that resulted in a 5-quart capacity, and one for trucks with a 6-quart capacity. The 6-quart pan is just a bit longer, which I think would actually put the drain plug at or behind the back edge of the crossmember rather than being as directly over it. I wasn't able to find a 6-quart truck version though, so I went with the 5-quart car version. Could've gone rear sump with the dual drain plugs, but I like the front dipstick location better for the truck: easier to get to. So I improvised.