I really need some feedback. I am putting a 5.0 with AOD in my 53 f-100. I have two 5.0s one is in a 1999 Explorer and the other is in a 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis that I bought for the AOD. Both crank and run but both will need to be rebuilt. Situation is I would like to run one of the EFI.s that are on one of the 5.0. I am an old school guy and I know I can put a carburetor/intake on either engine and make it work but I also know that fuel injected is possibly a better way to go. Problem is I am not sure how much of either of the mentioned vehicles I will have to repurpose to get the job done. I don't want to reinvent the wheel but I sure would appreciate some advise form someone that is smarter than me and has done this swap.

 

I put an AOD from an 88 Crown Vic in my daughter's 66 Mustang. Freshened up the trans and put in a recommended shift programming kit. Don't remember what brand. Art Carr? It was back in the 90's and still going strong.

Not long after the trans swap I put a 5.0 HO from a 91 Mustang GT. I didn't want to deal with the wiring and computer, fuel lines, all that stuff. The engine had less than 100 K miles. All I did was hone and ring it, new bearings and seals and a valve grind. Its still in the car and running too.

I used the 289 pulleys, intake, carb, manifolds, etc. Had to get a different balancer and flex plate and a steel distributor gear. Sold the fuel injection stuff to pay for some of the parts.

I really like the simplicity of the carbureted system in the stang. Once I jetted it in I haven't messed with it. Been a daily driver since my daughter was in high school. She is 31 now.

On the other hand, if you have a complete matched up engine and transmission that works well together and don't mind working out the wiring, may be the way to go. Proven performance, fuel economy, factory and aftermarket parts availability.

 

I installed a carbed 302 in my 53 and later learned to tune ODB1 EFI (not that that is necessary for a stock donor EFI install. To me here are the Pros and Cons...

EFI
-Far superior fuel mileage, improved driveability and emissions. The install is also considerably more costly for a proper and safe fuel system. High pressure fuel systems should be built with care. If you are truly going to drive the truck a lot you should get your install investment back. If you drive a 100 miles a month you have to do it just because you want to. If you stray from stock performance EFI is more expensive than carb. It isn't even close.

Carb
-dirt simple and reliable. Haven't adjusted anything for five years or more. About a dozen less electronic pieces to get old and die. Cleaner look (completely subjective of course).

 

Thanks guys. Anyone else?

 

I dont use carbs anymore, FI is set it and forget it.
I am sure there is plenty of info out there on how to make a stand alone harness, or even easier just use the complete 1988 harness and cut it down to use only the circuits you need. I would stick with the OBD1 stuff.

 

The 1999 Explorer engine is the better one. It has the best stock intake made for the 302 and you can go back to a distributor to run a OBD1 computer instead of OBD2 if you want.

The 1988 302 has the smallest intake and camshaft Ford made for a EFI 302.

 

The 99 explorer is better it has the GT40P heads

 

I'm using an 89 302/aod efi (plan is for a DD)this is new for me. I have used a lot of info from dave (drptop70ss)fuel tank and some other none Chevy stuff in my build and the cost has been much less than changing to a carb
I got the wiring from the donor not sure it would be worth it with out using a donor and some of the fuel system also the serpentine is great for ac ect
I know this is all older stuff and some will need to be replaced but after talking with some of the guys on the small block forum I believe it's the only way that I can see any good mpg hopeing for 20mpg?? Ok 16+

 

carbs and I do not get along. FI all the way.

 

I was looking for a quick way to get my engine running. The old Holley that came with it was shagged. I bought a new Holley right out of the box, bolted it up and she started straight away. Bit of a play with the jets and she's good to go. Has been running beaut ever since.

Having said all that, if money was flowing and you have the time and skills, I would go fuel injection.

 

Stock EFI looks like butt...works good but if I had it I would never open the hood. When I win the lottery I'll buy a Holley EFI setup that looks like a carb or maybe an 8-stack Hillborn setup.

 

Hey Summer,
Hmmm.... We've got a 1950 F1 with a 351W & an AOD transmission. We went with an Edelbrock carb - I was getting tired - these restorations can go on & on. I got into the get her done mode. We've run our set up for 15K miles.

o My wife complains that the truck stinks up the garage.

o I think Carbed engines run hotter. Just my personal experience.

o Carbed won't start as easy as EFI - You get to tinker with it
to get it right. (Lot's of tinkering).

o If you are going to go through the trouble of relocating the
gas tank out back - I'd go EFI as you are back there fiddling with the tank set up anyway.

o Carb's "look" more appropriate in the engine bay. There are some after market EFI setup's that look like carbs but they are pricey ($2K).

If it doesn't make much difference to you - I'd go EFI. Much more
reliable starting & better mileage.

Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

I went carb on Willard. I built a clone to the GM 383HT motor. I investigated going the efi route which was a fair more $. In all fairness I already had a manifold and carb for very light $ which I had dyno'ed the engine with. In my case I did not have a stock engine such that it would be a good candidate for an OEM efi setup. For me it would have cost over $2K for going to efi, just about what I have in the engine.
I came away with the opinion that efi is reasonable to do from a $ perspective if you get a complete efi donor engine with everything including the harness. My other consideration was that I wanted (and have) a very clean engine bay with almost no visible wires and very hidden hoses.
It really depends on what your goals and pocketbook are.

 

if they can get these efi systems like the holley efi ones that look like a carb and bolt on for about 1k they will sell like hotcakes. for around 2k they are probably worth it but a little pricey. Some of the new ones have the computer built onto the throttle body, way cool.

 

Couldn't agree more. 2k is alot for simple TBI