I am in the planning phase of a complete custom rebuild of a 1992 Ford Centurion (125K Miles) this is going to be a father and sons ground up project and I am most concerned about the 460. I am looking for the best way to consider gears, tire size, E40D, EFI, towing load, etc. and end up with the best engine design (heads, cam, pistons, rockers, oil system, chip, etc.) for strong RELIABLE towing power. The chip seemed like the best place to start, especially since it has been a bunch of years since my last rebuild, high school (1980) as I recall and I do not know much about the new options.

I would like to do most of the work with my sons as possible so I am open to any and all suggestions on where to start. (Engine budget $5,000.00)<O></O>

 

Actually, the chip is the last piece. It pretty much ties everything else together because the computer, especially a 1992, can't compensate for the changes you have it mind. The biggest thing a chip is going to do, more than power, is get it running right (assuming the cam isn't too radical -- nothing can fix bad cam idle lope!).

A few recommendations:

1. If you're not going much higher than the stock displacement stick with the stock injector size. This will make it easier to nail perfect air/fuel ratios. They have plenty of duty-cycle "leeway" for stock displacement.
2. Get an adjustable fuel pressure regulator/pump. This will save a lot of time with the chip. For instance, if I were to program a set of custom tunes for your vehicle the a/f ratio was only slightly off you could dial the fuel pressure rather than send the chip back for tweaking.
3. Buy (or rent at an auto parts store) a wide-band O2 sensor. Get the readings at idle and various RPMs. This information can make a big difference when programming a chip. The stock O2 sensors aren't accurate enough for tuning.
4. Check out the big block forums section of this site... some real experts there.
5. Stick with a street legal cam. Otherwise it can be very tough to get it to pass the sniffer test, even with a custom tune.

 

Thanks for the reply. It sounds like the chip is custom done for the specific build. I was thinking that based on the desired performance result it would be best to build based on tried and proven specs that were matched to the chip, or even find it all together in a custom kit. At this point I will focus on the build to match the rest of the drive-train, set up and power requirements and then worry about the chip. I am not expecting to push the cam or displacement to hard. I need more towing power but want durability and show. When I get to that point what should I look for to get a solid solution and what should I expect to spend? Will I be able to adjust on the fly for the given load and application, heavy load more power less load, flat land, better mileage, etc.

 

The chip price is here: http://www.motorhaven.com/customer/p...cat=274&page=1 -- that includes the custom programming.

Yes, you'll be able to switch on the fly between the 4 power settings, just don't switch it to the anti-theft mode by mistake! :-)