We were just given my sons great grand Dads car with 90k on the ticker and it runs great. It has the TBI 302 and some form of AOD. I would like to use it in my sons 51 F1 I am building for him but have a few questions.
First has anyone here used the complete 302 with the EFI off one of these cars? If so any pointers on the wiring? Also is the trans computer controlled or can it be a stand alone trans behind a carb'd motor? I noticed about 5 wires plugged into the side of the case. I have several other builds going and this truck is not a big rush as my son is years away from driving but I would like to get it on the road so he can have memories of the truck from his childhood but want to spend as little as I can right now to get it on the road then when he is older we can start working on it together.
Also are their any other parts I should be looking at keeping off this car? We already have the MII front end and a T-bird IRS installed.
you can remove the engine/trans wiring harness and use only that (splice into it) or remove the complete harness out of the donor car like i did, heres a good site with lots of good info on harnesses ect http://www.fordfuelinjection.com/
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55 ford f100, stock
crown vic frt end
4 link, bagged!
Howell Engine Development can help you work over the harness and ECU. Our experience is that the 5.0 TBI isn't worth much. A carb and msd ignition may be a cosideration, or look for the mustang style intake. The trans shound be mechanical control except for the lock-up. Bowler Transmission can answer that one. Good Luck
I know price always counts and the price on this particular powertrain is perfect, but I would personally keep looking. Sometimes even free isn't a good deal. The TBI EFI system is a real dud. The effort required to install it wouldn't even be close to worth it. Converting to a carb wouldn't be very satisfying either. The cam and heads in this engine are sad, sad, sad. It would end up being an underpowered slug in a heavy old pickup. The only way to wake this one up enough so that it would even get out of its own way would be to change the heads, cam, and induction. At that point, free ain't so cheap anymore.
As for the transmission, I really like the AOD. Just not that AOD. They had serious lube deficiencies to the planetaries prior to 1988. The only AOD's recommended for transplant are the '88 and up units. In addition to this problem, that combination had a hard linkage rod for the throttle valve. This linkage won't be compatible with anything other than this system. The throttle valve is critical and MUST be CORRECTLY hooked up and adjusted. There are aftermarket kits available to adapt a cable between the throttle valve and a carburetor, but there's more work and expense. All '86 and later AOD's behind multi-port EFI motors had a much better cable-operated throttle valve.
I know that this isn't what you want to here, but I honestly think you AND your son would be happier and better off with a different powertrain. '88-'91 Lincoln Town Car, Merc Grand Marquis, Ford Crown Vic, or Ford F-150 is what I'd look for. They're cheap, plentiful, and all have better long block components, EFI systems, and transmissions than the '84 Lincoln. If the car is in decent shape, sell it on craigslist and use the proceeds to procure a more suitable donor. Good luck and have fun!
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Thanks for the info. Yes it was a free car but those are not always the best deals and that is why I asked before tearing it apart. Right now I have a 450HP 351W in the truck but no trans and was thinking a complete drop in would be quick and easy and I could swap later on but I think I am better off selling this for a few bucks and find a good old C4 and call it good for now. Great Grand Dad is not allowed to drive any more so they wanted the car gone so he would not go for one last joy ride I guess.
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