Dueller,

That's interesting. I read your post this morning , & just out of curiosity got a chance to take a look at a couple of '80s Fords today: a '82 Crown Vic (302) , a '83 F-150 (351W), & a '82 Mustang (5.0 or 302, whichever you prefer). The Vic & truck had internal regs, the Mustang external; the Vic & the Mustang I know are original, the truck looks original but I dunno for certain. The only late '70s Ford I remember for sure was a '78 LTD 351W, also internal reg. My parents don't have it anymore, but Lord knows I fixed it enough to remember every detail.

So, I'm thinking it's possible that they might have used both systems for a while through the late '70s- mid '80s, depending on the car/drivetrain/intended use. Or, knowing Ford, it could have been decided by what the systems engineer had for lunch on design day. I don't know much about '80s-up Fords, so I don't know where the line falls, but that's what I found on lunch break, anyway. Don't think it helps Todd any, though.

Regards, Mike