1954 planning

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Jun 19, 2014 | 12:49 AM

#16

kenai1983

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Thanks! How are the lincoln Mark VIII 4.6 engines? Found a low mileage engine/tranny in a 1995 vehicle for $500. Seems kind of weird that the Throttle body is at the rear of the intake.

Jun 19, 2014 | 01:09 AM

#17

AXracer

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From: Durham NC

The 4.6 is an excellent choice, I'm not sure about the TB location in the rear? but other versions of the 4.6 TB are plentiful. If the tranny is the AOD that's probably the reason it's so cheap. There are plenty of aftermarket beefed up parts for it.
The Lincoln likely has IRS or a high ratio solid rear axle. a lower ratio might be more desirable but it would be useable in your truck. After you strip out what you want you can recover much of the donor cost by parting out the remaining hulk.

The rear TB could possibly be plumbed into the cowl side louvers!

Jun 19, 2014 | 10:15 AM

#18

kotadawg

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Joined: Oct 2013

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From: Liberty Township, OH

Quote:

Originally Posted by AXracer

Here is my suggestion on developing a build plan:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...1955-f250.html

89 mustang ignition system ecu was not the best design ford ever built, you have a chioce of building/modifying your own wiring harness and be sure to get the harness and original ECU from the SAME donor vehicle the engine came from, or converting it to carb and standard distributor (~ $1K). If going to EFI IMHO you would be money way ahead by obtaining a low mileage "mod motor" and tranny from a late model FoMoCo vehicle (plentiful and cheap in the salvage yards) that has an aftermarket or FoMoCo racing engine swap harness available. Buy the entire running donor vehicle you'll likely be able to use the rear axle and brake master cylinder and other parts. It is likely that any 80s 302 or 351 is going to require a full rebuild, $2 - 4K not counting the tranny. The AOD (not the AODE) is THE WORST tranny Ford ever made, so will definitely require rebuild/upgrade, another $1K.

I have a 5.0 HO mated to an AOD out of an 89 Lincoln MK VII with 77k miles on it installed in my 54 F100. I've converted it to the mass air EFI using a Painless wiring kit and other parts as instructed by a guy at Ford Motorsports. The engine and tranny were free. What problems can I expect from the AOD and what are your recommendations for for strengthening it or replacing it when the time comes? Thanks!

Jun 19, 2014 | 10:41 AM

#19

AXracer

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Joined: Oct 2004

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From: Durham NC

I am far from an expert on building ford automatics. Last ford automatic I owned was in a 94 Taurus. The entire drivetrain in that was a piece of JUNK!!! I'd suggest sending a PM to Bill AKA Numberdummy. He was a ford parts guy all his life (practically) and can give you a rundown on the weak points in an AOD. He was the first one I saw post that the AOD was the worst tranny ford ever made, I was just repeating his opinion since he was so adamant about it, and I value what he says as being right.

Jun 19, 2014 | 10:45 AM

#20

CharlieLed

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Joined: Aug 2006

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From: Brentwood, TN

One of the more common AOD upgrades is to use the internals out of a 4R70W trans...this is the later version of the AOD which has a wider band and better gearing. The most common problems that I have seen with AOD installations is the failure to get the TV cable adjustment correct and a little too much tinkering by semi-proficient owners with the pressure settings. I rely on a tranmission guy that I found here locally to do all the internal work on my AODs since I fall into the "semi-proficient" category myself.

Jun 19, 2014 | 11:31 AM

#21

kotadawg

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From: Liberty Township, OH

Thanks for the responses!

Jun 22, 2014 | 07:48 PM

#22

kotadawg

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From: Liberty Township, OH

I looked up Numberdummy but there is no contact info listed.

Jun 24, 2014 | 12:32 AM

#23

foothill blue oval

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Joined: Mar 2014

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From: san andreas, ca

foothill blue oval

good looking truck, as a fellow 54 owner i'm trying to keep as close period correct as i can, it looks like you have a great start, good luck with your build
rick