I am planning on putting in a 5.0 in my 66. What is the best year to look for? When purchasing the engine, what are the must haves(parts etc.)?

 

Why stop at a 5.0? Anything a 302 can do a 351W can do that much better. A 351W is practicaly a shoe-in for a 302, only weighs about 90 lbs. more but gives you much better low RPM torque...just what you need in a 4WD. 1969 is the best year for heads (for a 351W) but any year in the late 60's-early 70's will do as you can always upgrade the heads later.
I'm assuming your 66 is a 6 cyl.? If so you will need to change your tranny also as the 6 cyl. 3-spd tranny is weaker than the 8 cyl. tranny. Look for a "RAT" 3-spd from a V-8 Bronco or switch to a C-4 auto. Same goes for thet clutch set-up.

Deen

 

I have the 289, an option for 66. I'm on the fence if I should pull it out or just rebuild it? I guess I was not clear on my first post, I was thinking of a late model 5.0 HO with fuel injection.


Russell

 

EFI 5.0 HO motors have fairly strong tourqe for the displacement. It's at least 300 ft-lbs at only about 3500 rpm. Just off idle it's still pretty strong, as I can lug up a hill in 3rd gear at only 1200 rpm using a 5.0 EFI set up. I'll never forget when my brother was pulling a stump out of his front yard using a Chevy Silverado with a Vortec 350 and it kept killing. Disgusted, my brother fired up his his 86 5.0 Mustang and pulled the stump right out. A EFI 302 will about match a carbed 351 for tourqe and have better tourqe than a 289. The long runner EFI intake helps build tourqe. The E7TE heads are designed to maximize tourqe on the 302. The 5.0 HO roller cam is symetrical to maximize low end tourqe and is a nice grind with .444 lift at the valve using 1.6 rockers with 214* duration at .050" lift. You may need to use the Street Rod mass air computor and wiring harness kit if you go that route.

 

My brother has a 94 5.0 in his 69 Bronco. It had 44k on it before the transplant. Does't drive it much, but it is reliable and fun. 1 serious problem, intially it ran terrible or not at all after the engine was hot.

First thought to be fuel pump, gas cap, many other things. Eventually found out it was the PCM. In the Mustang it came out of the pcm was located (factory stock location) front passenger side kick panel inside the car, away from the heat. When they mounted it in the Bronco, for some reason it was decided to mount the pcm in the engine compartment. Well you guessed it heat from the engine fried it. New pcm and it runs fine. New PCM still mounted in engine compartment (why I don't know), but with a little heat shield over it (the kind you put on the hood). I don't know........But its doing its job, keeping the heat away from pcm (need to look at permanent wrap, relocation solution). Runs fine is well worth the transplant.

What year 5.0 to get? I can only say 1994 is doing well and now problem free. My brother has the K & N filtercharger thing on. Can't think of the mufflers he has on it off hand. Vehicle dyno'd at 199.2 rwhp. More then enough for his vehicle.

 

It's best to get a EFI 5.0 HO with mass air, instead of speed density control. The mass air system is much more forgiving. With speed density if there's any change in air flow or any parameters not programmed for, then the computor get's confused. 86, 87, and 88 HO's use SD. California 88 HO's had mass air, but everyone else had to wait till 89. Pre Mass air HO's can be upgraded to mass air using a FRP kit. This info is generally for HO 5.0's, not any old EFI 5.0, such as might be found in a 88 LTD...ect.

The truck 5.0's had to wait (correct me if I'm wrong) untill 95 to get mass air, but the blocks will accept the HO roller cams after mid 92. The regular truck EFI systems used bank fire rather sequentually fired injectors, but the truck 5.0's after 92 can be adapted to use many Mustang 5.0 HO motor parts such as intakes, heads, cams, throttle bodies, injectors, computors.....and what not, according to the 90's Ford Motorsport catalogs.

 

I guess I'm just old school, but have always favored cubic inches. My original Bronco was a 302...which I converted to a top-loader 4-spd with a 351 W out of a wrecked Shelby Mustang. Two years later I swapped in a warmed over 429 SCJ with a 150 HP nitrous kit with a C-6...but then that was 20 years ago!

Deen

 

Here is a good site. http://fordfuelinjection.com/index.htm

 

I just completed the 5.0 conversion using an 84 motor. Retained the carb feature so I clould use all the 302 components, Had to have the flywheel balanced and the crankshaft pulley machined so that the pulleys would line up because the 5.0 balancer is longer. The machine shop took out 700 thousanths and then welded the pulley back. This way you have no clearance problems nor do you have to reroute hoses ect . Also had to make a bracket for the clutch as the engine has no boss. Also this motor has a cam so plenty of power. It is backed with a new process 4 speed and an aluminum radiator for cooling. Really is not a bad conversion to do.I decided not to go EFI because I understand a carb alot better.