I am planning on putting a 5.0 EFI in my 53 F-100. Which donor vehicles should I look at and what should I stay away from? I know Mustangs are good donors, but what else? I have located a 87 Cougar, but can't find a whole lot of info about these. I would like to have the AOD also. I just want a stone reliable truck I can drive everyday if I want and I figure this is the best way to do it.
Any input would be appreciated.

 

First off, welcome aboard!

Secondly... With the 53, your best bet is going to be buying a motor swap kit for whichever engine family you decide to use in the truck. I believe the 87 Cougars were running basically the same engine as the mustng, much like they did for their complete existence. Grab the engine, the tranny and all the electronic components you can and drop it in. The only thing I can think of that may be a snag would be the fuel tank. Probably move it out of the cab and update the plumbing for the EFI system.

Check in with the gang on the specific year truck forum a little further up the list, surely you will find all sorts of info there.

--Mike

 

The 91-93 Thunderbirds were 5.0L HO mass air, same as the Mustang. IIRC the same year Cougars were too. The 86-89 or 90 Linc Mark VIII's were 5.0 HO but speed density. These were all hooked to AOD's. Explorers in the 96-01 years were good 5.0 donors but present some wiring challenges when usind an AOD. I knew all of these goodie when I was looking for a motor but it has faded away since I found mine. I have loads of swap info I'll share if you PM me your e-mail addy.

 

Thanks, I might keep looking, try to find a mass air setup.

 

I have an 85 Lincoln Continental. Roller 5.0 with CFI, AOD and a 9" rear with disk brakes. I'll be swapping this drivetrain into a 53 Studebaker PU. I have the hardware (intake, TB, etc.) to convert to SEFI, but I'll hold off doing that until after I get the vehicle running. M y Lincoln had a rod knock on start-up, so I'll be rebuilding it with a 3.25" stroker crank.

I don't remember if your truck has the bellhousing mounts. If it does, you might want to consider the issues with that. My 54 F100 has bellhousing mounts, so I'm sticking with an engine/bellhousing/tranny combo that uses this type of mount system.

I have bell's for 3sp LD/MD/OD, 3sp/4sp HD, Ford-O, all with Y-blocks, and a bell for an FE/MEL with 3sp/4sp HD. I may soon get a bell for a small block. I'll use the Ford-O bell with an FMX behind a 312 in the near term. I want an automatic transmission so my wife will be comfortable driving it. But I've got to get some other projects finished first.

I'm hoping, someday, to get a 351C built to replace the 312.

I'm sticking with the bellhousing mounts because of how the early F100 frames were designed. They're a lot like the Model A; the frame is intended to twist to help with the suspension travel. The engine is mounted by the bellhousing and is perched on a single mount under the front of the engine. The engine acts as a stiffener to resist bending of the frame in the vertical axis, and it does not resist torsional twisting on the longitudinal axis. The Y-block and FE/MEL engines are especially suited to this kind of use because they have the deep skirts; the deep skirt add stiffness to the block and that stiffness can be used to stiffen the frame. The small block does not have as much stiffness and was never designed into an engine/frame mounting scheme like this.

If you mount the engine on the front frame rails, the engine will be twisting the frame every time you jazz the throttle. With the engine mounted on the bellhousing mounts, the torque of the engine is braced by the firewall and you deliver more power to the rear axle, less into the frame, and your truck is a bit more stable under power.

 

Try these articles already on this site,
https://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...250_Truck.html

 

On that frame issue, what if the frame is boxed from the firewall forward?
I was going to do that in conjunction with a IFS front end. Shouldn't that stop or at least reduce the frame twist?

 

In my opinion... (and based on other people's reports), boxing the frame can be a part of a redesign of the frame, but you'd better be sure you think about the entire vehicle as you go. I don't want to discourage you, just help you make some smart choices.

What I've read is that you can box the frame, but you'll need to box it back to the cab, and put 'fish mouths' at the end of the boxing to prevent cracking the frame.

The original cast bellhousing with frame mounts acts as a crossmember, tying the frame rails and providing a sturdy place for the engine's torque to be transferred to the chassis. The firewall of the cab helps reinforce the frame right there where the bellhousing has its mount points. The back of the cab is hung on hangers that allow the frame to flex and move.

I'd suggest you replace that bellhousing/crossmember system with a crossmember for the front suspension that is welded to a boxed frame, and a transmission crossmember like those found under S10 trucks. The crossmembers must serve as frame elements as well as mounting points for the drivetrain.

Good luck.