I'm installing a 96 5.0 and AOD in my 63 unibody and would like to do away with the air pump system. Anyone have any pointers or things to beware of?

 

It's not a big deal since I assume you're not trying to use catalytic converters since the only purpose the air pump system serves is to provide air to make the converters work. You can leave the metal line that goes to the back of the heads intact since the pot at the end of the line prevents flow from the exhause from coming out of the line. If you want to get fancy, you could make block-off plates for the back of the heads (or I bet some of the Mustang sites have them already made)or cut the lines coming out of the blocks and weld them shut. I just put a rubber heater hose plug on the end of the existing tube to keep junk from getting in it and left it alone.

The only tricky thing I found was getting the belt length correct. Other than that, piece of cake.

Let me know if you're going to use the fuel injection. There are quite a few things I found doing mine that are not mentioned in the conversion instructions on the web site.

Overall I've been real pleased with the engine/transmission combination -- hope you will be too.

 

Thanx for the reply Bill.
Yes I am going to use the F/I. Any tips would be great.
This will be my first attempt at this set up. But I am very adept at mechanics. So I'm OK with it. I figure I'll know all about it WHEN I'm done. Would the removal of the air pump affect the O2 sensors?
Thanx, Tim

 

Tim,

First off, removing the air pump system didn't seem to bother the sensors after resetting the computer and running the engine at idle for 5 minutes. What did screw up the computer was the connection to the carbon canister at the front of the motor. I blocked it off initially and flooded the plugs since the computer assumes a certain amount of air through that solenoid at idle. I went back and left it open with a small fuel filter to "clean" the incoming air and it works fine. The only complaint that I have is a slight hesitation during the first minute of operation when you open the throttle, it could be that there should be some restriction in that port instead of it being wide open which would richen the idle mixture.

Overall some suggestions on this conversion:

1) Read the conversion manual that's on this site (and then read it again). It does cover most of the major points and gives a pretty good basic concept on what you're in for.

2) The mechanical part of the conversion is relatively straight forward. You can use the engine brackets from a later model truck with a 302 and the existing trans cross member. I used later model V-8 motor mounts and the trans mount from a 66 V-8 automatic truck. The trans mount needed the transmission holes slotted inward about 1/8" on both sides to mate to the AOD. I used a 66 V-8 automatic radiator and formed the trans cooling lines. A late model 4 liter V-6 King Cab Ranger drive shaft works without modification. I moved the fuel tank between the rails using a 87 V-6 Nissan pickup tank and ran metal fuel lines to within a foot of the connections at the motor. I added a mid-80's Dodge gas door to the side of the bed and ran the fill line through the frame (1-1/2 inch diameter) and then plated around the hole. (If I had to do it again, I'd put a tank in the back and fill through the floor in the bed). I used a 90 models truck tilt column that matched the transmission and modified the linkage out of the same year truck to mate the column to the transmission (I'd use a floor shifter unless your really intent on having the shifter on the column).

3) I found the electrical part much more challanging. I used a 90 Mustang engine harness and it worked out OK. Unfortunately, the color codes and locations don't match the instructions in the manual on the site so I ended up having to trace much of the wiring myself from the basic instructions and the wiring diagrams. I also added a later model steering column to match the transmission so at one time I had to meld 3 different wiring schematics (truck, engine, and steering column) together to make everything work. The computer is above my left foot on the firewall and that location allows for easy splicing into the harness as necessary. The only things I don't have hooked up are the neutral safety switch (which allows the engine to automatically compensate for the load when you put it into gear) and the pressure switch on the power steering which compensates the engine idle when you exceed a certain pressure on the steering pump.

I hope I haven't scared you out of doing this. It's alot of work, but the end result is worth the effort.

I've listed most of the generic stuff that's not in the manual. I'll be glad to discuss specifics or take pictures of mine as you need.

Just let me know.

Bill

 

The air pump holes in the back of the heads are 1/2" clean them out with a 1/2" drill and install 1/2" freeze plugs. It will look clean and there is no special skill or fabrication involved and it's very cheap.