There are many advantages.

The first and foremost is driveability - the idle is better and there is more snap off the line, because the mass air system measures the actual airflow instead of looking up a value in the table based on a drop in manifold vacuum as with speed density.

The second reason is hot rodding - the speed density is tolerant of small changes.. a little more cam, a little more exhaust, but too much of either and the speed density system becomes confused. Mass air systems on the other hand just measures what goes in, and blows it up and monitors the fumes coming out - so you can get away with a lot more cam, head port size, an exhaust than with speed density. Obviously to a point before the factory programming can't help you any longer.

Another advantage is if you use the mustang 89-93 mass air computer, that is probably the most reverse engineered EEC of all of them, so with a program like EEC EDITOR or TWEECER you can easily adjust the parameters in the EEC itself to handle your configuration - be it radical cam, 600+ cube mountain motor, turbocharged whatever, and so on. A lot of the other EEC's are also fairly well dissected, but because of the vastness of the Mustang Crowd you can easily find someone knowledgeable enough to answer the inevitable 100 questions you will have while working out your own tune for your combination.

The mustang bits are the least plug-and-play OEM bits you can shove into your truck, as there's a lot of wiring you'll need to do, but it's a tradeoff for having access to so many people with the info you'll need.

But I'd recommend that only if you're going wild. For a bit more cam, headers, better heads and so on, the mass-air truck stuff is fine and much easier to integrate into your pickup depending on the years of things.

But then the wild stuff can be fun. I and a friend are about 1/2 done grafting a 2002-ish explorer distributorless EFI system onto a 460 stroked out to 511 or 521 or something lke that. We got it started over the weekend, but it promptly died. But we're getting there.

 

I'll do the write up on it.

The kit goes for about $700 I think. But doing it manually will add the 2nd o2 sensor which is the right way to do it.

I'll explain how I did everything, why I did everything, and include as much necessary information as I can. There will be many other ways to accomplish the same thing but I'll show how I did it.

You need some basic parts like MAF sensor, ducting, computer, pigtails, another o2 sensor, weld in new bungs and put a plug in the old hole, add wires to the harness, and re-arrange pins on the computer connector.

Thats basically it in a nutshell.

I have good pictures, I have the diagrams...I should be able to write it and submit it within a week or two. Next week is going to be busy but maybe the following week I can do it.

 

I am anxiously awaiting this.

I'm interested in doing this to a 460.....

 

Ditto on this. There have been numerous folk with the E4s that drop by looking here for this. The only drawback has been the right PCM.

 

you betcha. i have the motorsport maf kit on a shelf waiting to go into a 92 bronco. it's got the e40d though. think i'll swap in an aod i've got first. my biggest thing is throttle-response. my 89 does nothing but rev all the time w/the aod, dad's 89 f-150 has the 302 5spd mazda (i think) and all it does is rev between shifts and is awful hangtime. my 92 bronco 302 is much better, it idles down quicker and lower, ford must've re-programmed something. gonna swap the whole powertrain from the 89 bronco into the 92 and in w/the maf kit, and hope it idles down quick. i'd love to duplicate the early 70's 2bbl windsors that are very quick revving up AND down and a light throttle return spring.

 

I am a little confused as usual. I have seen several references to the years Ford used MAF's on 302 engines. I have a 1994 F-150, how do I verify what I have.

 

In 94 it was only on california emissions trucks, in 95 it was on some automatics (and cali). It's hard to pin down exactly what has what...but it's easy to tell.

If you don't have a sensor mounted in the air ducting to the throttle body, you don't have MAF.

I will not be doing an article on the E4OD swap. I will be doing it on a basic non-computer controlled V-8 swap with the exception of the I-6 and maybe some tips on a 460.

 

Fair enough Justin, was just offering to pitch in. If you change your mind later let me know via email or Pm.

 

Tell ya what frederic...

I'll send you my article before I submit it and you can tell me what you think. I'm not sure what you'd be looking to contribute but any information that will lead to a better overall article (or multiple articles) is always good.

 

Sure, would be happy to help.

I offered partly to help, and partly because I wasn't sure waht your approach was going to be - junkyard or aftermarket solution, or adding wires with crimpers, or what have you. As you know there are several ways to do this conversion so I was offering the "junkyard solution" in case that wasn't waht you were writing up

Regardless of that, I'd be happy to review your article and help out in any way on that as well.

 

Who is Justin???

 

Our handy-dandy, supery-dupery moderator!

 

I would love to see a SD to MAF conversion writeup, it would definitely be beneficial to me and alot of other people on here...

 

Excuse my ignorance but what is a SD system and what does the SD stand for.....thanks......Neil

 

SD stands for speed density, which refers to how the engine computer determines proper fueling for the engine. It uses the engine speed (rpm) and the density (manifold absolute pressure) as the main elements for calculation, then the figures from that table are adjusted based on input from the rest of the sensors.