MAF Question...
 

Ok for the "elder users" that have done some engine swaps... I am swapping my 4.9 to a 5.8 and want to have MAF as well. My question is...

Would it be easier to wire a newer 92-96 351w (with MAF) back to the old wireing harness on a 87-91 truck?

OR

Would it be easier to swap a old 351w in and then convert it to MAF?

To help the elders. What year truck are you swaping into?

I have a 88 F-250 4x4 5spd ZF with the 4.9... wanting to swap to a 351w with maf...

Doesn't matter what year the engine is though a '94+ will mean it has a roller cam, but an earlier wiring harness would be easier because in the later years it is integrated with the chassis harness and not easily seperated while before '92 the engine harness is almost completely seperate from the chassis harness and is wired straight back to the EEC.

ok well i guess it depends on what comes my way but may just look for a 351w with MAF and roller cam... then find a older wiring harness on a 87-91/92 to use with the 351w MAF motor... OR will that create more wiring problems???

Hey check out dunne-rite.com on the web for maf kits

What i suggest you do is get your 5.8 motor and install that and get it running as an SD setup first, the engine wiring harness and computer from an earlier truck will transplant into yours fairly easily. Then start collecting parts for the MAF conversion, you need a mustang computer and matching meter, and parts of the engine harness for the injectors, O2 sensors, and MAF meter to add to your V8 SD harness. A MAF truck harness really doesn't help you because of the way it's assembled.

That is good to hear! I will find the older engine then! Thanks Conanski! FTE ROCK my face off!!!!

The 88 should be the last year for the completely isolated engine wiring harness (at least it was on a 5.0 F150 I found in the junkyard). 89 started to get more integrated with the chassis harness. This is good, and makes adding the additional wires for the MAF system much easier. See link: custom air intake and MAF conversion for a 1988 Ford F150 . The new injectors and throttle body modifications are not required, but that site does give a good idea of what kind of wiring changes need to be made.

You can use a newer roller cam engine with the old wiring harness, but you will have to either convert the old harness to remote mount TFI ignition module, or change the distributor to the older distributor-mounted TFI setup.