351 Efi Mass Air Swap

[andeez]

I Have Purchased A 1992 351w Complete Very Reasonably. It Is In A Van Right Now. It Runs And Gets Good Mileage. I Am Wanting To Install It In My 76 Eb. I Want To Change It Over To Mass Air Because I Know That The Sd Setup On It Right Now Will Not Fit With Out "major" Mods. I Am Not Real Excited About Cutting A Hole In The Hood Either.

I Have Been Looking On Cb For A Setup That Would Let Me Use The 351 With Sefi And Still Retain The Stock Look Of The Hood. I Have 2" Blocks For A B.l. But Do Not Mind Going To 3". I Am Sure This Info Is Out There In The Forum. I Just Have A Very Sloooow Connection.

Question I Have Is
1. Can It Be Done Without Cutting Hood?

2. What Intakes Would It Take ? I Am Wanting To Eventually Wake Up The Motor. But Will Probably Wait For Now.

Pics Would Be Great Along With Brands And Numbers.

 

[Dusty]

Look for a GT-40 lower intake for a 5.8L. This is the key part you'll need to be able to run the rest of the Mustang mass air stuff. These only came from the factory on Lightning pickups (somewhat rare) and Cobra-R mustangs (very rare) so you may need to look around a while to find one used, or just get one new from a Ford Racing Performance Parts dealer like Summit. Check the classifieds on corral.net or stangnet.com for used ones. Once you have that part you can go with either a GT-40, Cobra or Explorer upper intake, all of which are low profile "car" type intakes that accept the single bore throttle body. These uppers, along with throttle bodies, MAF meters, computers, harness, etc. are all readily available used. You can re-use many of the sensors, injectors, etc. from your 5.8L. You may need to modify the fuel rail for clearance with the new upper manifold plenum. On mine I went to aftermarket fuel rails and a remote fuel pressure regulator since it was what was causing the fitment issue.

Welcome to the world of EFI and 5.8L engines. You'll love yours. We had a van just like the one you're pulling that one out of, with that motor, and it towed better than the diesel pickups of that era. Post all the questions you want here on the board, there are lots of folks eager to help out.

Dusty

 

[70EB]

Dusty is right on the money as I am in the middle of this myself. I have a 351W crate motor from FMS that I am switching over to SEFI. Your intake choices are a little limited. GT-40 351W lower will allow you to use the GT-40, Cobra or Explorer upper intake (these are not specific to the 351W)

You can also go aftermarket and get an Edelbrock or Trick Flow intake.

The combo that I went with is:

GT-40 351W lower
Cobra Upper

Both were found on www.corral.net in the classified under windsor engine parts. Be patient and one will pop up again. Cost about $200 for the lower only (sure, some get them cheaper).

 

[SaddleUp]

There is a little bit of misunderstanding here I think. First switching to mass air doesn't require changing the intake. I run the truck intake on mine with the Mustang MAF system which works well together and maintains the low end torque the truck intakes provide. It does as you mentioned require cutting the hood. Second it isn't necessary to change the EFI system to MAF if you change the intake to make it fit. I would anyway but it isn't necessary. The only required thing you will need to do to the engine and EFI system to fit it under a stock hood is to install a car intake. I think it will even fit with the 2" body lift. Your options on the car intake are limited to pretty much just the Lightning GT-40 or if you can locate one of the FMS ones. Don't bother trying Summit though since Ford hasn't sold the FMS 5.8 intake for awhile now. The other option is to get one of the aftermarket ones such as the Edlebrock ones. From what I can tell the aftermarket ones actually flow a little better anyway so that is probably the route I will go if I ever put a car intake on mine. Especially since it is getting harder to locate the GT-40 intakes at a good price.

Taking the MAF as a separate deal from the intake the only things necessary to change the truck engine to MAF you will need a MAF ECM, a MAF Unit, a different wiring harness, and O2 sensors. Everything else from the truck engine will work with either the system on it now or with MAF.

 

[andeez]

mass air swap

no misunderstanding. i have been doing allot of research on the conversion. i have seen he adaptation of the stock truck sd setup to mass air. i think it is awesome that someone can find ways to improve there existing setup. this is praise to you. i am wanting a different approach. i was able to find a gt40 lower intake new for 300.00 delivered. might be too much but i got one. i am going to a friends wrecking yard to comb thru some explorers tomorrow. anything special to look for? i have some good info that i have been retreiving off the internet so i hope i can get parts that i need. thanks for the info and please keep it coming.

also what is a good way to set up the fuel system. 2 tanks. i will be buying the larger tanks with the efi ports.

 

[70EB]

Somewhere in the 98-99 model year for the Explorers, they changed to a returnless fuel system. If you get one of these you will have to change the fuel rails. I am putting 96 fuel rails on mine. Only had to change out the flex lines on the rail to fit. Another plus is that the inlet/outlet for the fuel rail is in the rear driver's side. Now I do not have to route fuel line around to the front pass side like on the Mustang fuel rails.

 

[SaddleUp]

no misunderstanding. i have been doing allot of research on the conversion. i have seen he adaptation of the stock truck sd setup to mass air. i think it is awesome that someone can find ways to improve there existing setup. this is praise to you. i am wanting a different approach. i was able to find a gt40 lower intake new for 300.00 delivered. might be too much but i got one. i am going to a friends wrecking yard to comb thru some explorers tomorrow. anything special to look for? i have some good info that i have been retreiving off the internet so i hope i can get parts that i need. thanks for the info and please keep it coming.

also what is a good way to set up the fuel system. 2 tanks. i will be buying the larger tanks with the efi ports.

I just wanted to make sure you (And anyone else considering using a truck system) knew that the type of system run is not dependant upon the intake used. I think you have a good plan in place. The only thing I could suggest at this point would be to order a copy of the Probst EFI book and flip through it before you actually get started. http://classicbroncos.com/bookreviews/0837603013.php