If you’re looking to improve the performance of your early Mustang or other special-interest Ford, it’s hard to top the range of improvements realized with a 5.0-liter electronic fuel injection (EFI) conversion. Things get even better when you combine the 5.0L with an automatic overdrive (AOD) transmission swap.
We’ve seen this done many times, but it’s still hard to believe the difference this conversion makes in overall performance. From cold start driveability to doing 65 mph at 1,900 rpm, the benefits just keep stacking up. Power and fuel economy improve dramatically. Usually you sacrifice one for the other, but not here. You get the best of both worlds. If the tour buses keep blowing by you because the tach says you’re topped out, something over three grand at 60, we know you’ll appreciate the overdrive as much as we do.
When it’s time to proceed, the project is easier than you think. With one of our ’65 coupe project car, we’re going to do the conversion and use the AOD automatic transmission. We know from experience that this combination will give us the best driveability combined with outrageous overdriven highway performance. If your car is equipped with a manual transmission, parts and kits are available from California Pony Cars for the T5 five-speed conversion. You’ll get overdrive and a deeper First gear, and you can still drive like Steve McQueen. Lots of good folks, including those at Mustangs Plus and Windsor-Fox Performance Engineering, helped us along the road to success during our conversion.
From a mechanical standpoint, the Ford Motorsport SVO 5.0L EFI and B&M AOD installations are mostly drop-in deals. One special piece used is the crossmember made for this conversion by Windsor-Fox. This is needed because the AOD trans is slightly longer than the C4 originally furnished in our ’65 coupe. The crossmember is a slick item that bridges one of the major physical installation hurdles in the whole conversion. It also allows for removal of the trans pan for servicing. Just remember to use the old-style C4 rubber mount at the rear and installation will be a snap.
Although the swap has too many steps for us to illustrate every one, we want to give you an overview of the project so that you’ll have a good idea of what’s involved. We have all of our goodies assembled, and we’re eager to get started.
Remember, the AOD is about 1 inch longer than the C4, so we’ve already arranged for a new and shorter aluminum driveshaft from Mustangs Plus. You can have your driveshaft sent out to be shortened accordingly. Or talk with Mustangs Plus about a replacement for your project. Also remember that late-model 5.0 engines have reverse-rotation water pumps, and the radiator for these engines needs the lower hose outlet on the driver side. Your local radiator shop can help you here, or you can get the radiator new from Mustangs Plus.