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Ford Racing X302 Engine Swap - X Marks The Spot, Part 3We wrap up our Falcon Ranchero’s Ford Racing X302 engine swap From the November, 2011 issue of Modified Mustangs & Fords By Mark Houlahan Photography by Mark Houlahan
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As we wrapped up our engine swap this month, we began to look back at the swap process itself and found it rather easy. Of course, we were swapping V-8 for V-8 with the same block architecture, so that made it a bolt-in effort right there. But when you start factoring in the conversion to fuel injection, modern induction, upgraded wiring, revamped cooling system, and more, the spend-o-meter can really start climbing. Honestly, we're putting a lot of hardware into this Ranchero all at once. Not only are we upgrading to a fresh engine and topping it with EFI, but the owner desired to make the car more road friendly with power steering, power brakes, upgraded cooling, an A/C system, and more, so why not install everything at once and save time? We know plenty of classic car owners that sock away parts for months until they have everything they need to do a big swap or upgrade all at once, saving time and labor in the process. There is always more than one way to accomplish said swap though, including buying a wrecked late-model Ford and swapping everything over, but we went the aftermarket hardware route. This not only showcases your options, but rarely would a performance-minded reader like you just swap over a completely stock EFI engine, right? Of course, you're not going to find a good small-block with low mileage these days, as the last 302 Ford built hit the road in the '01 Explorer; that's 10 years ago now. Most likely that Explorer would have more than 100,000 miles on it, gasket leaks, and so forth, necessitating a rebuild, which is why the Ford Racing X302 crate engine is such a viable option in the first place. Then factor in that the Explorer (or even earlier '87-'95 Mustang) EFI systems take considerable time to swap over, diet out the unused wiring, and so forth, and you can see why we quickly ran to the aftermarket for wiring, injectors, fuel rails, induction, and more. Sure it costs a little more overall versus stock EFI parts/wiring, but what you save in cleaning and refurbishment time, plus the many hours tackling all of that OE wiring harness nightmare, more than makes up for it. With the engine down on its mounts at the end of last month's installment we were ready to finish our swap with installation of the EFI wiring harness, off-engine sensors, and induction, and of course convert our carbureted fuel system to a high-pressure EFI-style fuel system with a return line. We've hit a few snags along the way, but nothing that a little time and head scratching (and running to the parts store) couldn't get us through, so check out the final build photos here and look for more photos and some video of the Ranchero running (and possibly a pull or two on our dyno) on our website soon.  1 At the end of Part 2 last...  1 At the end of Part 2 last month, we had our X302 in the engine bay, refitted with a front-sump oil pan and pickup, the proper engine mounts, and our Trick Flow EFI lower intake. Now it’s time to plumb our fuel system and wrap up the loose ends under the hood. We picked up a new reverse rotation water pump from the local auto parts store for this project. Make sure you install the proper pump gasket to match the timing chain cover!  2 Instead of digging up a...  2 Instead of digging up a stock late-model pulley system and hoping everything lines up, we gave the experts at March Performance a call for one of their serpentine conversion kits for the X302. After discussing what accessories we’d be running, March suggested we use its Ultra Mid-Mount A/C setup, PN 30168. This kit uses a Saginaw power steering mount, but you can also option the Ford pump as well.  3 The combination A/C and...  3 The combination A/C and alternator mounting bracket fits on the passenger side of the engine, utilizing the water pump and cylinder head mounting bolt holes. The included idler helps ensure there’s plenty of belt wrap on the pulleys and includes a matching beauty cover.  4 The main crankshaft and...  4 The main crankshaft and water pump pulleys are designed with the proper ratios to ensure plenty of cooling. The water pump pulley is hard coated for long life as well.  5 Due to the design of the...  5 Due to the design of the serpentine system and the alternator adjuster, a late-model 90-degree thermostat housing is required. Don’t waste your time with a 20-year-old used part. We picked up a brand-new housing for about $15 at our local parts store, along with a 180-degree thermostat and a new gasket.  6 To power our X302’s fuel...  6 To power our X302’s fuel injection, we’re using Ford Racing’s EFI retrofit harness, PN M-12071-A50. This harness is similar to the stock Fox Mustang 5.0L harness, but has been trimmed down to the essentials, removing EGR, and other non-essential items for classic retrofits. The harness requires a 2.5-inch hole to be cut for the ECM wiring to pass through to the passenger compartment. Carefully pass the ECM connector, relay box connector, and loose wires that need to be connected to the ignition switch through the hole.  7 The included rubber grommet...  7 The included rubber grommet is split so it can be placed over the wiring harness and then it’s popped into place in the firewall. Once we have our wire length determined (the harness is extra long and you can adjust how much wiring is fed through the grommet) we’ll add a little butyl sealer to the grommet to ensure its all-weather integrity.  8 The engine end of the Ford...  8 The engine end of the Ford Racing harness is laid out on the engine in preparation for connecting the injectors and other engine sensors. The power leads that connect to the battery are wired for a left front battery location (like a Fox Mustang), but that section of the harness is long enough to be rerouted to the right front of the engine bay for the stock Mustang/Falcon battery location.  9 Simply by popping open...  9 Simply by popping open the stock wiring loom retainers, we were able to add the power leads from the Ford Racing harness, and then close them back up. As shown here, the battery area is now wired with the Ford Racing power and ground leads, new battery cables, and we’ve also mounted our MSD Street Fire ignition coil.  10 If you look back at our...  10 If you look back at our earlier engine photo, you’ll notice the engine coolant temperature sensor (ECT) for the EFI was threaded directly into the manifold. This is a simple solution for a street rod or car without a heater, but the Ranchero is soon to be updated with a new heat and A/C system, so we had to figure out a way to route the heater inlet hose and the ECT with but one manifold opening. Normally, a few pieces of brass from the hardware store would suffice, but we found this perfect heater elbow in the owner’s vast spare parts bin from a ’70s Ford.  11 MSD’s new Street Fire...  11 MSD’s new Street Fire line of ignition products is the perfect solution for a street driven performance car or daily driver. The Street Fire line matches MSD’s quality with OE-like hardware for a great budget-friendly price. The late-model, TFI-ignition-based Mustang distributor is the perfect fit for our crate engine and EFI conversion. Note, too, we’ve started buttoning up the cooling system as well.  12 MSD’s Street Fire wires...  12 MSD’s Street Fire wires come pre-terminated for a quick and easy installation. The straight plug boots fit firmly on our spark plugs and cleared the Doug’s headers with no issues. The driver-side header, shown here, is buttoned up, but we’re leaving the passenger side loose for now to allow for transmission installation.  13 The X302, being based...  13 The X302, being based off of the 5.0L late-model block, requires a 50-ounce balance flywheel or flexplate (the engine comes with the damper installed already). Since the owner was installing an AOD behind his X302, an automatic flexplate from Ford Racing, M-6375-A50, was used along with a stock starter index plate. A Ford Racing M-11000-B51 mini starter was mounted to the AOD to spin the whole shooting match.  14 Moving under the car,...  14 Moving under the car, it was time to tackle the fuel system. The Ranchero is unique in that it mounts the typical early Mustang/Falcon tank upside down. As you can see here, the fuel gauge sender/pickup is mounted in the middle of the tank and the typical fuel tank drain is in the far upper corner. The drain plug will be the perfect place to connect our EFI return line.  15 If you use rubber fuel...  15 If you use rubber fuel line for any of the fuel system, ensure it’s rated for high-pressure EFI use. It’ll state right on the hose, as seen here. Do not use standard worm-drive hose clamps to secure EFI hose either. You can find EFI-specific hose clamps at your local parts store.  16 Ron Morris Performance...  16 Ron Morris Performance has a great EFI fuel line kit that works perfectly on classic Mustangs. The kit includes a production fuel filter with mounting bracket, flexible high-pressure fuel line, fuel line mounting clamps, and OE quick connect fittings. The filter has an arrow to indicate direction of flow, so be sure to mount it accordingly.  17 We mounted the fuel filter...  17 We mounted the fuel filter directly above the fuel tank, using a short section of the EFI hose and EFI clamps to connect everything. The OE-type quick disconnect for the filter inlet/outlet allows for quick and easy filter changes.  18 Summit Racing’s external...  18 Summit Racing’s external fuel pump, SUM-G3138, features 5⁄16-inch inlet and outlet fittings and cushioned mounting clamps. It’ll feed up to 500hp EFI systems, making it perfect for our needs. Mounting of the pump must be below the level of the fuel tank, as electric fuel pumps need to be gravity fed. The inside of the right rear framerail proved to be the best location for this build.  19 As stated earlier, the...  19 As stated earlier, the drain plug, situated at the top of the tank on the Ranchero, will make the perfect return line port for the EFI fuel system. We cleaned up the pipe plug fitting, and then drilled out the center of the fitting on a drill press to fit the bundy tube fitting we sourced from Ron Morris Performance. The return line fitting was temporarily installed in the tank and the bundy tube clocked where the line would route the best and the fitting marked. The assembly was then removed and two-part epoxy applied to lock the position of the fitting and to seal it.  20 Ron Morris Performance’s...  20 Ron Morris Performance’s fuel line mounting kit is pretty ingenious. The system uses nylon retainers with a stainless mounting screw that threads into a rubber compression well nut. Simply drill a hole to press fit the well nut into the frame where you want the retainer and then tighten the Phillips screw to hold the retainer in place. We secured the fuel lines approximately every 12 inches as the feed and return lines are routed forward toward the engine bay.  21 The fuel lines connect...  21 The fuel lines connect to the fuel rail via OE-type spring lock connectors. The fittings press into the nylon fuel line without the need for any retaining clamps. The use of a heat gun or dipping the nylon line in boiling water will soften it enough to press the fitting into place.  22 When routing and connecting...  22 When routing and connecting the feed and return lines it’s important to connect them to the proper ports on the fuel rails, otherwise the reversed lines will cause starting issues and poor running. The feed line connects directly to the fuel rail, while the return line connects to the port from the regulator.  23 Our previous story entries...  23 Our previous story entries discussed the 24-lb/hr Ford Racing injectors we’re using for this build. Unfortunately, the injectors used have since been superseded by a new part number, M-9293-LU24, with a newer connector on the injector body. To be able to connect these to a stock or Ford Racing wiring harness you will also need a set of adapters, M-14464-A8, shown here between the injector and wiring harness. We had Ford Racing send us a set to show the currently available product.  24 We were lucky to have...  24 We were lucky to have access to a pair of salvage Fox Mustangs (a ’90 and a ’92) for a few miscellaneous parts to keep costs down, like this BAP sensor that attaches to the Mustang’s firewall and connects to the wiring at the rear of the engine. We also grabbed the ECM, and a few other sensors for our Falcon Ranchero build, but everything mentioned is available from the Ford dealer, salvage yard, or your nearest parts store as well.  25 The Ford Racing EFI harness...  25 The Ford Racing EFI harness portion, that is now inside the car, has two main connections, one to the ECM and one to the relay box, and a third pigtail with a half-dozen wires to connect, mostly at the ignition switch. Route the wires cleanly, cut to length, and attach them to the required sources as noted on the included tape flags for each wire.  26 With the wiring and fuel...  26 With the wiring and fuel system complete we buttoned up the top of the engine by adding the top half of the Trick Flow intake, a Summit Racing 75mm throttle body, a Summit Racing mass air meter, and Summit Racing cold air kit for an ’87-’93 Mustang. As you can see, we had to notch the shock tower support for the manifold to clear. But we have a solution—read on.  27 Knowing that some, if...  27 Knowing that some, if not most, EFI manifolds will require trimming the Falcon’s large shock tower braces (which are welded in), we turned to the folks at Total Control Products to discuss some chassis stiffening. While the current Falcon tower brake kit doesn’t clear the typical manifold like we have here, we’ll be modifying the firewall brace to reposition the tubular adjusters and then sending detailed photos and measurements back to TCP for them to offer a revised part that will fit EFI manifolds. We’ll have additional build photos of the Ranchero, the TCP brace modifications, and some video of the engine running by the time this issue hits your mailbox, so check it out at www.modifiedmustangsandfords.com.
 | Upgrading a Classic Ford to keep up with today's modern traffic? We will show you the meaning of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em". |  | The saga of swapping the engine of a 1965 Falcon Ranchero continues. |
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