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Ford Racings X302 Crate Engine Install - X Marks The Spot, Part 2We continue our Falcon Ranchero's Ford Racing X302 engine swap. From the October, 2011 issue of Modified Mustangs & Fords By Mark Houlahan Photography by Mark Houlahan
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Last month we embarked on an engine swap for a '65 Falcon Ranchero. Since the Falcon and Mustang share similar engine bays, everything in this series should be relevant to our Mustang readers. Frankly, even if you own a Torino or Fairlane, the Ford Racing X302 small-block crate engine is a great option to repower your ride. Minor differences between car lines, such as headers, front dress, fuel line routing, and so on, are all minor and everyone tackles them in a different manner regardless. So think of our X302 swap as a guideline for any '60s Ford product, because no matter what you own, with 340 hp on tap in a fresh full-roller 5.0L engine, you'll have plenty of power to move your classic down the road. So far we've extricated the tired 289 and its C4 automatic, the entire cooling system, and all wiring and engine-bay-mounted components. From that point, we moved forward with engine bay cleaning, including some minor metal repair, and then block sanded and primed the engine bay for a coat of body color paint. The owner of this Ranchero decided to continue his custom exterior color (Viper Blue Pearl metallic) into the engine bay, but even if you want to keep your engine bay looking stock, you'd follow the same preparation steps before laying down a coat of satin black. Once the base and clear had dried, a little wet sanding ensued in the major visual areas like the shock towers and cowl area to make the engine bay look as smooth as the outside of the car. 1 When we last saw the Falcon,... 1 When we last saw the Falcon, our engine bay had been hit with body color to give it a more modern look. As you can see in this photo, the steering, fuel lines, suspension, and more, all need detailing or replacing after paint. The front suspension is in great shape, so we’ll just mask things off and hit the parts with chassis black. The steering, brakes, and brake lines are all getting the heave-ho while the engine is out, as it’s the perfect time to tackle any such upgrades, trust us. Now, we're turning our attention this month on prepping the X302 for installation into the engine bay and getting the rest of our engine bay back together before we slide the engine home. Next month, we'll wrap up our three-part series by plumbing our new X302 for EFI, wiring our engine, mounting up our cooling system and backing the new mill with a take-out AOD the owner had from another project. When all is said and done, we'll have taken our Ranchero from a carbureted 289 with three-speed auto and no power accessories to a fuel-injected 5.0L with power steering, power brakes, A/C, and a four-speed overdrive automatic. This will surely make the Ranchero much more driveable and fun. Let's get to work!Next month, we'll wrap up our three-part series by plumbing our new X302 for EFI, wiring our engine, mounting up our cooling system and backing the new mill with a take-out AOD.  2 First up on the owner’s...  2 First up on the owner’s upgrade list was the steering. The stock manual steering linkage was well cared for, but power steering was on his list of upgrades. The Borgeson integral power steering box [www.borgeson.com; (860) 482-8283] was the perfect answer. It bolts right into place of the manual gear box and connects to the Falcon’s linkages with no modifications. Since this Falcon still used a column shift column tube, we’re in for some modifications there, but nothing too serious.  3 This Falcon Ranchero, in...  3 This Falcon Ranchero, in its original life, was an inline-six with a coulmn-shift three-speed manual trans. Since the owner has had the car for going on 20 years, he's amassed plenty of extra parts, including an automatic brake pedal assembly. Here we've pulled the original brake pedal assembly, as well as the clutch pedal, that had been hidden under the carpet, to make way for an automatic break pedal. We'll be adding a new cable-operated throttle as well.  4 Another modern safety item...  4 Another modern safety item on the owner’s wish list was power brakes. He found this Falcon-specific power booster with dual reservoir master cylinder, good for disc or drum brakes, in the Scott Drake Falcon catalog.  5 Since the brake booster...  5 Since the brake booster has integral mounting studs, the original master cylinder mounting holes must be drilled out to remove their threads. If you can access the thread inserts from inside the passenger compartment, you can often pry them out as well.  6 Hard to believe, but it...  6 Hard to believe, but it does fit perfectly under the Falcon’s welded shock tower support. The owner will probably need to use a turkey baster or fluid syringe to top off the master cylinder, but having the safety of dual reservoirs and power brakes is certainly worth it.  7 For brake lines, a few...  7 For brake lines, a few quick measurements and a trip to the local parts store allowed us to source pre-flared brake lines that we carefully bent up to plumb the new brake system without having to deal with flaring brake lines. The Stainless Steel Brakes proportioning valve was something the owner had on hand from another project and tossed it into the mix here, as front disc brakes are in this Falcon’s near future.  8 While the Mustang was certainly...  8 While the Mustang was certainly derived from the Falcon’s unibody, it doesn’t carry over every aspect of the chassis. For instance, the Falcon’s throttle pedal is different and the firewall doesn’t have the large opening that Lokar uses to locate its billet cable throttle for its Mustang kit. With some careful measuring we were still able to utilize the Lokar pedal (PN XBAG-6115, $145.95) for the engine swap however; simply by drilling our own mounting screw holes and not using the engine-bay-side locating ring.  9 We used Lokar’s 36-inch...  9 We used Lokar’s 36-inch throttle cable in black stainless steel braiding (PN XTC-1000HT36, $59.95). The stainless steel offers superior heat and abrasion protection, while the black stainless gives the throttle cable an OE look to it. The cable will be cut to the proper length and terminated once the engine is in place. For now, it’s draped out of the way.  10 Lokar’s matching brake...  10 Lokar’s matching brake pedal pad (PN XBAG-6123, $49.95) is a must when using its throttle pedal assembly. Simply place the billet pedal base over the bare pedal arm, drill the two mounting holes, and secure with the included hardware.  14 Summit Racing sells this...  14 Summit Racing sells this easy to use woven split loom material that makes renewing your wiring a breeze. We picked up two rolls in 1/4- and 1/2-inch sizes (PN SUM-890340 and SUM-890341, $16.95 each) to cover our original wiring and make it like new again, while keeping it flexible and easy to access for any future upgrades.  15 Once we stripped the original...  15 Once we stripped the original wiring of the old electrical tape and inspected the wiring, the new Summit covering was slipped over the harnesses. Cutting the end of the covering takes a very sharp razor blade or a pair of scissors. Be sure to heat seal the end with a butane torch or heat gun so it will not unweave.  16 Hiding the wiring was...  16 Hiding the wiring was an option, but the owner was fine with the factory routing using the Summit covering and all new retaining clips. The black covering contrasts nicely with the blue paint we think.  17 With our engine compartment...  17 With our engine compartment just about ready, it was time to get our X302 ready to drop in. First off, we’re going to have to change out the dual-sump oil pan for a front-sump design. After draining the engine’s oil and mounting the engine on a stand, it was rolled over and the pan bolts were removed.  18 Once the pan was removed...  18 Once the pan was removed from the engine (the rubber gasket can be reused if you’re careful with it) the oil pickup tube has to be swapped out to match the front sump pan. Remove the two mounting bolts at the pump and the retaining nut on the No. 3 main cap.  19 This Melling pickup is...  19 This Melling pickup is a direct bolt-on replacement for the small-block Ford oil pickup for front sump stock-depth pans. We picked it up from Summit Racing under MEL-68-S for $16.95.  11 The two mounting screws...  11 The two mounting screws are then hidden via matching rubber inserts that are glued into place.  12 The completed pedals look...  12 The completed pedals look trick, will offer a great feel without the owner fearing his feet slipping off, and the cable-based throttle is a must when converting to a stock-type EFI system with the throttle body on the passenger side of the engine bay.  13 While dropping another...  13 While dropping another $500 or more on a new wiring harness was an option, the owner’s budget was getting squeezed with all the extra “while I’m at it” upgrades for our engine swap. While the wiring looked completely trashed lying in a pile after removal, the wiring itself was actually in pretty good shape. It was the electrical tape wrapping that made the harness feel rock hard.  20 Since we’re converting...  20 Since we’re converting to a front-sump oil pickup and pan combo, the in-block oil dipstick is no longer usable. The X302’s timing cover has a provision for a dipstick tube, so we simply pressed out the factory installed core plug in the timing cover and reinstalled it in the block with a little sealer. A Summit SUM-G3867 chrome dipstick ($11.95) now resides in the timing cover.  21 While we were surfing...  21 While we were surfing the Summit Racing site, we scored one of its brand-new Ford oil pans for our swap. Summit’s line of budget oil pans are stamped from quality steel and gold zinc plated. This oil pan fits all small-block Windsor-based Fords and is just $44.95. You’ll find it under PN SUM-G3534.  22 Since our X302 is sans...  22 Since our X302 is sans induction and we’re going to run a stock-style EFI system, we’ll be running a long-runner EFI manifold like you’d find on a 5.0L Mustang. We’re using Trick Flow’s Street Burner intake manifold (TFS-51500001, $479.95) for this build. The lower manifold installs just like a carbureted intake and was a breeze with new bolts (SUM-G1579HS, $17.95) and intake gaskets (FEL-1250, $25.95), all from Summit Racing.  23 The Trick Flow manifold...  23 The Trick Flow manifold requires a late-model Mustang-style PCV system. You can find the PCV filter screen and rubber grommet in the “Help!” section at your favorite parts store under part numbers 47064 and 42327 respectively. The PCV valve itself is just a stock late-model Mustang replacement valve.  24 When ordering fuel injectors...  24 When ordering fuel injectors for your EFI conversion, you have to take into account the engine’s horsepower level and whether you’ll be using a power adder or not (supercharger or turbo for example). The X302’s 340hp level dictates 24-lb/hr injectors, which we sourced from Ford Racing (M-9593-AA302, $189). You can find some great info in the Ford Racing catalog on calculating injector size. A set of Professional Products billet fuel rails with fuel pressure regulator (PFS-10601, $230.95) tops the injectors and is a veritable bargain from Summit Racing when we found out stock Ford fuel rails are nearly $400!  25 We didn’t want to build...  25 We didn’t want to build up the engine any further for fear of damaging something as we installed the engine into the Falcon. Next month, we’ll fit the rest of our induction, our March pulley system, cooling system, and fuel system, and we’ll be ready to make some noise. Stay tuned for the conclusion next month.
 | 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". |  | We wrap things up on our engine swap and look back on the upgrades and process. |
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