Painless Performance EFI

The lines installed were 3/8-inch pressure and 5/16-inch return. The return was routed to a fitting installed in the original tank drain plug.

One last engine problem had to be resolved. Oxygen sensors had to be put in the exhaust pipes. The decision was to use the later model 5.0 manifolds (the lower one in the photo) with the O2 sensor holes already machined-in since the exhaust system needed replacing anyway. The problem was the clutch linkage was right in the way of the downward turn of the manifold. An old trick came into play by cutting a section from the cross-shaft and moving it out with some flat stock. With proper bracing, it allowed the cross-shaft to pivot around the manifold flange.

With the engine side of the firewall wiring completed, it is now time to mount the computer. Aluminum straps were fabricated to hold the computer in place.

The harness fuse block, barometric pressure sensor, and relays were also mounted to the kick panel. The red diagnostic connector at the top (arrow) and the black timing connector (arrow) needed to be accessible when the engine was first started for any needed adjustments. The wires hanging in the foreground were attached to the fuse block.

The check-engine light (standard in all Painless kits) was installed at the base of the dash so it can be seen--just in case.

With everything installed, the ignition was turned on; the fuel pressure came up and stabilized once the lines were filled.

Brian Montgomery, an engineer at Painless, had Lance start the engine. Brian, with the aid of a scanner, checked the system and made adjustments to the timing and throttle position sensors. Lance was now ready to make a test run.

The completed installation. Hosing was fabricated for the air intake and mass airflow sensor, and a small K&N filter was installed. You may notice the plenum top-cover-plate reads backward due to the installation of the upper unit's air intake on the driver side. Mustangs pull air from the passenger side, but due to clearance problems with the air filter, it was decided to put the air intake on the driver side.

Lance prepared the '64 for the drive back to Indiana. He reported the car got 20 miles to the gallon. Not bad for a car with a 3.73 rear gear doing 3,000 rpm at 70 mph. In the future, Lance intends to see what he can do to improve performance while not too badly killing gas mileage.