With gasoline prices going through the roof, everyone is looking for ways to get better fuel mileage and still have enough power to get their classic Ford onto the freeway. The drivability of a new car is always preferred when compared to the old pump the accelerator, pull the choke, and hope it starts method. By the same token, we like the thought of smooth power via the new electronic fuel injection (EFI) when power adders are applied.
Lance Overholser was in that situation with his '64 Ford Custom 300. The car came from the factory with a 289 engine, two-barrel carburetor, and a three-speed transmission. On a typical day, it would get around 15 mpg. Not really all that bad for a fullsize car, but he wanted better. He also wanted to boost the performance down the road.
An idea struck--why not put an EFI unit from a 5.0 onto the 289? The hunt was on for the hardware. An EFI unit was found perched on a '87 Mustang that seemed to be in nice shape. Lance then visited his local Ford Racing dealer, ordered a computer kit that included a mass airflow sensor, and a relay kit that included oxygen sensors and a barometric pressure sensor. The last major item needed was a wiring harness, so Lance contacted Painless Performance and obtained their 5.0 (60510) harness designed for the '87- '93 engines. With all the basic parts now on hand, it was time to start the process of putting it all together.
Lance contacted the tech guys at Painless, and they volunteered to come help on the project since it was being done in the Fort Worth area.
The following will show the steps taken for the assembly and testing.
The underhood of the '64 is...
The underhood of the '64 is all original. it shows the little old lady that owned it new didn't do much cleaning on the engine. Lance pressure washed the engine, and half the paint went with the dirt. It was decided some sandblasting and new paint were in order for under the hood.
The fenderwells and firewall...
The fenderwells and firewall were repainted, so now was the time to disassemble the engine. Jeff Abbott, an engineer at Painless, removed the intake and exhaust manifolds from the 289.
Before assembling the 5.0...
Before assembling the 5.0 parts, they were sandblasted and painted Ford Performance Red. Shown are the manifolds, fuel pump, computer, wiring, distributor, mass airflow sensor, fuel lines, and all the small parts needed for the complete installation.
James Fox, one of the Painless...
James Fox, one of the Painless tech guys, installed the lower half of the intake on the engine. They had to use 289 intake gaskets because the 5.0 gaskets wouldn't totally seal the water ports.
The fuel rails were cleaned...
The fuel rails were cleaned and installed along with the injectors. This is standard operating procedure when dealing with used items.
Dale Armstrong, another Painless...
Dale Armstrong, another Painless tech guy, assembled the rebuilt EFI distributor. The distributor comes with either a cast drive gear for flat tappet cams or billet gear for roller cam applications. we are using the stock 289 cam so the cast gear unit was chosen. When installing the TFI module on the distributor, don't forget to use the special heat transfer grease.
The assembled distributor...
The assembled distributor was dropped into place. The oil pump drive is longer on the new style distributor, but installed with no problem.
The decision was made to mount...
The decision was made to mount the computer on the passenger side kick-panel. A hole was then cut under the heater for the engine compartment wires to pass through.
The wires were pulled through...
The wires were pulled through the firewall. a rubber grommet was installed to protect them.
Routing of the wires and connectors...
Routing of the wires and connectors was easy because Painless tags each one to where it goes. This one marked MAF goes to the mass airflow sensor. All the wires in the harness are also color-coded, using the original Ford factory code.
Once the wires were routed,...
Once the wires were routed, plugging in the connectors was a snap. While installing the injector plugs, we found a slight problem. The harness is designed for the 5.0 engine, which has a different firing order than the 289. Since this Ford EFI is a sequential fire (one injector at a time sprays) instead of a batch fire (one bank of four at a time), half of the injector plugs had to be moved out of the harness to their respective firing order positions.
A couple of injector wires...
A couple of injector wires had to be lengthened. Wires were cut and spliced, then covered with heat shrink for their protection. The other wires were long enough and easily rerouted.
Other sensors (such as the...
Other sensors (such as the mass air sensor shown) were wired.
With the new Ford coil mounted,...
With the new Ford coil mounted, the harness was plugged into it and the distributor.
The last wire in the engine...
The last wire in the engine compartment was the yellow main battery feed wire for the computer. It was attached to the Maxi fuse, along with other wires going to the chassis harness fuse block.
The engine wiring is completed....
The engine wiring is completed. Fuel lines were next.
An electric fuel pump was...
An electric fuel pump was purchased from Arizona TPI and installed on the rear of the fuel tank. Pieces of a rubber radiator hose were wrapped around it to help isolate noise. A special high-pressure hose was installed between the pump and the new steel lines. Double clamps were used on the pressure hose for a little extra safety. The wire for the pump from the fuel pump relay was routed and attached.
The lines installed were 3/8-inch...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
With everything installed, the ignition was turned on; the fuel pressure came up and stabilized once the lines were filled.
Brian Montgomery, an engineer...
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....
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...
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.