Engine Upgrade - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

bucknaked · 10-26-2004, 02:48

I have an XE Wagon with a 4.1 which I'm trying to sell at the moment for a couple grand. In good condition, body is straight, no panel damage and good paint. Mags and the interior is mickey mouse. 12 months rego. Anyway, having some trouble getting rid of it, so for what its worth, I was thinking why not take it off the road and start doing some work on it. Using it as a car to have a play with in my spare time.

I thought I would put in a 5.0 and a 5 speed manual and because I would like to use the car eventually as an everyday hack, going to get it put on gas. What I wanna know is how much hassle will it be to do this. From a planning point of view, will all of this go together without having to do changes like new mounts. Can I get any 5.0 engine from 1970 until now, and bolt it straight in? Will it be too hard to get an engineers certificate.

Just looking into it at the moment, and thought you guys would be the best to ask.

I wanna have this as my little project to give me a better understanding on fords.

Just mulling it over at the moment.

By the way, if I put it on gas, can I have a shaker or butterfly's hanging out of the bonnet. Do they make tunnel ram for cars on gas?

Ghia5L · 10-26-2004, 03:35

While I am no expert on engine conversions, I hope I can offer some advice that you'll find handy.

70s-82 302s were Clevelands. Slightly different dimensions to the 90s efi Windsor 302.

I'm positive that any engine that you plan to put in your XE other than a replacement 200/250 would require new engine mounts.

Clevelands that are older than your XE would be more difficult to get an engineer's certificate for, unless they run on straight gas. I'm assuming that an efi 5.0 would be more difficult to install due to the engine computer, but I'm not too familiar with how the engine bay communicates with the rest of the car, if u get me.

Regarding having a shaker or scoop or whatever, I'm not too sure about those with LPG cars. I remember a brother of a friend of mine though with a HZ on gas bought a scoop for his bonnet, but the engine would always stall whenever he tried to take off. It turned out that the air entering the scoop would blow out the gas going thru the carby (or something like this), starving the engine! He then put a towel over the hole to stop the airflow. The towel caught fire...

Hope some of that helped in a small way. A mate of mine did a home-job conversion for his XD ute: 250 column shift turned into pre-pollution 302 (converted to LPG by himself) with a 4 on the floor. Did everything himself. So it is doable by yourself, although I wouldn't recommend "his" way... if he gets busted for it he'll cop massive fines due to it all being illegal! Ultimately do your homework first.

I hope u get the XE up & going as a tuff kruiznwagon

bucknaked · 10-26-2004, 04:10

Thanks for the info. Its given me a few things to think about. I think i might have a chat with a local engine builder in canberra and see if what I'm planning to do is worth doing.

Ghia5L · 10-26-2004, 05:16

No probs, happy to help out!

efi 5.0 + T5 isn't gonna be cheap though... Contact "Pilch" thru the Forums, he's a guy I know & he knows about V8/gearbox conversions I think (he's got a 351 on gas + T5 in his sweet XC)

-Dave-

bucknaked · 11-03-2004, 01:26

Spoke to an engine rebuilders in Canberra and asked them if theres was much involved in going from 6 to 8. He said theres a few things, and its gonna cost a few dollars. So I'm thinking I'll forget it for the time being and just concerntrate on getting it converted to gas. Can always look at the V8 down the track

JC-XR8 · 11-04-2004, 05:09

Bucky - look through Saturday's paper and/or the trading post for the LPG setup. You can usually get the setup for a couple of hundred - just need to pay someone to install it.

bucknaked · 11-05-2004, 00:53

We can do it after work JC