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TBF
Tech : 1966 XR Falcon (NAVIGATION: Page 3, Page 2, Page 1, back to TBF Tech) A special thanks to Peter for his assistance in producing this article - For further information on the conversion done to this vehicle, contact Peter via email by clicking here...
Warning Please note: this article is intended as a historical account of the conversion of a 1966 Falcon to a 351 windsor with fuel injection. It is in no way intended as a "instruction manual". Any inspiration taken from it should be tempered with a visit to your local registration authorities and measurements taken by you of the motor in question. We take no responsibility for any actions undertaken by the reader as a result of viewing this article. You have been warned! PART 1: The Epic Saga Begins
Engine Purchase & Drive Belt conversion Pete begins: "I bought the engine from a company that did diesel conversions to F-series trucks, and since it had only done 29,000 km’s, I figured it didn't really need a rebuild. The first thing I did was change the reverse rotation timing cover/water pump assembly for an earlier standard rotation setup. This was the quickest way to eliminate the extra bracketry of the A/C compressor and power steer pump, which I did not need. Except for these, I would have much preferred to retain the serpentine drive which is much more efficient and reliable. I ended up using a Gilmer belt drive, which lasted about 8 months before the aluminium pulleys wore out! So I bought a new larger diameter set and got them Hard Anodised which fixed the problem quick smart." ( Back to Index ) Head Modifications & Emissions Gear. "With the exhaust rocker gear loosened I did the mandatory (with Windsor heads) removal of the thermactor bumps and quick exhaust port job with my trusty die grinder. A couple of bolts of a rather unusual thread size (sorry I can’t remember the size) were required to block off the thermactor holes at the rear of both heads. All the emissions gear was given the "heave-ho" and an EGR block off plate fabricated." (please note; be sure to check with your state's rego authorities for legalities before completing this step). ( Back to Index ) Next came the installation of a high volume oil pump and a genuine High-Energy sump (not a cheap nasty bandit or viper brand). Installation of the engine began by removal of the old 302 Windsor. In went the 351 and then began the task of attaching the Hurricane 1 5/8" 4 into 1 headers. At the time these were the only headers available for the 351w. The quality of the head flange was very good, although unfortunately the tubes hit practically everywhere else possible! "I’m convinced these guy’s don’t actually know the massive difference in deck height between 289/302’s and 351’s so I’ll spell it out: 8.2" for 289/302’s and 9.5" for 351’s!" ( Back to Index ) Intake Manifold & Throttle Body. "Obviously this deck height also causes problems for the intake manifold, which if you hadn’t noticed is the very tall F-series dual plane style. The first thing I did to reduce the height is flip the throttle body upside down. This put the throttle linkage on the bottom so I fabricated a bracket that mounted from the alternator bracket, which held an EA Falcon throttle cable. I used a modified EA Falcon accelerator pedal at the other end. The throttle body still made contact with the bonnet so I bought crappy one from the wreckers and cut a hole in it with an angle grinder. "3/8" steel tube was used for the fuel supply and return lines. The return line dumped into a fitting screwed into the fuel filler neck (Note: this area in particular, along with the removal of any emission control gear, may be subject to local state regulations. Please check first with your relevant registration authorities before attempting any changes from factory). A Bosch EKP-4 pump was mounted in the boot along with an inline fuel filter." ( Back to Index ) Wiring, Computer and Drivetrain. "The stock F-series harness and EEC IV were retained. The extra long length of the main harness allowed it to follow the original XR engine bay harness through the firewall. Power was fed through the F150 flywheel and 11" McCleod clutch then a Toploader and 3.00:1 open Nine-inch. After a final check of all connections I applied power to the harness minus ECU to make sure 12volts only appeared where it should (a great idea!). - All ok. Next I applied ignition power to the EEC power relay." ( Back to Index ) "Once again it all checked out fine. With the ECU plugged in and power connected I switched the ignition to the on position. As expected the fuel pump ran for a couple of seconds and switched off. Now, with a multimeter attached I initiated the EEC self test function. Counting the sweeps of the meter gave a series of fault codes. With the emissions gear disconnected I expected quite a few." Here is what they were;
I'll deal with these later I said! ( Back to Index ) "Ok - now for ignition. Once the fuel rail was pressurised I hit the ignition switch and it fired straight up. It ran for about 20 seconds stumbled and died. I tried again, same thing. Checked all the basics; fuel spark etc. Nothing wrong so, time for another self test. "This time I got all the same fault codes. The only code that seemed important was the NDS code 67. After some reading I discovered that the NDS cancels "lean cruise mode". This is where fuel is cut when decelerating etc. So, grounding pin30 was all that was needed to cancel lean cruise mode and therefore eliminate the stalling. Once grounded the engine settled right down into a smooth idle. Time for a test drive, minus bonnet of course. Immediately apparent was the immense amount of low-end torque. Amazing considering I had only tacked a couple of old mufflers onto the end of the collectors to get me to the exhaust shop.
"When fully warmed up I noticed a slightly rolling idle. This was probably caused by not running an Oxygen sensor (HEGO). This meant running open loop all the time. I resorted to "tricking" the EEC by the use of a 50k-ohm potentiometer in series with the ACT (Air Charge Temp) sensor. This had the effect of making the EEC think that the incoming air was cooler thereby richening the mixture. A common trick is to do the same to the ECT (Engine Coolant Temp) sensor but this can also effect ignition advance to the point where detonation can occur. "After a 2 ¼" twin exhaust was fitted it was off to Ravenswood Raceway for some testing. First run netted a 14.6 @ 97mph, the next was identical. The engine makes maximum power at 3900 rpm but I was shifting at nearly 5000rpm. Anything over a 1500rpm launch just went up in smoke. I tried feathering it out of the hole by launching at 1500rpm and then backing off to gain traction. This time I shifted at 4200 rpm. Much better; 14.4 @ 94mph. I had the feeling it was being held back though. When I decided to push the car down the staging lanes to keep the heat soak down I found the car almost impossible to push. To cut a long story short I later found a master cylinder problem was keeping the brakes applied! DOH! ( Back to Index )
Engine & Driveline Specifications. ENGINE:
DRIVELINE:
Related Pages on www.trueblueford.com : TBF
tech, Engine
& Ancillaries Forum Discussion. And with that you're just about ready to go onto PART 2... (NAVIGATION: Page 3, Page 2, Page 1, back to TBF Tech)
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