Modular engine swaps are becoming a very hot trend, however, adapting an engine to fit a car it was never designed for challenges builders to blend factory components with fabricated parts to make the combination come alive. And of all the challenges in doing an EFI swap, one of the trickiest and most overwhelming parts can be the wiring.
There is a certain level of voodoo or black magic associated with wiring a swap. Fortunately for the Ford crowd, Ford Racing Performance Parts (FRPP) has made it unbelievably easy. FRPP offers Control Packs for not only the 4.6L, but also the 5.4L and the new 5.0L Coyote engines. These Control Packs come with everything you need to wire one of these engines into just about anything. Included in the kit is a pre-calibrated computer, power distribution box, electronic gas pedal, 02 sensors, mass air meter, air intake system, and the harness to connect it all. "The kit is designed to make wiring an engine swap easy," explains Jesse Kershaw of Ford Racing. "There are only a few wires that need to be connected, so it's mostly a plug-and-play installation. Anyone can do it."
Ford Racing Performance Parts...
Ford Racing Performance Parts has made swapping a Three-Valve 4.6L, 5.4L, or 5.0L Coyote engine into just about anything simple and affordable with its Control Pack. The Control Packs take all the guesswork out of wiring your engine swap. The kit comes with an ECM, power distribution box, harness, and all the needed sensors for the engine to run properly.
Another area where finding the right components can cause setbacks is the fuel system. Aeromotive has made this part easy, offering everything you need to supply your new engine with all the fuel it will ever need.
Jesse Powell of Aeromotive sent us its Stealth Fuel Systems for the 5.0-liter Fox-body Mustang. The only change we made was swapping the 5.0-liter fuel rails for rails designed for the Three-Valve powerplant. The Aeromotive kit comes with everything from the tank, with an A1000 fuel pump and filter in the sump, to lines and fittings, to the fuel pressure regulator. "This system plumbs these cars perfectly," explained Powell of Aeromotive. "All you need to do for the engine swap is add the Three-Valve rails and you're ready to go."
The kit includes an air intake...
The kit includes an air intake system from Ford Racing and the computer is pre-calibrated to run right out of the box.
Installation of both the Control Pack and the Stealth Fuel System are straightforward and only took a couple of days with basic handtools. We did have to fabricate a mounting bracket for the new ECM, but it was as simple as cutting and drilling a few holes in some extra aluminum we had leftover from another project.
Follow along as we touch on the finer points of wiring and plumbing the fuel system in our Three-Valve Fox-body.
Without the kit, the 4.6L's...
Without the kit, the 4.6L's drive-by-wire throttle body would make throttle actuation complicated. FRPP includes a throttle pedal, which simply bolts to the firewall and connects to the harness.
We started by running the...
We started by running the end of the harness that needed to be inside the car through the firewall, where the original ECM harness came through from the factory.
After pulling the harness...
After pulling the harness into the driver's compartment, we ran the harness under the dash to the driver's side. This is where the majority of the connections need to be made. The green wire (pictured) is the fuel pump lead and needs to be run to the fuel pump relay.