Gary Lewis

Well, things didn't go swimmingly on the distributor front today. I have two, one from the 1990 F250 and one from a '95 F450, and my plan was to take them apart and determine which is the better of the two and use that one. Both of them have quite a bit of end play, but the 1990 didn't seem to have very much side play. I started taking the cap adapter off the one from the F450 and the two screws didn't want to come out. With PB Blaster and patience I got one out, but the other refused to budge. I was using my 12v Ridgid impact, which is pretty gentle, but after fussing with it for quite a while I got my mid-sized 18v impact - and the head came right off the screw. That let me get the cap off and a small pair of Vise Grips on it, but it still doesn't want to budge. So I put more PB Blaster on and set it back to let that work. Then I took the 1990 one apart and discovered why it didn't have much play - it was varnished top to bottom. Once I cleaned the shaft and the bushings I found .030" side play at the bottom, which feels like a lot. So I started thinking about replacing the bushings, o-ring, cap, rotor, etc. And, of course, the $28 seal I have on order. But, then I looked at Rock Auto and a CARDONE 842886 new distributor with cap, rotor, o-ring, etc is $89 with no core needed. I suspect a new dizzy will be tighter than one I rebuild, so this sounds promising. However, I also sent Scotty a note asking if he sells distributors for the EFI engines, and would rather buy from him. In any event, I think I'm out of the dizzy rebuilding business.

I've been emailing with Scotty, the mad porter, the one that built the short-block. Here are the questions and answers: Injectors: "26# accel injectors are fine. I believe these are the animals." I went back explaining that I was given a set of 24# Accel and asked if they are too small. "Yes." Fuel Pressure Regulator: I didn't ask, but he said "Adjustable PFR by aeromotive order for same year mustang as your EFI engines fuel rail is." I asked what pressure to set it to and he said "42 to 46 with the #26. Testing and adjustment via a wideband is best." Timing: I didn't ask, but he volunteered "12 to 14 initial no spout for timing." Thermostat: I also told him that I'd heard that he doesn't recommend running a 195 'stat and asked what he does recommend. "4364 mr gasket 180 stat." Some of you know that nothing from Mr Gasket enters my shop, so I'll accept the "180" bit. MAF Sensor: I asked him if he recommended any particular MAF sensor and he said "I have no input on the maf at this time." And I got an answer back from BandRAuto, the outfit that has the airbox for sale on ebay: "Our Air Cleaners include the air box housing and lid with functional clamps only. They will NOT include any tubing, sensors, or filters. I don't have those available." Glad I found the right ones.

I think a thicker ear is standard. Doesn't the 3G page say something about bending the arm? Anyway, I have no doubt you can do it. Take pics along the way, please.

Sure is fun to follow!

First, y'all, I found the right hose clamps! They were in a tote I hadn't fully gone through. So I'm good to go there. Bill - I'd forgotten the IAC muffler, so thanks - again! I'm not sure I have the right hoses put together in this shot since the combo is ~2" too long, as you'll see in the next pic, but that's easily solved. Here it is in place and you can see that I'll have to shorten one of the hoses a bit. But you can also see that I have the PVC connection made, although not with a purpose-made hose. Just one that is flexible enough to bend w/o kinking. Thoughts?

Flaring tools are pretty cheap. Here's the results of a Google search for "flare tool".

Bill - Your pictures have been INVALUABLE! I realized this morning that your hose from the MAF sensor to the wye is leaned back so that the port on the back is level. And sure enough, when I leaned mine back the hoses were long enough to reach the throttle body! However, I'm not sure I agree with the IAC & the PVC hose connections. Or, maybe you are right but it doesn't matter? In the pic on the left I have the EEC-IV hose from Huck sitting on the EEC-V hose from the F450. And the hose I have running to the IAC inlet has my tag on it saying it went to the IAC controller on Huck. You can see that the two fittings would be in essentially the same place, and Huck's IAC hose fits the EEC-V fitting. And on the right I have a hose partially started into the fitting on the rear that you are using for the IAC, but you can see how easy it would be to connect it to the PVC fitting in the valve cover. Any reason not to connect them that way?

Glad you found us, and that we can be helpful and friendly. That's what it is all about.

I don't think so because I recall that creates a vacuum leak. I don't remember the details, but I think the plate covers a hole that is off to the side. Maybe someone else remembers better than I?

If you topped it off with ethanol then that may help clean the system out. The issue is that ethanol-laced gas goes "off" quickly. But fresh ethanol helps clean things up. And if you have ethanol you don't need the Heet as it'll do much the same as Heet.

You may have issues with the gas in the tank. You might try a bottle of Heet or somesuch. But it'll be best if you can burn out all of the old gas and go with new - w/o ethanol.

Many of the used tubing sets out there are mangled as well since it isn't unusual for the fittings to freeze on the tube and twist it when taking it off. Fortunately that system doesn't run much pressure and people have gotten by using hose clamps. But some have created a flair on the end of the tube to give some extra holding power to the connection. And many run two hose clamps per connection, just to make sure it doesn't slip.

You are now on the map. And I'm glad to see that your cousin is doing well. On pics, one of the advantages of this hosting software is that the pictures are uploaded and saved here. So they don't go away. Some other sites just put a link in the post to where you hosted the picture originally, so if that picture goes away out there it goes away on the forum as well. That happened everywhere when one free hosting site started charging for storage and people didn't pay.

Nice truck! Probably well worth what they are asking.

Bummer! But call them first, they seemed very helpful when I called so may work with you.

Assuming you used hose rated for that there shouldn't be a problem.

Welcome! Glad you joined! Where's home? I ask because we have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and can add you with a city/state or zip. Sorry to read about your cousin's difficulties as well as your own, but it looks like you are working your way out of yours. Good plan. But, I'm sure you've found that there are differences between a 1981 and a 1985 truck, some of which can cause problems. At least you have it running. And your dog appears happy. Not sure what you did trying to post the pic, but I just copied the address and pasted it in the "Or copy an image from the Internet:" line in the Insert Image popup, making sure to take out the "http://" that is already there. However, tips on how to post are on the page at Bullnose Forum/Forum FAQ's.

Scotty thought 24# would be adequate, but I’ll look for the larger Ford Racing ones. And thanks, but I have the injectors from both Huck and Jim’s F450, so have plenty of cores. You think reman is ok? I’m thinking the process is to get the engine sorted, meaning the dizzy, injectors, and all associated sensors. Then start the electrical work of installing the PDB, running the wires, etc. Make sense?

Interesting. Rock Auto doesn't show a Motorcraft MAF sensor. And they only have two categories: economy and daily driver. So are you suggesting I go with the one from a Lincoln? Does the curve vary? I'd like to put "stock" items in so later I can tell the kids "It is a '96 CA-spec 460" and they can get parts w/o worrying that the curve is wrong. On fuel injectors I'm finding a wide range of prices. RA says the MOTORCRAFT CM-5282 are the stock ones but doesn't say what the rate is. And they want $48/ea for them. Other places, inc Amazon, have them for $62 - 68/ea, which reminds me of what my nephew says - he will NOT install a product acquired from RA. He has had way too many of them bad out of the box, and refuses to use them. Thinks RA buys leftovers or returns. Summit and others, inc Amazon, have Accel 150824 24# injectors for about $378 total. So is there any reason not to go with Accel?

Bill - I ordered the seal from Amazon. Pricey at $26.99, but most others are out of stock on it and SKF's recommended vendor, Motion, wants $18 + $9 for shipping. And quite a while for delivery. Amazon will have it here some time after next Tuesday. I guess I'll pull the dizzy apart and make sure that the bearings aren't bad, clean it up, lube things, and put it back together. But I plan to put basically all new parts in the EFI system, inc injectors, MAF sensor, temp sensor, IAC, etc. Any other suggestions?

Thanks, Shaun. I've now sent them an email. That's the one that David found a few weeks ago and we discussed briefly. Towards the bottom it says "Box/Housing only. Does not include intake tubes or air flow meter." I asked if they are selling the tubes and at what price?

Shaun - Thanks. For the others, I asked him about the funky clamps for the air hoses. Here's what he said: So it sounds like I'm not going to be able to find those clamps, which have slots in them to go over ridges that are molded into the hoses, ensuring the clamps are used in the exact position they were intended for. I may have to cut those ridges out. Bill - Thanks. That seal certainly needs to be replaced.

Bill - Don’t worry about the part numbers. I’m pretty sure I can make what I have work. But thanks anyway. However, that trick on the dizzy is just what I needed. I’ll roll it around to #1 at 10 BTDC and swap distributors. But, the dizzy I have is from that F450, and I’m wondering about pulling it apart and cleaning it. Thoughts?

I agree that you've found the right part number. Don't know why others say it won't fit, but they are wrong. However, I frequently use Rock Auto's catalog to find things, and see if this help. I haven't drilled down to see if any of those also show that part number.

No prob, Bruce. As I think about it, the 3" gap isn't an issue at all. I have the plumbing from Huck, which was a 1990 460 with SD EFI, so no MAF sensor and dual hoses to the throttle body, with a crossover in the middle. But that means I have another set of hoses that go to the throttle bodies, which I assume are the same size as mine. Given that, I should be able to find a piece of thin aluminum tubing to use for splicing part of Huck's hoses to extend the air inlet system to reach the throttle bodies. But I have several things I need to find in order to get the system together, including the funky hose clamps that have slots in them to accept the ridges molded into the hoses. I'll be checking with Rock Auto to see if they have them, and have reached out to Shaun to see if his later MPC covers 1996/7, which are the only two years where the CA-spec 460 had MAF. Anyone know of the part numbers?