360 for a 5.0 EFI swap.. Dumb idea?

[topgearmotorsports]

Hi guys I just joined and am excited about your input! I just bought my first Ford truck. Its a 76 F100 Ranger 360 2wd factory air(missing the compressor and brackets but want to put air back in) and not sure what gear it has. I love these old trucks. I have another brand '86 3/4 ton 4x4 that I love driving and will continue driving until the parts are no longer avaliable. Anyway I got this truck for next to nothing. It is far from a basket case but the cab floors are pretty rough and one front cab mount is pretty much gone. Well enough with the back round. I know very little about Fords and need some input from guys that know their stuff! This truck has a 360 auto (C6 I believe). It has been sitting for about 3 years. I have a 5.0 EFI with the AOD trans and the computer out of a 90 Mustang that I was thinking might be a better option instead of building the 360. This will be my shop truck so I want it to "talk" to people at a stop light and also be able to drive it across the state if I choose. I am thinking 5.0 EFI for a little better fuel eco. but then the 360 for the ease of mods and power.... the 5.0 would be a pain to put in I am sure. My buddies are confusin the heck outta me so I am turning to a different crowd. Thank you for reading my novel and any advise would be great. Sorry about rambling

 

[Fellro]

The biggest trick of course is that you have to transfer all the electronics, including fuel pumps. You would have to figure out how to get all the sensors like speed sensor to fit up and work, along with getting the proper motor mount perches. In the end, if you intend to load the truck at all, the 5.0 will be at it's limit. They did put some in the trucks, but fuel efficiency wasn't their best point. The 360 would be easy to turn into a 390, then tune it and gear it right, and you could potentially see decent mileage out of it. If you want it to "talk", nothing does it better than a longer stroke with a better bore. You will have far less headaches building the FE than trying to convert. If you aren't familiar with the systems at all, you are better off staying away from the major project that is swapping an EFI into something that never had it. It is nowhere near plug and play.

 

[topgearmotorsports]

Thank you for clearing that up! It makes perfect sense. That sounds like a lot of work for a shop truck. I just confused from all of the chatter I was getting. I will take your advice THANKS! The 360 block is the same as a 390 then? I have plenty of dumb questions to ask but thats how I learn I guess lol!

 

[Fellro]

Pretty much the only change between a 360 and 390 is the crank and pistons. They have the same bore.

 

[G.O. Stang]

A 5.0 swap wouldn't be hard at all... You'd just need the 302/5.0 mounts and probably the proper bell housing for the transmission you've got to bolt to the 5.0. The engine and computer harness is pretty much self contained. Just hook everything up to the engine and run key'd power to it all. You can reuse your original gauges. They'll hook up all the same. I believe you'll also need to weld two o2 sensor bungs in the exhaust. But that's basically it save some odds and ends. Enjoy better fuel economy and more reliability.

Alternatively if you want to build a motor, you can stoke your 360 out to a 390 easy, or even go a step further and bore and stoke out to a 428. But that will by far cost more than a 5.0 swap all said and done.