As of this weekend, my engine has now managed to haul my car around for over 405,000km. So i have been toying with they idea of replacing it with something newer and with a bit more grunt. My current plan basically involves buying a complete engine and rebuilding it myself before doing a swap with the one in it now. I have never attempted to rebuild an engine before, but i figure best way to learn is a little research (definately will be getting a manual to help here) and getting stuck in. I was going to stick with a 6cyl, as i've been told that an 8 involves a lot of changes to the car itself, and thats a bit beyond me for the moment.

Currently i have the EFI 4.1 on dual fuel with extractors the only new thing on it. Also I have the standard 3 speed Auto, which i would like to change over to a 5 speed manual in the future (maybe before the new engine goes in if the current one dies at the wrong time)

So what i would like to know is people's opinions on which engine/trans combos would be the best options based on:
1) resonably cheap to buy
2) able to be rebuilt by myself
3) fits into an 85 XF Fairmont Ghia with minimal work on the rest of the car
4) good to use as a base for future mods, not looking at any forced induction yet. (because eventually we always need more power don't we?)



*Edit - removed that bit about the exhaust and put it in its own thread

Last edited by Steves 85xf on Tue Feb 20, 2007 7:04 pm, edited 2 times in total.

You can pick up an e-series/AU 4.0 really cheap 2nd hand still in good condition. They are very easy engines to rebuild and fit in the XF's engine bay without too much trouble. I am not sure on the legality of the conversion in vic, but here in SA the 4.0's are classed as a 'suitable replacement' for the 4.1's and you only have to fill out a form with the new engine number when you are done.

Engine rebuild is fairly simple.

Bottom end is piss easy...Just fitting bearing in the right spot and tightening with a tourque wrench.

The top half is a little different as you would think.

Hoan the cylinders (hoaning kits are cheap s**t), just put it in a drill on slow speed and get a x pattern. Keep it wet with CRC.

Head, get it faced and pressure tested.

Its time consuming and alot to explain but give it a crack.

Like stockstandard said....Engine change is an option with the EF/EL/AU motors cheap and easy to convert.

If you do go 4L then T5 is in the books.

This gives plenty of room for future mods such as ecu, extractors and exhaust, cam, and so on.

But if you arnt that mechanically monded then i wont suggest doing it but there are plenty of people that can help.

i've done the E-series into X-series conversion a few times now. Do an extensive search under my user name on a few other ford forums and you will probably come up with all the info. Forgive me but i'm just over typing up all the info every time someone asks the same questions.

FWIW there is an EL complete engine and trans on ebay for $450 which is an ideal starting point as all the accessories are on it.

I'll say it up front, if you don't have the time, skills or money to see the job through then just forget it and put a crossflow back in it.

HTH

Something else that would look at home in the engine bay of an XF is an EB-AU V8.

A DOHC Barra 190 wouldnt be too expensive, and there are hacks now to bypass the security and you can run the standard ECU. Good economy too, I'd imagine.

Got any more info on these hacks to bypass the security or are you going off of things you heard on the internet?

I second that.

There was talk at one point about a module being developed to bypass it (or something) but kinda all ended up being vaporware.. of sorts..

I think i would rather just stick with something that has been done a few times before by others for what is basically my first project. That way if something goes belly up, i can ask people who have done it before for advice.

Tell me more. I thought the SCT flashtuner could disable the security parameters.

Apparantly it can but who has seen it done?

As far as I know only The Blue Oval Garage have done a BA into pre BA engine conversion. That was with a Boss motor into an XY using the standard ECU + flash tuner.

I called heaps of placed when early in my conversion and could not find someone with experience in this type of thing. Lots of people heard of it done on the internet but no tuners had seen it done or knew if it could be done without huge dramas.

I imagine the blue oval garage had a complete BA in their possession before attempting the conversion.

I have spoken with an SCT tuner and he said the drive by wire is necessary if you want to run the stock ECU, figuring that out alone put me off and made me to decide to run an Autronic SM4. I have been told by another tuner that the Turbo ECU is required for my application so that made my decision easy. Buying a stock turbo ECU, a flash tuner and dealing with all of the headaches to make it all work together made choosing an aftermarket ECU an easy choice. There is a new version of the Autronic SM4 which will be released next month which will work with the standard cam sensors so Ill wait for that one.

Didnt FTG do a BA into AU without using the BA ECU?

I would think that it would be relatively straight forward to convert the BA engine to coilpacks and use an EF ecu (with edit) to get it running. Wont get the VCT working but would still be good bang for buck. I cant see it being hard to get a MS2 to work on it either (with VCT).

Anyway, probably still too much unknowns with BA conversions. Probably best to wait for a guru to work it all out and tell everyone how it is done.

Thanks for all the input guys.

If i was to put in an EF or AU 4.0 into the XF, does anyone know if i would have trouble with the Alternator, AirCon, Power Steering, Heater, Cruise Control or any of the other stuff that hangs off the engine? What about Dash and instruments? (I'm not sure is i want to keep the fugly digital dash or not lol) Would i have to update/change/get rid of all or some of that stuff too?

lol - 85 fairmont giha, if it opened, shut, moved or was electronic they shoved it in there...

Aftermarket ECU's are the easy way.

Atomic have informed me that they make conversion kits to change the BA's VCT cam wheels into vernier gears so they can be set at the optimum fixed position. This would make ECU choice a lot easier. The kits are $450 though, which is about the same price difference between a wolf which doesnt do VCT to an autronic that does.