So I've bought a 1980 ext cad, f350, needed room for the kids and a place to haul stuff.
The 351M thats in it is trash, I have a 4.8, (double the hp/torque/fuel economy)
I can make the T19 manual trans work with the Ls, and fab the mounts etc, but I'm at a crossroads for efi, stock pcm? or Microsquirt?
If i go mega squirt, how do i even begin to understand, maps,tunes?
any opinions?
suggestions?
Thanks folks!
Sounds to me like your best bet is the stock ecu
A GM pcm can be reprogrammed. Someone will chime in.
How about a carb? Hot rodders do it all the time with LSs.
Could you trade it to someone for a Ford mill that will drop right in?
Appleseed wrote: Could you trade it to someone for a Ford mill that will drop right in?
boo hiss.
the stock computer is your friend. anyone with hptuners can then plug in and delete the anti-theft stuff, change it over to manual trans, remove rear o2 sensors if you're not running cats, etc.
patgizz wrote:Appleseed wrote: Could you trade it to someone for a Ford mill that will drop right in?boo hiss. the stock computer is your friend. anyone with hptuners can then plug in and delete the anti-theft stuff, change it over to manual trans, remove rear o2 sensors if you're not running cats, etc.
This.
SVreX wrote: How about a carb? Hot rodders do it all the time with LSs.
Ends up costing more to run a carb than fuel injection due to having to buy a $300-$400 manifold and a $600 ecu to control the ignition side. And dont forget adding a $200-$600 carb to top it
chiodos wrote:SVreX wrote: How about a carb? Hot rodders do it all the time with LSs.Ends up costing more to run a carb than fuel injection due to having to buy a $300-$400 manifold and a $600 ecu to control the ignition side. And dont forget adding a $200-$600 carb to top it
And sometimes spending money is "cheaper" in the long run. If you count your time and lack of aggravation valuable.
Appleseed wrote: Could you trade it to someone for a Ford mill that will drop right in?
I don't think there are any good options that will drop right in. Ford didn't worry about commonality. I may be wrong but I think between the Windsor, FE, clevelands, modifieds, and big blocks, no two engine Lines are a direct bolt in for each other. That's why so many people like to build chevys.
Swapping another ford would be "ok" but, the 351M is a bit of a pig, 460 bell pattern, cleveland mount style/location, limits your option.
I'm leaning toward the stock pcm, with vats/ o2 deleted.
The carb would be fun, but I think more money, less benefit in the long run
Thanks folks! My god there is a wealth of knowledge on this board!
Chime back in after you get it done. Lots of us are interested in similar swaps and would love to hear how it worked out for you.
If I was choosing an LS for an F-350, I'd choose the 6.0L, not the 4.8L. The 4.8L is torque challenged by comparison.
I realize it is still a huge improvement over what you've got, and it's free, so that may be the determining factor. But that's a heavy chassis.
The 4.8L is a truck motor, but only in the smaller 1/2 ton trucks, not the 3/4 or 1 ton.
The 4.8 may have more hp and torque than the 351M, but you need to rev it past 5,000 RPM to get all the power out of it. (Which apparently made some GM bean counter think it was the perfect choice for the base engine in their 3/4 ton vans. The logic behind small GM V8s tends to be a bit strange.)
As for engine management, I'd say a stock ECU would be fine if you want to keep the engine pretty close to stock - just have the security features and secondary O2s turned off, and go. If you are trying to do some wild turbo build, I'd go with an MS3.
It doesnt sound like he HAS a stock pcm.
In reply to Vigo:
I am assuming he meant stock GM pcm, not Ford.
He's gonna have a tough time using the stock Ford pcm in a 1980 model.
Well, i mean it doesn't sound like it would be much cheaper for him to piece together a factory PCM/harness than a Microsquirt setup considering he'd have to buy them, modify them, and then have them modified some more by someone who owns some other stuff he doesn't own. The advantages of the stock stuff shrink a bit vs other options when you have to spend similar money either way.
In reply to Vigo:
Gotcha. I agree. That's why I suggested a carb.
chiodos wrote:SVreX wrote: How about a carb? Hot rodders do it all the time with LSs.Ends up costing more to run a carb than fuel injection due to having to buy a $300-$400 manifold and a $600 ecu to control the ignition side. And dont forget adding a $200-$600 carb to top it
I think you missed the part where he said:
A) He has a 1980 truck
B) He is capable of fabbing mounts and mating a Chevy engine to a Ford trans.
C) He doesn't know crap about efi.
By the time the wiring harness is built, he buys an ecu, he pays a tuner, sorts out the wiring, etc. it could cost similar amounts either way, and I suspect the carb is then something he is capable of working on, while the efi would remain a mystery.
I am not trying to suggest the best option. I am trying to suggest what might be the best option for him.
If he can tune a carb, then tuning speed-density EFI is pretty easy as well, as you can think of a lot of things in carb terms. A MAF setup would be a much bigger learning curve though.
In reply to rslifkin:
He didn't say if he can tune a carb.
He was pretty clear about his discomfort level with efi.
I was just offering an alternative.
Sorry, I may not have given enough info,
I have a 4.8, wiring harness, pcm, and 4L60 trans (I don't want to use the 4L60) I have the fuel tank off the original donar truck too.
I can read schematics, and I think I can modify the harness to "stand alone".
What I'm concerned about is the learning curve to use either hp/or Efi live/ or mega squirt,
I'm not terribly comfortable with the laptop,
Hope that clears it up a bit.
If you're running the engine as-is without power mods, it should be easy enough to have someone point out the settings you need to change to turn off the rear O2s and configure it for a manual trans with the stock LS PCM. Most of the tune shouldn't need much messing with.
rslifkin wrote: If you're running the engine as-is without power mods, it should be easy enough to have someone point out the settings you need to change to turn off the rear O2s and configure it for a manual trans with the stock LS PCM. Most of the tune shouldn't need much messing with.
or just get a mail order tune and have them turn off everything not needed and do any tuning if wanted. alot of people do mail order tunes for ls's these days and have zero problem with them.
I have a 4.8, wiring harness, pcm, and 4L60 trans (I don't want to use the 4L60) I have the fuel tank off the original donar truck too. I can read schematics, and I think I can modify the harness to "stand alone".
Oh. Then buck up and do the necessary wiring modifications, put a canned tune in it, and start enjoying! 
Being an all stock motor I don' think any actual tuning would need to happen with the stock ECU, just the hacking for standalone operation. Trivial to a mail order tuner, or any tuner who deals with LSx stuff.
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