59 EDSEL 2.3 Turbo 5 Speed Conversion

[EdKiefer]

Originally Posted by thecheese429

Would it be possible to just turn the oil pan around, so the sump is sitting in the front and it will fit? Or is the bolt pattern not symmetrical? I can't say I know much about rebuilding engines, but that popped into my head to try.

no you can't do that for number of reason.

The front has has aluminum front cover which has different bolt pattern on pan front than back by rear seal. Also the pan is not same on both sides, the oil pump side sticks out for oil pump and pump/distributor drive shaft .

[amcpacer]

The oil pan is not symmetrical as it gets wider at the back. The great thing is this Ford Courier oil pan fits.
I am suprized the boost need be kept low on the 2.3 engine. I must admit this is my first time working on a Ford 2.3. I am quite experienced with turbo 80's Chryslers. My daily driver is an 85 Chrysler Laser with a custom reprogrammable ECM, water injection, intercooled, 3inch mandrel exhaust, and runs 19psi of boost. This Ford engine looks similar except strange electronics like a vane air meter.
Is the stock Ford computer optimized for fuel economy or should I convert to megasquirt or Chrysler SMEC?

[EdKiefer]

Originally Posted by amcpacer

The oil pan is not symmetrical as it gets wider at the back. The great thing is this Ford Courier oil pan fits.
I am suprized the boost need be kept low on the 2.3 engine. I must admit this is my first time working on a Ford 2.3. I am quite experienced with turbo 80's Chryslers. My daily driver is an 85 Chrysler Laser with a custom reprogrammable ECM, water injection, intercooled, 3inch mandrel exhaust, and runs 19psi of boost. This Ford engine looks similar except strange electronics like a vane air meter.
Is the stock Ford computer optimized for fuel economy or should I convert to megasquirt or Chrysler SMEC?

the Fords are better than those old Chyslers IMO but they were lighter cars .
There are many ECU on ford depending on model/yr . Some have octane switch for timing, some have programed with larger MAF sensor but stock they run around 12lb even though it says 14 in specs . there all in heavy vehicles so gas mpg will vary on how you drive.
Even with light throttle the turbo is helping even though your not in boost .
I worked on many of these Fords , you can run higher boost especially if its stock, but you need to be careful not to abuse it to much . The bigger the turbo the less boost for same HP , same goes with larger intercoolers .
In general I felt it wasn't worth going above 18lb and things like needing water injection is just asking for trouble if water you let water tank run dry . I tried it on my XR4TI and it didn't really help but that could be cause my intake charge temps were down already for boost i ran .

There wasn't a lot you could do ECU wise in the mid 80's at the time other than different stock ECU's unless you wanted to go stand alone with something like haltech unit .

[amcpacer]

Finally the front sump pan with oil pickup is mounted on the engine. For engine mounts I used some 70's era Dodge pickup mounts for 360 V8 engines. They are simple, thin, and have a stud sticking out of both sides. Best thing of all is they are $5 new from Autozone! It was necessary to weld some steel to the frame to accomodate the new engine mounts. For the rear transmission mount I plan to use two more Dodge truck mounts.

The difficult part is coming up where I must add a clutch pedal to the car and a working gas pedal. I wish I had a Mustang or Thunderbird parts car sitting around to get parts from.

Another issue is when I took the V8 Edsel engine out the suspension went all of the way up. When I put the Ford 2.3 in the car did not sink down a bit even with me standing on the front bumper support. That V8 is extremely heavy! Should I clamp the springs or cut them? I know the ideal thing is get custom springs made but I am searching for a cheap solution since I am on a very minimal budget, paycheck to paycheck.

[EdKiefer]

yes, the ford uses cable clutch with self adjuster in pedal .

It might be possible to get whole pedal assembly out of a Tbird or Mustang (the whole 2 pedal -brake/clutch). I forget if the brackets are bolted or spot welded to floorboard .

[SoobieOut]

Amazing project so far!! Thanks for posting all of the pictures.

I had a 78 Mercury Capri with a 2.3 Ford 4 banger. It was a german made body with a Ford engine. Of course I modded the engine a bit by adding a Holley 4 BBL, headers and proted the heads. Great little engine, I bet fuel injection and a turbo like your using would made a huge difference.

[Varn]

AMC,
If you are trying to keep in your budget, just leave the front springs alone and see how it does. You can always add a tractor weight to the front. If you cut springs down you are going to increase the spring rate. Thanks for the detailed photos of your changes.

I remember about 18 years ago I was coming down Pikes Peak and saw an Edsel coming up. It was on a 4wd truck chassis.

[Frank Lee]

^Yes, cutting springs makes them even stiffer.

I think if you spent some quality time in a junkyard, armed with coil spring measurements of diameter, length, and wire gauge of your existing springs then aiming for the same dia. but perhaps lower length and for sure smaller gauge, you could find suitable replacements that way for cheap.

[Clev]

My old Ranger used the Bobcat/Pinto 2.3L in MPFI form all the way through 1997, and then a stroked 2.5L version of the same through 2001. That means a drop-in replacement is available if you want more power down the road. They went distributorless via the unreliable TFI module in 1989, and then moved that functionality into the computer in 1994/1995.

Info about your "Lima" engine: The Ford Ranger 4-Cylinder Lima Motors - The Ranger Station

[amcpacer]

Today I went to the wrecking yard and found a clutch pedal from an 80s Mitsubishi pickup and a gas pedal. I wanted to find Mustang or Thunderbird parts but nobody had such parts in town and the Mitsubishi parts look like they will fit with some custom cutting and welding.

When I bought the engine it came with a wiring harness but for some reason the only three things that can plug in on the harness are the Vane Air Meter, O2 Sens, and Distributor. None of the other plugs match what is on the engine. The connectors are different size or sometimes female to female ends. At this point I have downloaded wiring diagrams that show the pinouts of the computer and am about to cut into the harness and route the wires to the proper sensors without using the multitude of different connector sizes. This will be very time consuming and it would be so much easier if I just had the proper harness for this engine. Megasquirt would be so cool down the road but the Ford computer programming may be just fine for efficiency if I can have the patience necessary to make the electronics work.

The suspension on the car was extremely soft when I was driving it with the V8. I would think slightly firmer suspension of cut springs may be desirable. It would not be able to be driven right now since the suspension is maxed out full height like a gangster with hydraulics. I was thinking that perhaps an air bag style spring is available and would make for getting the ride height an easy task.

At least the hard part of hanging the engine and trans is out of the way. Now I have to put up with jokes from friends about "Fix or repair daily, Failed on race day, Driver return on foot, etc......
At least I will be the one driving the cool efficient classic car!