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October 17, 2026, 03:39:08 AM

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[Constructacon]

I'm about to embark on a full upgrade of my TD and there are a few details that I'm still looking to sort. Basically as parts are getting harder to get and just don't cut the mustard these days I'm wanting to upgrade to essentially a Falcon in Cortina clothing. Things I've looked at are:
[list=a]

• Brakes (Hoppers 5 stud upgrade)
  
• T5 Gearbox (Or am I better with a Supra box?)
  
• Engine  (to be sorted)
  
• Diff (supplier to be found)
  
• Wheels (Most likely 16"s but would prefer 17s)
  
• Air Conditioning (???)
  [/list:o]
  Of the engine I'm thinking of something like an EL XR6 engine but lately I've been thinking of even a BA-BF XR6T. Has anyone had any success with the E series 4.0L and was it a difficult fit? Are the BA-F XR6T available as crate engines (I haven't been able to find any listed on the interweb). I'm not really looking at rebuilding an engine - I did that with my current 250 X-flow. I'm looking at crate engines or something from HM-Gem most likely
  
  Also does anyone know of someone in Brisbane who might be able to do a custom diff? I'm not looking at dragging a 9" around, just looking to get a strong BW with Falcon brakes. Everyone who advertises in Street Machine only want to do the 9" when I call them.
  
  Also Engineering will be required for this lot. Again, can anyone recommend someone local to contact on this?
  
  I know many of you have done some or all of this in the past so any tips or suggestions that may save me a couple of $ would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[BigNorm]

good evening

Brakes (Hoppers 5 stud upgrade)  - good choice. probably the best kit for buck around.

T5 Gearbox (Or am I better with a Supra box?) they're both similar in strength i would recommend a T5 as it's gonna be a much cheaper conversion and bits are readily available.

Engine (to be sorted)  - there are a few people here have fitted a 4.0L out of an E series falcon successfully so someone will have an answer to whatever question u have. there's a couple of BA conversions in the rumour miill althought it's still being argued whether or not any of them are completed. BA engine is bigger and doesnt fit without a considerable amount of modifying.  

Diff (supplier to be found) - cant help you there, live too far away.

Wheels (Most likely 16"s but would prefer 17s)

Air Conditioning (???) - when i stuck a 4.0L in my td i remounted the alternator where the air con compressor should be due to water pump vs alternator vs K frame clearance issues.

if you dont want to recon an engine i'd be inclined to find a good secondhand one cos it'll come with all the relevant bolt-on goodies that you will need. gem engines are an engine reconditioner which you will need to supply a exchange unit anyway.

any other questions, fire away

[brycevr]

I have been in the custom car/ classic car scene for over 20 years and have several other interesting vehicles, so after a lot of searching, talking and typing I have found the best way to do the BARRA conversion is to rewire with the motec unit. This is the best way to enable all the potential of the motor without the hassle of the guard system and the chassis systems. The ECU on the BA  also handles things like Central locking, Climate control, Anti-lock brakes. To disable these functions is a tedious task on the circuit board and Ford aren't keen to give out circuit diagrams. So it is easier and cheaper in the long run to shift to a motec which can also handle the VVTC area. The bad news is that a motec unit is about $3500 to handle variable valve timing.
I don't think there is a cheaper way to do it properlybut still the whole conversion should come in at about 8K inc transmission and deliver 250+ KW (That's 350hp).
I've seen one put in a 1954 Jaguar with auto and it was as smooth as. That job ran into $9500 with all the trick bits.

[brycevr]

P.S I am told that using the Territory sump will work, though I haven't researched it thoroughly yet. You have to use the whole drivetrain (to the drive shaft) If you're doing this conversion it's not cheap. An EL can be done for about a grand which will get you about 160KW and no problems.

[TE_JET]

Wrong. Territory Sump will not fit, but with mods it will. But it is close. Better to fabricate one from scratch. As for the E-series engines, they are far easier to deal with and like the BARRA, an aftermarket ECU is the least stressfull means.

Goodluck with it.

[Bucster]

Azza (TE_JET) can build u a sump, but its a secret, lol.
I had a diff built by Aussie diffs on the gold coast, modified lsd borg warner disc brake runs my 20" rims perfectly.

You have also prompted me to make some handy tutorials on how to operate parts of the website, find how to make an album here.

http://fordcortina.com.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=319

Bucster

[Constructacon]

As for engine control why not a CAPA flash tuner?. It's my understanding that you can change pretty much anything with one of these things. Does anyone know if this includes things like Smartlock? For $695 that's a darn site better option to me than a $3500 stand alone unit.

[brycevr]

As for engine control why not a CAPA flash tuner?. It's my understanding that you can change pretty much anything with one of these things. Does anyone know if this includes things like Smartlock? For $695 that's a darn site better option to me than a $3500 stand alone unit.

They work with the original ECU and were designed to piggy back original units. All they do is allow you to modify the state of tune. There are lots of them on market, but anyone doing serious HP uses programmable units.
The $3500 I mentioned was for an M400 unit with the option for variable valve timing, which is on the BARRA motor. The E series just needs a standard unit from any of the major players, Haltech (which I've used with success on VW), Motec, Wolf 3D etc. The M48 MOTEC is about $1500 I think and it does everything you need.
http://www.motec.com.au/m48.htm