“I will be driving this car from Michigan to California in late October, so I want something that will cruise effortlessly at high speed.” – John A.
John’s ’67 Cougar with our 426hp 347 stroker under the hood
“This is my first project since the last one 15 years ago,” explained John. “I want a daily driver for my winter months in Palm Springs, CA. I don’t want a trailer queen, but something presentable for a cars and coffee type gathering. I have always liked the style and relative rarity of the early Cougar, so I decided to find a good candidate.”
Our 347 ready for cross country trip from Michigan to Cali
John’s packed crate ready to ship out
“I started my career in 1976 at Holley Carburetor and learned a lot about carburetors and intake manifolds,” John continued. “I learned that carbureted and throttle body injected systems wet the walls of the intake manifold so that roughly half of the fuel that gets to the cylinder comes from the walls of the manifold. As a result, fuel distribution is never perfect. An engineer friend of mine worked on throttle body injection and commented that the challenge for throttle body injection is to minimize fuel droplet size for better atomization. It turns out that carburetors do a really good job of atomizing fuel due to the booster venturies and fuel nozzles in a carburetor. Quadrajets are particularly good as well as the 4165 Holley that was on early 1980s 4 barrel Mustangs. Port fuel injection eliminates the fuel distribution problems associated with a wet intake manifold as well as atomization due to higher fuel pressure and injector nozzle design.”
John’s 347 on the pump setup with the Holley Terminator X Multi Port EFI System
Watch John’s 347 on the dyno for testing HERE.
“For all of the above reasons, I knew I wanted port injection for my daily driver as well as an updated engine with hard valve seats and roller cam to deal with modern fuel and oil designed for low emissions. While I was at it, I decided to add an overdrive transmission and faster steering. I will be driving this car from Michigan to California in late October, so I want something that will cruise effortlessly at high speed.”
Out with the old…in with the new.
“Imagine my surprise when I started contacting engine builders only to find out they don’t offer port injection. I understand that carburetors and throttle body injection are cheaper and less complex, but I was surprised to see few builders even offering the option. This led me to Prestige, which are experts in the Holley Terminator system. I liked their offer of supplying a package of parts to make it easier to collect everything necessary.”
John’s ’67 Cougar
“This isn’t my first engine swap, but it is my first 1960s Ford swap and things always take longer than anticipated. The car is almost finished and I am traveling for the next couple months. I have a few bugs to work out before I leave, but can’t wait to spend some time behind the wheel!”
Looks like you’re well on your way, John, to a fabulous cruise across the country. I’m sure getting out of Michigan before the Winter months and heading to Palm Springs has to be an awesome feeling…and doing it in that badass Cougar will make it all the more fun. Enjoy it and keep in touch on your travels!
Shawn Meekhof
Prestige Motorsports
