i swapped out my 5.0 for a 5.8 that i rebuilt mostly except for the crank and pistons. in my 95 f 150 manual trans 4x4. used the 302 harness and computer. it is speed density. did the swap about a year ago. also have shorty headers, k&n intake, jet tb spacer,and flowmaster muffler and new cat. also changed every single vac line today with silicone vac lines and a new vapor canister as mine had holes in it.

1. ive recently developed a ticking sound on the driver side back of the motor in the coil area. sounds like an arching sound. maybe an injector ?

2. its always had a pinging sound if im accelerateing past 3800 rpm on to a highway if im laying into it a little. changed my distributor today as the old one was stuck and upon getting it free it was fairly chewed up. the timing is set to 14 to 15 degrees ( when i checked the timing before i removed the old dizzy it said 10 ish degrees) and it has more power and idles and runs great but the pinging sound is still there. (could a poorly torqued nut on the lifters cause the pinging our would that be a constant knocking sound?) carbon build up?

3. the knock sensor. now i used the 302 computer which has a knock sensor. now i understand the 351 doesnt have a knock sensor but i connected it any way thinking the computer would b looking for it and its laying on the block with tape around the sensing area. could this b tricking the motor or the timing and its advancing way to far or not enough.

4. should i get a new computer thats set for a 351. or is the speed density programming the same for a 302 and a 351 meaning air fuel ratios or atleast similar enough to not cause any flaws.


sorry for the long post but any help would be a great.

 

sorry if my numbers don't match your questions:
1 and 4) 302 to 351 swaps in mustangs are pretty common. If you're talking about a SEFI EEC-IV, any of the 302 computers should be fine IMO.
3) A knock sensor will most likely retard the snot out of your timing, so you'll know it's working because it will feel like you're towing the space shuttle. I don't see how it could cause a pinging though.
2) Now we're getting to it. How do you know it's driver side rear if it only happens on the freeway?
-If your pinging is ONLY ever there when you're under a HEAVY load it's likely your timing is too advanced. I read somewhere that predetonation is most likely to happen at peak TQ with insufficient fuel. Where you will feel/hear it is when chugging up a hill in your tallest gear. This is where you'll get a possible bucking and or pinging. There's several things that could be the culprit. I'd suggest pulling all the plugs and reading them. After that you'll have a better idea of where the problem is, but it could be a bad spark plug wire to that cylinder, a clogged fuel injector, bad sparkplug or other things that get more and more significant.
-If you're running a stock 351 with stock intake, heads, cam etc the stock injectors are likely fine, but if you have a better intake, good heads and or a cam the stock injectors are most likely not providing enough fuel. It's not the best way to do it, but swapping the stock 19s to 24lb injectors will give you more fuel in this case. If you go that route be sure to pull and read your plugs often in the beginning to make sure you're not giving it WAY too much fuel.
-After all that though... the first thing I would check in that area is to be sure your spark plug wires aren't arcing on anything. I once drove around for several hours with a popping noise I immediately thought was an exhaust leak (I had changed my headers the day before). When I finally popped the hood to look, my wire had come off the plug and was arching on the header.
-If it is predetonation you can try unplugging one injector at a time then test drive it to see if the ping goes away.