I was told I meed the MAF and a CAI of course, along with a new CPU chip, and a new harness.
This was the quick answer my buddy gave. He also offered to sell me everything he has for it, along with a throttle body. He has everything I mentioned except the harness.
Does that sound about right?
My opinion on your friend's offer, not knowing exactly what he has of course....
MAF, you need one, but the stock Fox MAF is junk. No value there if he is offering a stock Fox MAF.
The SN95 style MAF is much better and easy to swap into a Fox.
CAI... They are the same between SD and MAF, except the SD setups usually come with a spacer tube to go in place of the MAF. If you have an SD CAI with this tube, you can just swap the MAF into it's place.
Harness: If you know how to insert new wires into the ECM plug and can follow a diagram, then all you need is a pigtail harness. RJM has them for 30-40 bux if memory serves. RJM is your friend if you want a wide selection of harness parts/adapters to mod your car.
ECM: You don't need a "chip", you need to replace your SD ECM with a MAF ECM.
If you buddy has a good A9L, then it's worth about 100 bux. You can buy them reconditioned from Adavance or AZ for about that. If it is not an A9L equivalent, you should hold out for the A9L or equivalent. They have the best tuning. So it all depends on exactly which ECM he is offering to know if there is any value there.
There is no difference in TBs between SD and MAF. So if he is offering a STOCK TB, no value there.
If he is offering an aftermarket TB, there might be a little value there. Also a properly modded Explorer 65mm TB would have some slight value, however they are very easily aquired, inexpensive, and easy to convert to Fox use.
So, if he has a pile of stock leftovers, he doesn't offer much value other than just getting you driving.
If he has the right parts, it could be a good thing, but you have to know what you are getting.