I have a 89' F-150 302 5 speed eith 145,000 on it and getting weak. I run 31" and winter time i run 33" with 3.55 gears. I use it just for hunting i tow a trailer with 3 4 wheelers and towing my tractor so most of time i am pulling about 3000 to 5000 lbs. I am going to build the 302 this summer. I am looking to spend about $2000 on it what should i do to it i looked at a stroker kit what do i need to do to it what do yall think i would like to keep getting about 10 mpg cuz when we hunt its about 130 miles round trip.
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G
Before you can even think about putting that stroker kit in you`ll have to convert first to MASS-AIR which unless you can find a wrecked stang really cheap, i doubt you can do any serious performance mods for $2k...
Swap in a good used 351W or 460 
, but if you want to stick with a 5.0 build for around 2k, I would have it bored 030" over(as you probably have tapered cylinder walls w/145K),get Hypereutectic Pistons, a speed density compatible mild tow/midrange torque cam such as Comp-cams #31-255-5, good valve job on the heads and have some porting work done to the exhaust side (if you cant find a set of GT40 heads for a reasonable price- i haven`t been able to), intake ports will be satisfactory for your needs and sticking with the stock injection, also a good flowing exhaust system will definitly be a plus.
I machined my heads for the larger GT40 valves and installed HD high nickel content exhaust seats and a special radius cut on the seats that opened the seat I.Ds by .100". But this can be tricky with stock 5.0 heads as theres not much material to play with so i really wouldn`t recommend it to others. A MSD coil and a K&N filter should help a little and for a reasonable $$$. A MSD box would be nice but would push it over your budget.
Its pretty hard to make a serious improvement to the speed density 5.0 in a heavy truck and keep it affordable and keep the EECU from going bonkers , you could maybe get more power from it with a carburated build up for a reasonable price but i wouldn`t bother. Listed above is basically what i did with my engine(except i used a crane ignition system) and im very pleased with the outcome.
Anything much more than that and a mass-air setup will be required.
good luck...
, but if you want to stick with a 5.0 build for around 2k, I would have it bored 030" over(as you probably have tapered cylinder walls w/145K),get Hypereutectic Pistons, a speed density compatible mild tow/midrange torque cam such as Comp-cams #31-255-5, good valve job on the heads and have some porting work done to the exhaust side (if you cant find a set of GT40 heads for a reasonable price- i haven`t been able to), intake ports will be satisfactory for your needs and sticking with the stock injection, also a good flowing exhaust system will definitly be a plus. I machined my heads for the larger GT40 valves and installed HD high nickel content exhaust seats and a special radius cut on the seats that opened the seat I.Ds by .100". But this can be tricky with stock 5.0 heads as theres not much material to play with so i really wouldn`t recommend it to others. A MSD coil and a K&N filter should help a little and for a reasonable $$$. A MSD box would be nice but would push it over your budget.
Its pretty hard to make a serious improvement to the speed density 5.0 in a heavy truck and keep it affordable and keep the EECU from going bonkers , you could maybe get more power from it with a carburated build up for a reasonable price but i wouldn`t bother. Listed above is basically what i did with my engine(except i used a crane ignition system) and im very pleased with the outcome.
Anything much more than that and a mass-air setup will be required.
good luck...
5.0L
That engine is plenty strong to pull 5000 lb BONE STOCK, and a helluvalot easier to find parts & get service for that way. Spend $1000 rebuilding it stock, and save the other grand for next time. My 4.9L will pull more than double that, even at ITS age (somewhere around 200Kmi).
stevebyars@onebox.com
That engine is plenty strong to pull 5000 lb BONE STOCK, and a helluvalot easier to find parts & get service for that way. Spend $1000 rebuilding it stock, and save the other grand for next time. My 4.9L will pull more than double that, even at ITS age (somewhere around 200Kmi).
stevebyars@onebox.com
G
Re: 5.0L
Oh it will pull a lot more than that but when we are hunting we run about 65 to 75 mph and its hard to keep up with the z71 on the hills and they pulling same load
Oh it will pull a lot more than that but when we are hunting we run about 65 to 75 mph and its hard to keep up with the z71 on the hills and they pulling same load
Find yourself a wrecked truck and pull the complete 351 from it. Get the computer and the wiring harness. Or you could rebuild the 302 and swap in some lower gears...
Havack!
http://home.midsouth.rr.com/broncodata
Havack!
http://home.midsouth.rr.com/broncodata
not really, just the engine and computer probably, i think everything else is about the same for both. should be a damn easy swap compared to most. i think it's a good idea too. one of my friends used to have an 87 bronco with the 302 and he said it was night and day difference between driving his truck and driving mine on the highway. He said when doing 70 if he pushed the gas in his truck it just laughed at him, but in mine it actually accelerated. I drove his a couple times and i saw what he was talking about, it did run out of steam on steeper hills on the highway. I like that ol bronco though, it's the only reason I got mine... solid black and looked sweet on 32s and had a turning radius like no other, i was sold.
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the cam i mentioned will only offer a *slight* improvement and probably not worth the $$$ unless your stock cam is worn and needs replacement anyways(such as mine was) but your correct, without mass-air you cant put in an even moderate cam. That Comp cam is a mild cam and is designed to stay within the speed densitys ECU parameters.
I think Crane Cams offers a roller conversion cam for the speed density 5.0s which might offer a little more performance but dont know if its enough to justify the cost.
Im pleased with the improvement all this had done to my motor and i get decent gas mileage(and feel confident enough to take on a stock 351 /wwwthreads_images/icons/laugh.gif), but like i said before, 351W, 460 or a mass-air setup are the only way your gonna get a substantial improvement.
I think Crane Cams offers a roller conversion cam for the speed density 5.0s which might offer a little more performance but dont know if its enough to justify the cost.
Im pleased with the improvement all this had done to my motor and i get decent gas mileage(and feel confident enough to take on a stock 351 /wwwthreads_images/icons/laugh.gif), but like i said before, 351W, 460 or a mass-air setup are the only way your gonna get a substantial improvement.
G
Variables
There are way too many generic sentences flying around here, including what I'm gonna suggest.
You can upgrade your cam in a speed density system, you can't go too extreme in duration, or lobe center angle (the real culprit). If you want to spend 2000 dollars and keep up with a 350 Z71, here's the option list I would think about pursuing:
1) Follow Steve's advice - basic 302 rebuild, and maybe a "computer friendly" cam grind. I think Comp Cams advertises something with a better than stock duration, with a higher lift.Don't get all crazy machining the thing if it doesn't need it (i.e. boring it out .030" just to say you have a 306). machining alone will eat up most of your budget, let alone buying parts. Your stock truck heads are as good as cast iron GT-40's for what you want. Just clean them up in the ports.
2) With the money saved on the rebuild, look into the purchase of a set of 4.10's for the axles.
Even this simple setup will set you back almost double what you want to pay.
If the engine doesn't burn oil or knock, get the axles upgraded first.
There are way too many generic sentences flying around here, including what I'm gonna suggest.
You can upgrade your cam in a speed density system, you can't go too extreme in duration, or lobe center angle (the real culprit). If you want to spend 2000 dollars and keep up with a 350 Z71, here's the option list I would think about pursuing:
1) Follow Steve's advice - basic 302 rebuild, and maybe a "computer friendly" cam grind. I think Comp Cams advertises something with a better than stock duration, with a higher lift.Don't get all crazy machining the thing if it doesn't need it (i.e. boring it out .030" just to say you have a 306). machining alone will eat up most of your budget, let alone buying parts. Your stock truck heads are as good as cast iron GT-40's for what you want. Just clean them up in the ports.
2) With the money saved on the rebuild, look into the purchase of a set of 4.10's for the axles.
Even this simple setup will set you back almost double what you want to pay.
If the engine doesn't burn oil or knock, get the axles upgraded first.
Re: Variables
Ron-bo, I totally agree with you , but i NEVER suggested he bore it to 030" just to claim that extra 4 cubic inches, only that my experience 20 years in engine rebuild shops, 5.0s, especially in trucks really wear the cylinders out faster than some of the other ford engine models and im pretty sure if you mic his cylinders with 147K, they most likely will need to be bored or take the risk of blowby, oil consumption, plug fouling and a big waste of time. Even my 5.0 at 110K, everything in the lower end was trash.
Ron-bo, I totally agree with you , but i NEVER suggested he bore it to 030" just to claim that extra 4 cubic inches, only that my experience 20 years in engine rebuild shops, 5.0s, especially in trucks really wear the cylinders out faster than some of the other ford engine models and im pretty sure if you mic his cylinders with 147K, they most likely will need to be bored or take the risk of blowby, oil consumption, plug fouling and a big waste of time. Even my 5.0 at 110K, everything in the lower end was trash.
good swap but why the carb? like the 351, if you went EFI 460 most of the stuff is the same (sensor wires etc... look at the haynes schematics for the differences) BUT you'll need a big block tranny, so that will add some cost, but if you were resourceful you could probably find a 460/tranny combo for around 2 grand in good shape. Really, that is probably more engine than you need and could be a pain to get all the details right. I like the gear swap idea along with some tweaking (k&n, headers, MSD coil/box, bigger plug gaps, cold ram air intake, etc).
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Non-roller.
btw, is your truck a 4X2 or 4X4?
If its a 4X2 go with the gears as had been suggested if the rebuild dont eat all that 2k up. Dont know about in other parts, but down here, 2 gear swaps wouldn`t leave anything for an engine rebuild, thats the only reason i hadn`t mentioned it. Your highway mileage may suffer though.
btw, is your truck a 4X2 or 4X4?
If its a 4X2 go with the gears as had been suggested if the rebuild dont eat all that 2k up. Dont know about in other parts, but down here, 2 gear swaps wouldn`t leave anything for an engine rebuild, thats the only reason i hadn`t mentioned it. Your highway mileage may suffer though.
G
Mania - I wasn't hammering you, but I was warning against the desire to do un necessary stuff. People read the magazines, and start getting worked up over the smallest things (i.e. "Engine boring comparo, Chevy vs Dodge vs Ford and why leaving the least amount of wall gets a bazzillion horsepower").
I agree that the 302 is tired. Every one I did always seemed to have #1, #3, and #5 mains worn the most, especially #3, almost like the crank was bowed.
I'm just saying he can probably do a simple rebuild, and honing to save money to put down on a gear swap. If the bores are too out of round, then go for the machining needed to get it right.
I agree that the 302 is tired. Every one I did always seemed to have #1, #3, and #5 mains worn the most, especially #3, almost like the crank was bowed.
I'm just saying he can probably do a simple rebuild, and honing to save money to put down on a gear swap. If the bores are too out of round, then go for the machining needed to get it right.
G
I agree with Ron-Bo, a little engine rebuild, then a set of 3.73 gear's. If he wanted to really keep up with him, he shoud just swap in a EFI 351 and be done with it. But that is also more work than the first metioned thing. It is up to what you want to spend, and how much time you want to take doing it. You should have both options quoted, then it would make a better based decision. Good Luck!
1989 F-250 351W AOD BW13-45 4:10
1989 F-250 351W AOD BW13-45 4:10
G
LOL dont know what to do now think of just getting a 3/4 ton 4x4 with 460 r diesel what was the last year for 460?
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