302 flywheel confusion

[mh822]

how do i identify a 302 flywheel? i bought a used 302 that was bolted to an automatic tranny. i took the flexplate to the junkyard and found a flywheel that matched it in diameter and bolt pattern and put it in my truck and now the starter doesn't hit the damn flywheel. i have another flywheel but don't know if its the right one either. the number on it is RF-EIZR6380-A2A.from what i understand the 302 is externally balanced and will shake itself apart w/ the wrong flywheel. can anyone help?

[TigerDan]

Hi and welcome to FTE! Please take a moment to check out the guidelines, they contain important info that you'll need when posting here.

There are a few things to be aware of when undertaking your search. Yes, the 302 is externally balanced, and there were two different imbalances used. All engines in the 90º-V family had a 28oz. imbalance up to 1981. At that time it was changed to 50oz. for the 302/5.0 but remained at 28oz. for the 351W/5.8 while keeping the same bolt pattern. So mixing the imbalance is not a good idea if you value your engine. The 300-6 used the same pattern as well but is a zero balance flywheel so it fits, but won't work balance-wise.
So, if your engine is pre-1981 you want a 28oz. imbalance, if '81 or newer you want 50oz.

There are several different diameters of flywheel as well. You need to count the number of teeth on the flywheel, the most common ones have a tooth count of 157 and 164. There was a smaller one, I think it was 147 that was used on the Mustang II with the 302. A bit rare as you can imagine. The bellhousing has to match the flywheel for size as well. If you use a 157-tooth flywheel in a bellhousing designed for a 164, the starter won't engage but will simply spin free. If the reverse, the Bendix will slam against the flywheel but not engage the teeth.

The number you give above identifies that flywheel as an '81, so it should be right on the changeover and should be 50oz. Make sure that it has a counterweight cast into the back for the imbalance. Here's a 50oz flywheel off of an '88 5.0:



Note the imbalance weight on the back. A 28oz. imbalance is about half that wide.

Now here's a pair of block plates side by side:



The one on the left is for that same 157 tooth '88 5.0 that the flywheel came off of. The one on the right is an older one for a 164-tooth flywheel belhousing.

Here's what they look like when they're overlayed and the block mounting bolt holes lined up:




You can clearly see the difference in the starter mounting location beteen the two.
Hope this all is of some little help to you. Please feel free to ask if you have any more questions.

NOTE: If anyone is having problems viewing the images due to slow loading, let me know and I'll change them to links.

[312]

you can also have the wrong end on your starter.a standard has a different end than the automatic.

[mh822]

tiger dan,if i was gay i'd ask you to marry me. your a genius!! i've been asking every so called ford guy the same question for so long i can't even remember when i started. this project has been put on the back burner time and time again over a stupid freaking flywheel.i obviously need to use the two 157 tooth 28 & 50 oz flywheels that i have for giant paper weights and get the right damn flywheel so i can put this truck back on the road. thanks a billion.

[TigerDan]

Whoa, hold on there big fella! Appreciation is one thing, but let's not get carried away...!

Hopefully, it all works out for you. Keep us posted!

[mh822]

sorry, i got excited. for the first time in years i see an end to my project. well wait, i doubt i'll ever see the end. but maybe i'll be driving soon

[Q 5.0L]

i have an 81 ford f150 with the 302....i also have a 1991 ford thunderbird sport with the 302 engine....im changing the tbird from automatic to manual, the tranny and everything else is great except im having 2 problems....the 91 tbird 5.0s didnt come stick, so the parts are hard to come by......i want to know if the flywheel from the 81 f150 will work with the 91 tbird??? i have 2 numbers from hollanders 57th interchange book for the flywheel....they are as followed E9SE-BC PART#846 and E9SE-CB PART#847 .....the last one is the flywheel for the 302 in the tbird, except its been discontinued. i believe the flywheel i need needs to be 13.3 in diameter, and 157 tooth?????

also in the tbird i need the high pressure plastic line that goes from the master cylinder to the slave cylinder...anyone know where to get it? ive tried everywhere....or maybe knows an alternative???

sorry i seem so lost about all this, ive been around cars my whole life and havent done anything like this yet, its my entrance project for Universal Technical Institute. If anyone has any answers or advice then please either reply to this post or email me at SpiralOfChaos420@aol.com anytime....thank you =] =] =]

[BaronVonAutomatc]

The flywheel may or may not work depending on the balance - I believe it changed in the middle of '81. Although - and hopefully someone can confirm this since I'm not 100%- as long as you change the harmonic balancer to the correct weight imbablance you can use either the 28 or 50 oz. imbalance flywheel on any engine. Right?

Which tranny are you installing? I'd suggest harvesting a Mustang for the conversion parts.

The size/teeth depends on what bellhousing you've got. Just go to Napa or whatever and get the correct one for your tranny donor vehicle.

[TigerDan]

Hi Q 5.0L and Welcome to the site!

As BVA suggested above, you can source most of the parts you need from a Mustang as the drivetrain was basically the same between the 'Stang and the 'Bird. Look for early '80s to mid '90s 5.0 Mustangs for parts, lots of them out there.

As for whther or not your F150 flywheel will work in the 'Bird, look first at the imbalance pad on the back of the flywheel and compare it to the pic below. Since '81 was right on the changeover, it could go either way:



On the left is the earlier 28oz. imbalance flywheel, on the right the later 50oz. If that checks out okay and you have a 50oz. flywheel, then check the tooth count. It should be 157 for a 5.0 Mustang T-5 which is what I presume you're using (you are using a World Class T-5, aren't you?) Provided it meets these two criteria, then you should be good to go, If not, then you'll need to find another flywheel.

Originally Posted by BaronVonAutomatc

...and hopefully someone can confirm this since I'm not 100%- as long as you change the harmonic balancer to the correct weight imbablance you can use either the 28 or 50 oz. imbalance flywheel on any engine. Right?

'Fraid not. The crankshafts are balanced differently so you must match flywheel and dampener imbalance to the correct crankshaft.

As for the plastic hydraulic line, the Mustang used a cable-operated clutch. What are you using for a pedal assembly in the T-bird that calls for a hydraulic clutch?

You may be able to source the line you need from a Ford Ranger, as they used a hydraulic clutch with the plastic line. When I installed a 5.0 in my Ranger, I converted the 5.0/T-5 to hydraulic clutch and used the stock Ranger M/C assembly with a Jeep Cherokee slave cylinder, and used various fittings from the local parts store to connect the Ranger plastic line to the Cherokee hard line.

Hope there's some help for you in all of this...