Hi, I'm looking for advice from those more experienced. I have a 1948 F1 pickup running a 302 with C4AT. The 302 (1970s) is rather weak. I'm interested in increasing the performance of the truck to a nice driver. I'm not looking for a racer...just would like more than the 140 HP it has. What's the most cost effective way to accomplish this? Any advice will be appreciated.

 

Well, you could get a basic rebuild on your engine and add a "RV" type camshaft, buy a summit racing 4bbl intake(pretty cheap) a summit racing 600cfm carb (pretty cheap also), a set of shorty headers and you should have a good boost in "pep". An even cheaper route would be just to add a 4bbl intake, carb, headers, and all new ignition parts for it the way it is now but I wouldn't do that if it has a lot of miles on it and its using oil and smoking or something. I bought a 89 lincoln towncar donor with a 302 and AOD trans I'm gonna use. the lincoln had a whopping 150 hp and 270 tq. stock so I'm going to rebuild it here in about a month, I bought some gt40p heads off of a 97 mercury mountaineer 302 for 200 bucks in great condition. These heads are said to be the best flowing "windsor" heads ford made. Even out flowed the 93 mustang cobra gt40 heads by just a little. I don't have a big budget so I figured this would be the best way to go with a "stockish" type build. I went to advanceautoparts.com and got some great deals cause they have sales all the time online. I bought my edelbrock 600 cfm carb, stealth weiand intake, distributor etc. from them. I have researched and with a stock type cam and a carb set up (with stock gt40p heads) you can make an easy 300 engine hp. I wanted an aggressive sounding camshaft but I would have had to have put a different torque converter in the trany so I didnt want any of that. I'm just going to take the gt40p heads I have to the machine shop with the 302 I have and tell them to do just a regular rebuild nothing fancy, I might get a new camshaft but nothing big. It's a roller camshaft so it can be reused if in good condition. I have a set of stock stainless steel headers off of a 87-93 mustang I bought for 20 bucks a long time ago at a flea market I'm gonna use on my engine. Oh yea plus you could put some less restrictive mufflers on it...or straight pipes
If you want any more info just PM me I've researched the crap out of making a 302 perform LOL

 

PS: there is also increasing the compression with different pistons, boring the engine, stroking the engine (in extreme expensive cases), shaving the heads to increase compression, porting and polishing the cylinder head ports etc etc etc lol

 

Reed has some good advice - I took a slightly different route. I have a 1950 F1 that came with a "tired" 1960's era mustang 289. I looked at the cost of a rebuild/upgrade on the 289 & for "just a little bit more" I opted to buy a 351W bottom end & bought the summit racing edelbrock top end - to deliver 400 hp. I then opted for a Level II AOD transmission to go behind it. It's a tough one cause for just a little bit more you can keep getting more & more performance & spending more & more money.

Another consideration is gas mileage - the higher gas goes the less enthusiastic I get about 400 HP.

Ben in Austin

 

thanks Reed and Ben...sounds like good advice. I was pretty sure that my issue is not a new one. I'm trying to not re-invent the wheel.

 

It really depends on what you want to from your truck. If it is street use then you are looking for more torque. The simplest way to do that is if you are going to rebuild the 302 slip in a stroker kit to a 347. Bigger cubes and more torque. You can use something like an aluminum RPM heads or such and they are available used now. I would upgrade to a later model intake for your use and rpm range.

Now comes the interesting part, the intake solution. Their are three choices. if you have a really old carb then the new style are a good alternative as they have been improved and upgraded. Next would be a throttle body fule injection like the Professional Products unit. Slightlly more complicated [6 wires] but it all bolts to where you carb was and does cost more than a new carb. The final choice is a complete EFI seup of either factory or aftermarket. This cost the most and is the most complicated.

One final thought is your transmission. As you raise the power level you need to make sure that the trans can handle it.

jim

 

Thanks jim...i appreciate the input

 

You should first vereify what year your engine is; the late-70's and early '80's 302's are real turds from many respects. 5.0's are cheap and easy to find and are much better candidates.

 

This is good info and I should have mentioned it also. The later 5.0s are a roller cam version which is a better deal and like he said they are cheap in any junk yard. Besides you can build it outside the truck while you are still driving your truck and that is what it is about.


jim

 

What year did the roller cam version start?

Never mind. I found the answer. 1994.

 

...they make roller cam kits for older blocks too, and if he wants a little more pep than stock he is looking at a cam anyways, so does it make much difference? 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of the other?

Cam, intake, head work, exhaust, ignition. Voila. You hit the nail on the head, no reason to re-invent the wheel. I hate to point you in a direction when you asked for ideas, but there are lots of books and mag articles that have dyno proven numbers to back what you want to do. My opinion as follows:

"RV" style cams are junk. Don't waste your money. If you want something that will give you a little more umph, get a better cam. Do some homework and realize what 90% of your driving is RPM wise. No sense in getting a high winding cam when you never see 5K. Same with the intake. As mentioned, Wieand Stealth is a stellar intake...that just happens to be cost effective.

The downfall of ALL SB Fords is breathing...in particular the heads. I personally opted for small chamber heads with some port and bowl work, but if you can ****** some GT40-P heads, go for it. Most of the time people will tell you about their build(s) and why it's better than this...my experiance is most stock Ford castings (not all) can be ported, milled, and shaved into a decent street head with plenty of HP. Heads are very important, so don't skimp. Prooven point, aluminum heads are bolt on HP, flow way better than Ford ever built for these, and can be found cheap. If you can find em, it is not a bad investment.

Your cam/intake and carb combo will all determine street manors. If you want something that idles at 1200 and is barely streetable, by all means get a huge cam, huge carb and have at it. Something with a decent lobe, around .480 lift...600CFM carb and you will love it.

 

How much HP gain can be had with the addition of roller rockers? Aren't they primarily more for high RPM power? What can I do to my 85 302 to get more low end power?

 

Roller rocker arms reduce friction and extend the life of the rocker...minimal if any HP is actually gained. You can experiment with different ratios of rocker arms (which has nothing to do with roller vs. non roller), which would change the profile of the cam, but I usually stick with 1:6, which is stock Ford.

It all depends on what has been done already, if anything. If you are running a stock 302, look at my above post, or any other post about hopping up a 302. They are easy to get 300-350 streetable ponies out of with minimal work. It all depends on where in the RPM range you want it, and how much you want.

An often overlooked system is the ignition system. Again, everyone has their own flavor and to each their own. I personally prefer Mallory Unilite distributors. The modules are cheap and last a long time when properly installed. The Blaster coil with some good 8mm wires, and your sparkin! I personally despise the HEI conversion dizzy...nothing worse than a Ford wearing Chevy parts.

I got my Unilite from Evilbay for $40, spent another $20 for a replacement module, and it still runs my truck perfect...so a good dizzy can be found on a tight budget. The Weiand Stealth intake is one of the better intakes for the buck...and I believe they weigh in at about $160...which isn't bad. If you replace the cam, get a cam kit that includes the lifters. Hydraulic lifters are much more streetable than solid lifters, but either honestly work. Hydraulic lifters will absorb some of the adjustment needs, meaning you don't have to adjust your valves on a monthly basis. If you replace the cam, I would also invest in a timing set...since you are already there. A double roller should keep things aligned, and can be found relatively cheap. It is cheap insurance IMO...just the same if I get into an engine I would rather pull the whole thing apart and inspect everything to make sure nothing is hiding. Replacing rod and main bearings takes about an hour and is a great idea. None of this is particularly hard, or difficult work, but smart work. The bottom half of a 302 is fairly stout, so no reason to get all crazy there. Just shore up a solid rotating assy. for years of trouble free enjoyment.

 

I don't have a problem with the HEI ignition. It's one of the best there is. I'll be using one so the electronics are done. I'm looking for more power from off idle to about 4K RPM. The engine is stock except for an Edelbrock 4bbl intake and a 600 CFM Holley.

 

If I had to it all over again...
Really, I swapped a 1985 Mustang EFI 5.0 into my 1982 Bronco some years ago.
I was REAL happy with the outcome.
I might suggest doing similar, rather than doing to much to your existing 302. I was lucky when I got mine (cheap). But look for a used motor with computer and the accesories needed. I was able to drop mine in, run a return line to the tank, added an electric fuel pump, and Street and Performance made me the wiring harness which was simplified for the Bronco. More options for the hearness now, but still seems liek a cheaper easier way to me. The driveability of the FI was REALLY nice!