i have an 88 302 out of a f150 im planning to rebuild and install in my 89 f150 4x4. i dont wat to go crazy id really like to keep the cost down i plan on having the block honed by a pro and i like the things i hear about the gt 40 heads i dont know if my block is a roller or flat tappet so im having a hard time to choose a cam im looking for a strong motor with a little more tourque emissions is not an issue for me either. the truck is a plow truck nothing extreme but i do work the truck and wheel a little in the summer a friend mentioned a rv cam too im not sure what that is cant find any info on it either. so in all im looking for some good advice and pleanty of options. open to all criticism and ideas thanks in advance.

 

We have been over this a million times but the bottom line is all you really need to do is upgrade the cam and you'll see significant power gains across the board, the stock cam in these old motor is hughly restrictive.. I cannot overstate this enough. Options include the Comp 31-255-5 for a flat tappet build or the Comp 35-512-8 for a roller build.. both will cooperate with the stock truck EFI system. Your block should also be roller ready meaning it will accept the factory roller cam assembly without any additional work... though on early truck blocks the spider mounting pedistals(in the middle of the lifter valley) were sometimes left undrilled but that is easily done when the block is getting all the other machine work done. Installing a roller cam will be more expensive simply because the cams cost more but they do perform better and also drastically lower internal friction. They're also more expensive because extra parts are needed but these can be sourced from a salvage yard engine or from the local classifieds pretty cheap, no need to buy all new if you don't want to. Those extra and roller unique parts are the lifters, pushrods, spider and dogbones, pushrods are shorter than those used for a flat tappet cam because the lifters are taller.
Otherwise be sure to get rid of the stock manifolds and Y-pipe/cat and substitute longtubes or at least shorties and an aftermarket Y, the stock exhaust is the second most restrictive section of the powertrain.

 

Just FYI: Although his block is a roller block, the lifter valley bosses for the hold down bolts may not be drilled and tapped. Nor may they be fully formed. I have seen at least one 88-89 block like this. The bosses that were there were only about a 1/4" high x 3/8" dia. Not large enough to drill and tap the holes. For that reason, it was sent to the truck line where it recieved a flat tappet cam. Check the bosses first before deciding or ordering a cam.

 

ok thats good info i like to hear thanks guys if its possible ill go roller it deffinately is the better way to be i didnt know it was that simple. exhaust is on the list for sure as far as intakes go what would u recomend something i could salvage from a yard is prefered for now but if there are affordable solutions id love to get ure opinions there too. thanks again guys. its ooking like im gonna have to start really moving on this too because my truck is really startin to throw a fit oil pressure is low its cutting out and ticking bad so the sooner i get this motor built the sooner i can swap em

 

don't buy anything until you have the block, crank, and heads checked by a machine shop..

 

oh deffinately i dont wanna spend money and not have a good foundation. im just trying to get my ducks in a row lol and see what the opinions are on some of the stuff out there. whats better then what i already have and all that