Hi guys! So I have a question? I got this 302 that came out of 1998 Ford explorer it is the engine that has gt40p heads with roller cam, I want to use this engine for my 77 F100 and I want to carburate, how hard would that be besides swapping intake and carburetor, what else will I be needing to complete this swap?

 

A distributor the one on that engine is controlled by the computer. And you will need the right gear on the bottom of it, they are different metals with a roller cam.

Dan

 

If you're going to a parts store or a junkyard, the distributor from a 1985 Mustang GT with 5-speed manual transmission would be correct (it was the last year that was carbureted and has the old-style vacuum advance, and was also the first year they used a roller cam with the steel distributor gear). That's the only model year/application that would be correct from the factory, I believe. If you look at places like Summit, etc. though, they'll list distributors with either steel or cast iron gears - for a roller-cam engine, it needs to be the steel one.


Other than that, if the timing cover doesn't have a place for a mechanical fuel pump and you're not using an external electric one, you may need to swap that (and install the cam eccentric), but that would be about it.

 

How do I know which one I need to get when it comes to the right distributor gear?

 

BKAUL answered it in the post before this one roller-cam = steal gear.

Dan

 

This is a pretty straight forward swap, the guys above covered it pretty well.. One thing I noticed was the complete difference in the exhaust note but it wasn't a bad thing..

Good luck

 

FYI as I understand it GT40P heads require specific headers due to the revised plug angles.

 

Thank you very much for all the info bkaul! Now another question😆 what about the harmonic balancer I will still be using the same V-belt style and I heard that the harmonic balancer from the old engine will not work with the new one, is this true? And if it is do you know which vehicle has the right one for me to get or if I have to get a new one from summit? Again thank you.

 

No problem.


Up until 1981, all the Ford Windsor engines (289/302/351) were 28-oz imbalance. In 1981, that changed to a 50-oz imbalance for the 302 (but not the 351). So you'll need both a harmonic balancer and a flywheel/flexplate that are imbalanced properly for your engine: anything from 1981 on up should work, from that perspective. If the Explorer pull-out still has the balancer on it, just keep it. The crank pulley bolts to the front of the harmonic balancer with the same bolt pattern for the old and new setups, so you should be able to use a newer balancer with your existing pulley.


The other variable that comes into play on the flywheel/flexplate is the size, which is rated by number of teeth (e.g. 157 vs 164). This will need to be correct for your transmission (really, for your bell housing), or else the starter won't engage. You can get new flexplates/flywheels with any of the combinations of imbalance/tooth count, so just match the imbalance to the engine and the tooth count to the transmission. You'll also, of course, need the correct starter for the transmission/flexplate size, but if you're not swapping transmissions, your existing one will work.

 

This link may be helpful for flexplate identification:
Ford Flywheels and Flexplates

 

Interesting! See I swap the old c4 transmission that I had and I put an entire set up from a late 80s lincon Mark 7, I used all of It flywheel, engine spacer starter all of it, so now I have over drive on the truck, the harmonic balancer that came with the explorer engine is a solid one piece serpentine style one, would I be able to mount a v belt style pulley on that harmonic balancer?

 

Late '80s Mark 7 ... would that be the AOD or the AODE (latter has electronic controls)? Be sure you get your throttle valve setup adjusted correctly for the AOD. I'm about to swap one of those into my '74 F-100 myself - just ordered the parts this week.


I didn't realize Ford had ever switched to an integrated, 1-piece balancer/pulley combo on the 5.0. Not sure what model year they made that change; I know the FOX-chassis Mustangs (up through '93) used the two-piece setup, so you could look for one for an '81-'93 5.0 Mustang and your pulley would bolt onto it. Ford trucks from '81 through I'm guessing the mid-'90s would be right, too, of course. I don't have a comprehensive cross-reference list to check - maybe one of the numbers guys around can help you out if you have trouble there.

 

It was an mechanical aod I used the kick down carburetor linkage out of a F150 that was carburate I also use the shifter mechanism of the same truck, I had to do a lot of modifications but I made work and it works like a charm, anyway I will get the balancer out of a mustang or a Lincoln 5.0, I already have a nice MSD distributor so I will try to find the steel gear for the distributor I have, so to recap! it looks like I'm going to need an electric fuel pump, since the engine doesn't have that spot anymore for the mechanical one, harmonic balancer and that steel gear for the distributor and that should be it to complete the swap, again thank you for your help I'm on track now on what I need to complete this swap.

 

Yeah. You could swap timing covers and install the eccentric on the cam to support a mechanical fuel pump, but adding an electric one might be simpler. Hope all goes well!

 

So I already acquire the parts that I was missing in order to complete the swap, I bought a new steel distributor gear and a Edelbrock 7 psi electronic fuel pump, I'm even going to used the serpentine belt set up out of the explorer thanks to a very nice article I read from this website http://classicbroncos.com/tech/explorer-5-0-serpentine-accessory-drive-belt-conversion, now the only thing that I'm not sure is if the oil pan and oil filter extension on the explorer 302 will clear the cross member on my F100, does anyone have any idea if those two things will clear or if I have to swap the oil pan from the old engine to the new one and remove that oil filter extension?