So, the f250 has already been swapped over to a carb setup. What are some good mods I could do to the 302 to give it a little more power? its higher mileage so I cant do a whole lot. Some things I've been considering was a new intake manifold, and headers back exhaust. I was wondering if the headers/intake for a 302 would fit a 351W, because that's what I have in storage that I plan to put in the truck.


Currently is got a posi rear end, I'm not sure what ratio. Only other mod is that its got a 1406 carb.


This truck was an original 1990 EFI with a 302 rear end. Im looking mostly for low end power I need to be able to tow 5-7k with it.

 

Headers yes. Intake, no.

 

Ouch.. well you're not going to get a lot of that from a 302, longtube headers and a single 2.5" exhaust will maximize low rpm output but a 351 would still make it look like a 90lb weakling.

 

A 5.0 can feel like it has low end torque in a lighter vehicle like a Fox body or even a F150.

But it will never feel like a 460 or diesel in a heavier vehicle like a F250, much less with the weight you want to move. Get too far behind the power curve on the 5.0 and you won't ever gain any speed.

If it is an auto trans, plan on manually holding it in a gear a little longer than the trans wants to. The jump to the next gear can be too much of a RPM drop to over come with rather little torque, so you will want to over rev in a gear so when the trans shifts the RPMs fall inside of the power band, not below it.

The 5.0 needs to breath, it needs to spin, and it needs to stay cool.

Long tubes? Sure, you have plenty of room.

1.7 ratio rockers are an easy way to bolt on a 'bigger' cam.

Smart attention to the intake tract will help. Don't fall for gimmicky intake spacers etc. A washable oil filter may be an upgrade.

Don't put in either a racing or a hi-flow oil pump. (They are different.)

When you start to drive the truck like the engine needs to be driven, expect the water pump to start leaking. So, you may want to go ahead and order a double roller timing chain, front crankshaft seal and associated gaskets now.

 

is there a specific header I would need?


its a 5 speed manual long bed, im thinking I may go with just headers, and then a set of 2 1/4" duals.

 

Even shorties into the stock pipes with a gutted catalytic converter will be an improvement. Don't kill your budget chasing long tubes or a 1/4" bigger pipe size.

A larger single pipe is better money spent than duals if it is cheaper. Unless you have two catalytic converters, all 8 cylinders get funneled into the same pipe and one converter anyway. Then they split back into two pipes. Duals are for bragging rights and TV ads.