Hi all,
I have been fighting my 4.2 losing coolant for a while now and I'm about ready to do something. I thought I would just pull it down and replace some gaskets, but after reading some of the posts, it sounds like that the bearings and/or rods might be bad as well. My truck is a 97 F-150 with 151,000 miles and has run hot on several ocasions due to low coolant. So I started thinking, will a 302 bolt in this truck? I know it would be a big project, but I have friends with extensive mechanical experience. The reason I thought about doing this, I have a 1970 F-100 with a 302 F.I. engine out of a 1986 mustang GT with the AOD attached. If I buy a stand-alone wiring harness and a donor engine, it should be no harder than it was for the 1970. Some of my questions are, will the motor mounts bolt up to the 302? Will the stock fuel pump for the v-6 be enough for the 302? Will the 302 bolt up to the stock aod in my truck? I know this sounds like a lot, but I can drive my old Ford whle I do this and it sounds like I would spend about the same amount doing this engine swap as I would replacing this V-6 that might very well give me more problems later on.
If any one has any comments or suggestions, please post them.