I'm new to this board, so please forgive any missteps I may make!

I have an '87 302 Bronco (EEC-IV controls and fuel injection) that I finally lost with over 230,000 miles on it. Would have gotten many more, except for the aftereffects of a failed (closed) fuel pressure regulator valve, followed by a broken and spun harmonic balancer. I was able to repair the keyway and keep going, but the burned valve that followed was the last straw. It is out and on my stand.

My questions are: Would an older carbureted 302 go in it's place easily? What controls would have to be disabled? Would it bolt up to the existing aod transmission, and will it shift? Could I just eliminate the high pressure fuel pump and put an aftermarket electric pump in it's place? What other stumbling blocks are there to this?

We love our Bronco and need to get it back on the road cheaply before this winter so I can use it to work and back. My other option is to buy a long-block and swap everything over, but I'm a little nervous about that because I would also need to replace (or at least get tested) the injectors because they saw full pump pressure during the stuck valve problem (120psi) and they are old anyhow. he controls on this truck always worked good, but I wonder if I should even be using them. Emissions testing is not an issue, and since I do all my own work, simpler is better (as in my other car - 1966 Impala...)!!

Thanks for any thoughts/tech advice you have for me!!!

ps. what about swapping a 351 in here instead - any differences?

 

Or, after thinking about it some more...would it not be far easier to swap all the existing fuel injection and controls onto the older block?