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I am about to rebuild my 85 F150s 302. Its EFI and I'm looking for suggestions, i have a budget of about $1500 I'm not looking for crazy horsepower but a little extra would be nice.. more reliable than power. Any suggestions on parts or a list would be greatly appreciated!
Rebuild it to the '87+ spec with 9:1 compression(flattop pistons not dished) and the better E7TE or GT40 heads, and upgrade the cam to something closer to the '94+ stock roller cam. There are several EFI friendly grinds out there now including the Comp Cams 31-255-5 which retains the old firing order used in your truck.
Heads freshened up = 260.00
Crank polished = 75.00
Hone about = 150.00
cam bearings install = 75.00
If you haven't already grab a Haynes manual.
On a engine that old, you will be lucky to get by with just a hone on the bores. That engine will more than likely need bored and new pistons. But it needs to be checked out by the machine shop.
I should have clarified a little I didn’t really think about it but the motor is only 3 years old.. the original seized up and I bought a long block from Orileys and just swapped all the good parts from the old motor.
Full size f150 pickup with a little 302 engine and oversize tires. A classic combination for no get up and go. What gearing do you have in the rearends? A gear change would probably do you more good than anything. It will be difficult to modify the fuel injected 302 to add any appreciable power that will do you any good. A gear change with those large tires will give you a noticeable increase in the acceleration of your truck.
I’m not looking for power necessarily. I already plan on regearing the rear end and I know I will get more power that way so I’m more looking for a good quality build that I know is going to be dependable and last throughout the years.
I’m not looking for power necessarily. I already plan on regearing the rear end and I know I will get more power that way so I’m more looking for a good quality build that I know is going to be dependable and last throughout the years.
Is there something wrong with the engine? You said it's only 3 years old? It should have a lot more life left in it.
I'm with Franklin what are you rebuilding an engine that is only 3 years old unless you drive like 100K miles a year. If engine is still ok I would put my $1500 into other things. As mentioned above better heads and cam and exhaust system, gears and so on.
I don't understand the point of going through a nearly brand new engine if there is no problem and you don't want more power. What do you hope to gain?
personally I wouldn't waste a penny on a 302. I would do a 460, but for a drop in gain get a 351w and build that. Aftermarket heads, not worth porting small block iron since aftermarket is so cheap. Comp XE cam suited for how you intend to use the truck and the heads. Straight up double roller, Stealth or Performer RPM, Holley 4150 650 CFM, long tubes.
I wouldn't waste money on gears. Changing to lower ratio gears is a crutch for a lack of power that just decreases MPG and increases wear on the engine. Unless you tow heavy (you don't with a F-150) it's just silly. Gears can make sense for truly large tires and primarily off road use, but unless you're running an NP205 low range should be good enough unless you're rock crawling.
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302 Build Suggestions??
