Hi guys.

Looking to buid my Ford E150 1989 5.0 EFI engine. Head gasket is leaking so i have to take heads of either way. I also have E40D tranission so i kind of have to stay with efi. Rear end is 3.55.
Problem is that i want more power out of the van. It is pretty slow for what i like it to be.
My EFI is doing good as far as mpg, also i have dealt with all check engine problems. Oil pressure is low so i kind of need to rebuild bottom end too.

So the real question is what can i do with it to get more juice from the engine but staying with efi. I want for some time to delete smog pump and egr, also get rid of ac. Any help to do it correctly ?

Also looking for some roller cam from compcams or lunati. Problem is that i cant find roller cam with solid roller lifters, there is only hidroulic ones, can i use solid roller lifters with hidraulic roller cam ? Curently have stock flat tappet cam. Block is roller block i just have to retrofit it to get the roller cam in. Also crankshaft and piston choice for the build? I believe stroker is not an option if stay with efi ? I have e7 heads and stock efi intake. What intake options do i have? Heads ?

Thanks for opinions and advice.

 

Without increasing displacement, your best upgrade would be going to a 4.10 rear end. Going to a 5.8 would be the best engine upgrade, followed by a stroker 302, and either of these would give you a good bump but would still likely benefit from a rear end gear swap, IMO. I think most would echo this as it is pretty generic, but we would need more information on how you are using the van to go much further.

Why do you want solid roller lifters, if I might ask? I do believe you can use solid rollers on a hydraulic cam, yes, but not the other way around.

Did you mean to say that your block is *not* a roller block?

The stock EFI isn't going to like much beyond a *very* mild cam upgrade on a stock-ish build. You may be able to get a different control unit for the transmission to separate it, though.

 

Thanks for your reply.

I am using van as a daily driver. Half of the year it is loaded pretty good , other half it is emty almist.

I have roller block but it has flat tappet cam. I red that solid roller lifters are more stronger and problem free. I want to go roller cam and roller lifters and roller rockers(already have them).

Rear end is an option but i have to rebuild engine anyway. I would like to stroke engine a little bit, what is the smalest stroker kit for 302 ? Will it live with efi ?
351 has to have too much changes, from the other hand i could use 351 ecu. Bit here were i am there is not wery available 351 blocks.

What is stock 302 efi rated as far as hp, torque and 351 same year also with efi ?

 

I think the 302 was 185 hp and the 351 was 205 hp but I haven't seen those figures on paper in years. You can find it quick with google I'm sure. Regardless I don't recall it being over a 20 hp difference on paper but comparing these peak figures tells you very little in themselves. There is no comparing the 2 engines in a heavier vehicle like this.

You should reconsider hydraulic rollers, in my opinion. You shouldn't have any issues with them on a daily. What do you have for roller rockers? I would consider sending them back if they do not have needle bearing fulcrum. The roller tip only rocker itself is a joke and will gain you absolutely nothing...it puts a roller in the smallest friction area in the entire engine. A freer moving fulcrum is money better spent but it is up to you if it is worth it for a daily driver.

The stock 302 ecu isn't going to cut it with a big displacement bump you would get from a stroker. Finding a 351 with the correct ecu would be the best option without planning for a tune or going to a carb.

 

I found that 302 was about 150 hp and 351 about 210 so that is pretty big difference.

If i decide to go with 351 do i have to change the bellhousing or anything between my 302 and e4od ?

I know that i have to change balancer, also oil pickup can be an issue because of the crosmember in econoline.

Also is it theoretically possible to use 351 ecu on stroked 302, for example 347 ?

I am in europe so i have very limited options on used american car parts such as 351 blocks and itakes and so on.

 

The heads would be your biggest bottle neck. if you are looking for a boost in performance you can always drop on a set of aftermarket heads that are emission compatible such as the AFR Renegade 165cc heads there is a version with emission setups and uses non adjustable pedestal mount rockers.

Cam wise I couldn't make a recommendation as none of my vehicles are fuel injection, but I did purchase the Crane Truckmax cam for the 306 I am building for my truck. I didn't want too crazy of a cam but I wanted something more than stock this here is like a RV/towing cam is the way I understand it.

For me my '82 302 was rated at 135hp while my 351W in my '78 Mercury was rated at almost 150hp. My goal for my 306 build was 300hp but I think I have a good chance at seeing more than 300hp with the parts I am running. But I am also building a whole new engine to replace my old one. You would be more limited as you are just looking for small upgrades here and there. So heads and cam would be your best bet but on the cam its better to side more on the smaller side when it comes to fuel injection.

 

The 302 and 351 are the same pattern. I don't think you'd need to change anything in the area of mating with the tranny. Others know more than me on this though.

If you are considering the 351 the best bet is to locate a full engine taken from a van like yours.

 

Bellhousings should be the same, the difference is the drive belt system, the 289/302 use one style and the 351W uses a different style and because of the taller deck the 302 style belt system he has wont bolt up to a 351W so he would have to get a 351W system.

 

Does those afr heads bolt up on lower intake, or it should be ported to match ?
I could build a whole new engine 302 because i have one donor engine from 88 econoline. Thing is it is pretty bad shape. I dont know how much efi and stock ecu can handle as far as heads cam and maybe a stroker. Maybe 351 is not a bad idea. But thee is different headers intake plenum and acccesory system, belhousing. So i kind of struggle here

 

They should, the intake and exhaust ports on the AFR heads are located at the standard location.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/afr-1472

They are also emission compliant so you can retain emission systems to keep your computer system working properly. As far as air flow goes, the 165cc heads are considered by AFR to be stock replacement style heads but they do flow more air.

Cam wise you would be best to look at Crane for example and look at their roller cams they have ones that state in the description if they will or will not work with a stock ECU.

Honestly for a driver I don't see the point in spending extra money to convert to a 351W. Its why I settled on a 306 as my truck is a driver I wanted to squeeze as much as I could out of this build but my goal has always been 300 hp but would be happy with 200 - 250 hp as it would still be considerably more than the engine coming out which is rated at 135hp. Blueprint offers a 306 crate engine with similar specs as mine just with 0.5:1 more compression than I probably will end up having and the cam is a bit bigger but they still rate it at over 375 hp. For your application for a driver if you can swing the cost of the AFR heads the 165cc port AFR`s seem to be quite universally accepted as the best street heads for a small 289/302 engine. One thing to keep in mind though I would look at a cam first that you want to go with then see what spring the cam manufacturer recommends and see how the supplied AFR spring stacks up. Mine I had to spend extra money to get valve springs swapped and to upgrade to 7/16" rocker arm studs.

 

Forget doing aftermarket heads and such, the stock EFI system in your truck will not handle it. But you don't need any of that to get lots more HP than stock, just a cam and a better flowing exhaust system. Your motor should be roller cam ready which means a factory spider and dogbones retainer and roller lifters will bolt right in, no retrofit parts necessary. I sourced these parts from a scrapyard to do a roller cam swap on my '90 5.0 truck motor. And you need hydraulic roller lifters not solid lifters.. you don't put those in a daily driver.
This Crane truck power roller cam would be a good option https://www.summitracing.com/int/par...view/make/ford

 

Rusty what are you going to end up with for rear end gears, etc.? He has an OD trans and 3.55.

 

Thanks for your reply. I already have shorty headers that fit my block just need to decide all exaust system for them, true duallys, bigger exaust and so.
As far as cam goes i already thought about just switching cam for more hp and torque, is that crane cam is the best i can get to live with my efi ? I have roller block but as far as my 88 donor block look like it still needs the holes to be drilled to accept roller cam. How much a better cam, roller lifters and rockers with bigger headers could bring me hp, torque wise ?

 

Also for the bootom end. If i stay with stock crank, what pistons should i get to more power ? I asume i have to rering them anyway because of the low oil pressure i have.
Will ported stock e7 heads will increase hp torque alot ? Right now i have a compression of about 130 at best cylinder, how far can i go with that to run regular gas? Also i am running mostly on propane/butane mix right now. Using regular gas to warm up the engine. Thanks for any input

 

Also i get confused di i have H.O block or regular 302 ? Some cams are mentioning that that they are designed for ho some tgat non roller block. How to know for sure ?