302 Build
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1st Gear
Joined: Mar 2023
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302 Build
Hey first time posting here
Recently bought a 1969 f100 with a 302. A bit of a messy motor so it's gonna come out for a refresh. While it's out I figure I could use a little extra spunk.
I'm looking for some budget minded N/A power upgrades I can do. Reliable street car/daily.
Thanks
Recently bought a 1969 f100 with a 302. A bit of a messy motor so it's gonna come out for a refresh. While it's out I figure I could use a little extra spunk.
I'm looking for some budget minded N/A power upgrades I can do. Reliable street car/daily.
Thanks
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 3,554
Likes: 442
Hey first time posting here
Recently bought a 1969 f100 with a 302. A bit of a messy motor so it's gonna come out for a refresh. While it's out I figure I could use a little extra spunk.
I'm looking for some budget minded N/A power upgrades I can do. Reliable street car/daily.
Thanks
Recently bought a 1969 f100 with a 302. A bit of a messy motor so it's gonna come out for a refresh. While it's out I figure I could use a little extra spunk.
I'm looking for some budget minded N/A power upgrades I can do. Reliable street car/daily.
Thanks
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 3,554
Likes: 442
Well you got me there. I'm sure someone will chime in.
Tuned
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 308
Likes: 27
From: Fallout Shelter
Hey first time posting here
Recently bought a 1969 f100 with a 302. A bit of a messy motor so it's gonna come out for a refresh. While it's out I figure I could use a little extra spunk.
I'm looking for some budget minded N/A power upgrades I can do. Reliable street car/daily.
Thanks
Recently bought a 1969 f100 with a 302. A bit of a messy motor so it's gonna come out for a refresh. While it's out I figure I could use a little extra spunk.
I'm looking for some budget minded N/A power upgrades I can do. Reliable street car/daily.
Thanks
Typical changes that work well together for daily driver would be a 4 barrel carburetor (500-600cfm), dual plane intake manifold, small diameter long tube headers, comp 252h or xe256 cam with springs or similar if staying with a flat tappet.
Other Things like a good quality timing set, good flowing mufflers (not necessarily loud), properly set up ignition/distributor, 3.25-3.50 rear gears (depending on tire size) are needed to complement the total package and will really wake that engine up and certainly give a little extra spunk.
The above works well with compression ratios between 8 to 1 and 9 to 1. Do not go to big on cam duration to get that “tough idle sound”. A roller cam conversion would be the most trouble free but the downside is the expense.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Nov 2022
Posts: 226
Likes: 83
From: South East Kansas
You should be able to build a reliable 200 plus horsepower engine out of your original engine. So if your desire is to have a cruiser, daily driver, or occasional driven truck the engine you have refreshed with new parts, should serve your needs.
I got a lot of work out of a mostly stock 302 In a 71 F-100, that I used for a work truck. My 302 out of a 68 Torino, was bored 30 over, with flat top pistons, and upgraded to electronic ignition, and a small holly carb, (can recall the CFM), dual exhaust.
I ran a stock cam, but i suppose a small cam, would help, as would headers, and a little port work, on the heads.
My guess would be that your stock engine will need bored and new pistons, and perhaps the crank turned.
My only reservation would be the flat tappet cam shaft. From what I have read there are some real problems with flat tappet cams these days, probably from the lack of zinc in engine oils.
Your engine can be modified to accept a roller cam, if that worries you.
Good luck with your project..
I got a lot of work out of a mostly stock 302 In a 71 F-100, that I used for a work truck. My 302 out of a 68 Torino, was bored 30 over, with flat top pistons, and upgraded to electronic ignition, and a small holly carb, (can recall the CFM), dual exhaust.
I ran a stock cam, but i suppose a small cam, would help, as would headers, and a little port work, on the heads.
My guess would be that your stock engine will need bored and new pistons, and perhaps the crank turned.
My only reservation would be the flat tappet cam shaft. From what I have read there are some real problems with flat tappet cams these days, probably from the lack of zinc in engine oils.
Your engine can be modified to accept a roller cam, if that worries you.
Good luck with your project..
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FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 31,930
Likes: 1,499
From: Ottawa, Ontario
+1 for finding a late model 5.0 to use, a '94+ truck motor has 9:1 CR with a factory roller cam and makes 210hp as is with potential for 260-270hp with a slight cam upgrade, an Explorer 5.0 has better heads, makes about 230hp as it is and has potential for over 300hp with a little more cam. The stock cam in both of these motors is a half decent RV roller grind that works just as well with a carb as it does with EFI, you have to strip either of these motors to the bare longblock to use it in your truck anyway so if you want that added output it wouldn't be much more work to swap in another cam, and with these rollers no extra parts are needed.. lifters and pushrods get reused as long as you don't make the mistake of buying a retrofit roller cam which is ground on a smaller core.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,391
Likes: 106
From: COSMOS
I would stay away from a used motor unless it from a very reliable source !
If u build yours u know what u have & the work that is done to it .
I agree with JakeJaloply but do not see why u should not use large diameter headers .
Also Carburetor sizing formula is : Cubic Inches x RPM / 3456 = CFM (cubic feet per minute) / Volumetric Efficiency , which is 302 x 6500 / 80% = 454.40 cfm
Blueprint engines can have 100% or more volumetric efficiency . Street engines are closer to 75-80% .
Most men think bigger is better so they like to tell their friends how big their carb is.....
How many times do you hit 6500 rpms ??? or 7000 rpms
This is has been promoted by professional marketing executives to make more money . Same as sex sells.......big carbs sell..........
Yes many 302 engines have bigger carbs but they are high compression ,
with high dollar parts . I have been involved with HotRods most of my life & this is the most misunderstood concept that rodders get wrong 
If u build yours u know what u have & the work that is done to it .
I agree with JakeJaloply but do not see why u should not use large diameter headers .
Also Carburetor sizing formula is : Cubic Inches x RPM / 3456 = CFM (cubic feet per minute) / Volumetric Efficiency , which is 302 x 6500 / 80% = 454.40 cfm
Blueprint engines can have 100% or more volumetric efficiency . Street engines are closer to 75-80% .
Most men think bigger is better so they like to tell their friends how big their carb is.....
How many times do you hit 6500 rpms ??? or 7000 rpms
This is has been promoted by professional marketing executives to make more money . Same as sex sells.......big carbs sell..........
Yes many 302 engines have bigger carbs but they are high compression ,
with high dollar parts . I have been involved with HotRods most of my life & this is the most misunderstood concept that rodders get wrong
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lynall
Small Block V8 (221, 260, 289, 5.0/302, 5.8/351W)
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