Hello all, first time owning a ford product and new to this forum. Picked up this 1982 F-100 it's a 4x2 automatic (wish it was 4x4 but for $1000 i thought it was a good deal).
The previous owner swapped the engine for some sort of V-8, I have no idea what it is. I am not familiar with Carb motors at all but picked this up because I thought it would be a cool project.
The previous owner passed away and left it to a family member who I just bought it from. The family member claims the engine was modified, hopefully for the better but it drives great and feels powerful.

Does anyone have any idea what engine this is? Think its worth the $1000 i spent for the truck?

All guages work, has some minor rust that I plan on fixing up. Missing tailgate but the interior is complete.

Any tips or info on this would be much appreciated thank you, like i said I have no experience with ford trucks or trucks at all for that matter lol (Toyota land cruiser fan boy)

Please see pics attached!

 

Engine has 302 firing order. 15426378. Valve covers are tall, required for most roller rocker arms. Headers. 302s are not known to have stock power. If it has pep it very well may be built.

In my very limited experience with SBF cams I think since the cam has 302 firing order I'm thinking maybe RV cam. Majority of high performance SBF cams have HO firing order.

 

Thank you I appreciate the info! I was told it's been "built" but who knows how accurate that is. Obviously, it was a transplant, I think this truck came with an inline 6.
I'm assuming to find out if its been worked on Id have to take the engine out and inspect it? are these 302s commonly modified? Are they reliable? if this was yours, what would you do next?
Thank you again

 

I would change the fluids, and maybe do a tune up, plugs cap and rotor. Or at least check cap and rotor.

Looks like the front fuel tank has been removed ?

Looks like the ground wire from wiper motor to engine intake is missing too. I'm still learning these older trucks too, one of the experts will chime in soon. This forum, is where a lot of get are info from, See the "documentation" link then "electrical" then "EVTM" https://www.garysgaragemahal.com/ https://www.garysgaragemahal.com/1981-evtm.html

The 302 has been around for decades, yes, lots were modified back in the day.

Also, thinking you want to replace the battery cables, that clamp on ground cable is junk. Assume the positive is the same way. I'm kind of the poster child for battery cable picture. Notice the ground attaches to the stud near the oil pan, on my 86 302EFI.

 

Will definitely change the cables great idea thank you.
I was not aware that these trucks came with two tanks.
Was it an option or they all came like that?

 

Option, from reading on here, I'm glad I only have one tank.

Near your heater controls, there should have been a selector switch on the dash.

 

Close to the top of my list would be to weather proof the cab. These trucks are known for rust/leakage in the area under the front windshield valance. Your truck may be the worst case here to date.

Pull up the carpet/mat and inspect the extent of the damage.

 

You can use a garage door bottom seal from Walmart for a few bucks to replace that cowl seal. Here's mine.

 

Regarding the tune up... You have an older style "points" distributor. I would hold off on buying stuff until you get a handle on the bigger picture.

I don't see a voltage regulator, can you post a photo of the alternator.

Why are there 2 red wire on the front side of the starter solenoid? Does one of them go to the alternator?

What is the black box, mounted on the inner plastic fender, near the starter solenoid?

Jim

 

Welcome to the forum.

What's with the ribs trimmed short beneath the hood? The firewall looks to have been cut, too, centered over the engine.. Maybe it had a supercharger fitted at one time, and since removed? Just a guess.

The cut area on the firewall is going to cause fun. That missing sheet metal forms one side of the inlet duct for the heat/vent system. Normally fresh air is drawn in from the grill at the base of the windshield, where the wiper arms are located. With that duct cut open like that, the fan will now draw nasty air from under the hood. Shouldn't be too difficult to seal off that area with a piece of sheet metal and some sealer.

As previously mentioned, take care of that poor battery cable. Those bolt-on "emergency" terminals are nothing but trouble.

Also not seeing the factory ground cable that runs between the engine block and the firewall, typically near the throttle cable. The cab sits on rubber bushings and the only dedicated ground for it is that cable. We've had many forum members experience strange electrical problems, often caused by that missing ground.

 

Got to thinking. Don't worry, I don't charge for the service.

The carb looks to be something from the stock 2 barrel 2100 or 2150 family. Likewise, that looks like a stock cast iron intake manifold. If an engine had been modified, the stock carb and manifold are often some of the first things to go. Considering the odd cuts (for clearance?) at the firewall and hood, I wonder if some exotic intake arrangement had been swapped back to roughly the stock configuration for reasons unknown. Maybe the big upgrade didn't work reliably, or the parts were robbed for another vehicle.

Can you please post a picture showing the cap sticking up on the passenger side valve cover? Does it have a hose, maybe 1/2" diameter, running to the base of the carb? That would be part of the PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) system. This is a VERY beneficial function, helping remove harmful fumes from inside the engine. Unfortunately, when somebody joins the "Rip out all that pollution crap" club, they often throw out the good with everything else.

Do you have to pass an emissions test in your area? Does it include a visual check under the hood? Even if the actual emissions at the tailpipe are within specifications, the visual check will fail.

 

Yeah I have no idea why the cuts were made, person selling it had no idea either. Figured I could brush up on some welding and try to repair it. This is purely a project and something to mess with on the weekends. Will get some more pics and post to this thread! Thanks for the info

 

Welcome to FTE.

The guys have picked apart found some things to keep you busy on the weekends for a bit
As said I would do a oil / filter change and check all the other fluids like trans, auto maybe change it and filter?, and rear axle oil so you know they are all good for any driving you may do.
I also like to pull all the wheels and check the brakes, again so I know they are good before putting miles on the truck.

The rest I think you could do when you get to it and drive the truck and get to know it better. It will tell you if it needs something more than something else.
That firewall cut out I wonder if it was for the wiper motor replace to get to the clip? Now he has a hole to clean out the cowl and fix any rust in there.
Talking of cleaning and rust someone said to pull back the rubber mat or carpet to see what the floor is like.

Being you are there remove the kick panels on either side and reach down inside and pull out all the dirt and leaves.
This is the drain for the cowl and it plugs up with that stuff and will not drain and staying wet will rust out that area.
We tell people to use water to flush the cowl and that area just cleaned to make sure it drains. It should come out at the bottom of the fender area.

When flushing the cowl and you get water inside the cab the cowl most likely has rust holes. With a light and someone with hose see if you can see where it is coming from.
If you find holes or bad sealer we have fixes for it just let us know and we can pass on the fix.

I see a old truck VA plate on the front so I am guessing no smog testing on the truck but you are limited to when / where / how much you can drive the truck if it is like most states.

If it makes you feel better when I got my truck home and made sure the motor was good, had a miss on the vary bad test drive, I started taking the truck all apart for a 4 year cab off frame rebuild.
I got to know my truck really really good
That was 6 years ago and 28K miles
Dave ----

 

Nah, I don't think so. Note how those cuts line up with the cuts made on the bottom of the hood. Still leaning towards a supercharger or some other exotic intake arrangement.

 

Take close up pictures of the cylinder heads/block/timing cover area circled in yellow below. Try to get a shot behind the coil or temporarily take the coil off to get a good picture. It's the only way to determine if it's a 302 or a 351w.