I was headed upto Flagstaff, AZ from Phoenix, and while I was climbing a 6% grade, Oil pressure went to zero..Temperature was where it always runs I pulled off, checked the oil.. oil level was good.. I let her cool off for a few minutes, then I started her back up and heard this godawful knocking coming from the engine.. the oil pressure came back up and the knocking stopped... so I went up the road a few more miles, taking it easy.., then the knocking came back with a vengence..oil pressure dropped... and finally BANG. threw a rod, blew a hole right through the side of the oil pan.. but it still starts and runs.. heh will probably run for about 5 mins and take a total dump.. the engine was bouncing so bad, it felt like it was going to jump out of the hood..I have no idea how many miles my 86 EB has on it but i'm sure it's 302 is origional.. the odometer was broken when i bought it.. I fixed the odo, and put another 15K on it, then the odo broke again.. that was 3 years ago.. i'm sure i've put another 30K or so on it since then. It always had this nasty "knocka knocka knocka" that would go away as soon as the oil pressure went up (about 2-3 seconds) when I first started it up in the morning.. that was probably the beginning of it.. I figured it was just piston slap..

 

Well, look at it this way, now you have the opportunity to put exactly what you want under her hood. I've gone through a few engines and always looked at their demise as a great opportunity to start over with my own personal wants and preferences going into the project.

 

been thinking of putting a 351W in.. more low-end torque than the old 302EFI had.. would a stock 351W EFI be an easy swap?itshould bolt up to my AOD, and mounts, right? I have a good size radiator in it so cooling the bigger engine should'nt be a problem...I know I need to change out the EEC,and the exhaust..would like to go with a single 3", with a high flow cat... Is changing the EEC easy? I'm going to stick with the speed density... I've seen a few 351W EFI's at the boneyard, might buy one from there, along with the wiring harness, EEC, etc. and rebuild it myself..

 

EEC computer should just be a matter of swapping in the correct part number for the engine its running. If you have access to boneyard 351's check for the computer from the same vehicle. Might as well let the engine/computer combo continue to work together. Otherwise, things should bolt up the same. The differences between 351 and 302 are negligable when it comes to swaps. I know Kemicalburns has done the 302/351 swap... might pick his brain on the do's and don'ts.