i have a 81 ford f150 with a 302 and i was wanting to know how i could get more torque? thanks

 

swap in a 351w and stroke it to a 408.
the 302 is a hi rpm motor so building torque can be done but wont be achieved until 2500+rpms which for a heavy truck isnt a good setup.

the 351w will bolt to your current tranny and bolt to the same motor mounts. even the accessories from the 302 will bolt to a 351w. the few things that you would need is intake, waterpump,distributor,oilpan and proper flexplate/flywheel for the 351w and your set.
have fun

 

Think about basic engine building. Torque is made by burning air and fuel in the correct mixture. The more mixture you can burn, the more efficiently you can burn it, the more torque you will make. To get more efficiency do a tune up. There's always something that isn't working at 100%. The second step in efficiency: you can use aftermarket parts like the edelbrock performer level parts. You'll get small low rpm gains, decent mid rpm gains, and small high rpm gains. Both of these will make modest gains in torque.

For big gains in torque you need a lot more mixture. Options are stroker kits, larger engines, superchargers/turbochargers. From past experience superchargers are expensive and can be a ongoing hassle. Stroker kits are a little expensive and sometimes a installation hassle. New or new to you engines are probably the easiest route and cheapest and usually are an installation hassle.

Swapping in a stock 351W engine will be a noticable improvement. Get it running right, then determine if you are happy, want a little more, or want a lot more. A little more? Try a few aftermarket parts. A lot more? Try a stroker kit and some aftermarket parts.

Other considerations include your gear ratio and tire size. My truck has a 2.75 differential ratio and 29 inch tires(total height). Even with the 400 cubic inch engine that's low. For daily drivers without overdrive a 3.25 is a good compromise. With overdrive a 3.89-4.11 should work well. I aim for about 2500 rpm at 70mph to get the right truck gearing.

 

about how much (roughly) would it cost for a 351w rebuild

 

Cost is totally dependant on what you start with and what you want. Start with a running junkyard engine and the cost can be $450. How long will it run... who knows. Start with a rebuildable junkyard engine... in good condition $700, in bad condition $1500, but it should then go +75000 miles. This is completely stock. Add a few ebay aftermarket parts yourself $500. Have a performance rebuilt (balancing, porting aftermarket heads, stroking, and some new aftermarket parts) $5000. Or you can buy a crate engine. Long blocks run from $1500 to $3500, turn keys from $4500 to $11500.

In life you have three options, fast, cheap, and good. Pick two. You can get it running fast and cheap, but it ain't gonna be good(reliability/performance). You can get it running cheap and good, but it's gonna take a long time. Or you can get it running fast and good, but it ain't gonna be cheap.

 

will a 302 with a c6 tranny be good for offroading/muddin???????

 

First 302s don't come with C6 transmissions. Wrong bolt pattern. It should be a c4 or AOD, or not a 302.

From what I've heard mudding requires big tires and tirespin to avoid getting stuck. An automatic 302 with higher gears (4.11 maybe) should do ok. I don't mud myself, I'm just mentioning what seems to be the general opinion.

 

the 300-6,302,351w all share the same bolt pattern
the c6 was an option behind the 302 just like it was behind the 300-6 and 5.8 of course.
the c6 is the strongest tranny ford made from the factory its also the cheapes to have rebuilt. it will more then hold up to mudding or anything else you throw at it.

 

where could i find a 4x4 c6 tranny or what all models had the 4x4 c6 tranny

 

I know, I have a 289 with 3 speed, also a 400 with C6. But the C6 is a big block tranny. The 289/302/351 have 5 1/8" between top trans bolts, the big blocks have 7 7/8"(roughly). The heights are similarly different. I just ran outside to measure it and it simply won't bolt up. Is there a special small block version, or conversion adapter plate? Please let me know Kemicalburns.

Oh, sorry big country. Almost forgot you there. Anything automatic with a 351M, 400, or 460, and 429 if they had them then, will have a C6.

 

What the fudge? TCI and CKperformance both offer C6's for 289/302/351w. Ok, apparently you can put a c6 behind one. How are those C6's different from my C6? Is there a small block case, or an adapter, or what?

 

Ford made the C6 in both small and big block bolt patterns. most of your 80's trucks had them

 

thanks guys yall have been alot of help i learn somthing new eveyday

 

Me too. Thanks Kemical.

 

one more is there a c6 with overdrive?