Hey guys
It seems like every where I look in the forums someone is knocking the 302.
Look I know the 302 doesn't have the horsepower of the 351,or the low end torqure of the 300.What it does have is alot of potential.
With a few cheap mods I was able to really pep up my old 84.And shes never left me wishing for more truck.It always took what I have thew at it.Better yet she never left me stuck or stranded.Which is more then I can say about me friends 351.Pulled him home many times.
Besides it could be worse it could be a v6.

 

The same cheap mods for the 302 are the same ones for the 351w. The reason your buddies truck leaves him stranded is that he's not taking good care of it. I've had several 302 powered vans and trucks, and several 351w powered vans and trucks. I'll take the 351w over a 302 anyday. The 351w has a LOT more potential for the same money as a 302. It's also a lot better in the HP department from the factory. I'm not knockin' the 302, but IMO the 351w is better suited for a truck. The 302 was mainly designed for the mustang, hence the reason it revs to about 6k rpms where the 351w only revs to 5k.

 

Just tell um to bite ya,I have both a 302 efi in my 86 pickup and a 351 in my bronco and my pickup is a lot more fun to drive,it has a lot more pep and my 302 has more then twice the mileage on it.Now with that being said They are correct the 302 is a little under powered for a truck but it depends on what you do with your truck too, everybody uses there truck for differant things and if you haul a lot of weight then a 351 or bigger is what you need but if you not towing or hauling a lot of weight most of the time I don't see anything wrong with the 302.I had a 1982 f-250 with a 302 and c6 trans(nick named sluggo) and that was the worst truck I ever owned when it came to power that motor should have never been in a f-250 auto at all.The 300 six would have been a hole lot better then the 302 or the 351.I have hauled a lot of things with my truck and it always gets the job done and I have had it 8yrs and even know it looks like hell it still runs and drives great.So don't let someone tell you your 302 is junk and you need a bigger motor if you are happy with it thats what matters.

 

Hey Walkpast!
Long live the 302.
302s rule.
I put a used 302 in an F100 two years ago.
That engine has been pulling a 14' flatbed trailer all over the eastern part of this country hauling other truck cabs and truck beds.
It shows no signs of getting tired.
We change the oil every 2500 - 3500 miles. Done it around 50 times now, that's right 150,000 miles.
The only time we have to shift back in the C5 transmission (that's right a C5) is on I-77 north of Charlotte, NC and on one hill on I-81 northbound in PA.

Sure I should be flogged for not upgrading my delivery truck and sure a 351 would probably do just as good but don't knock my used 302 with 150K on it man!

 

I have never downed the 302 i have driven many 87-96 trucks with the 302 its a decent engine they are a good engine just for occasional haul and daily driver but the 351W beats the 302 hands down especially when you soup up the 351

 

I don't mind 302s for my own applications 300 sixes have always gotten the job done. I think my 96 F150 2wd 300/M5OD would be fun with a snappy little 302... but it came with a 300. I could have swapped a V8 into my 84 F150 4wd (like everyone else) but I stuck with the six because of it's proven track record of durability and longivity and it's different. Seriously how many lifted 4x4 pickups do you see with a mildly built inline six? And it works great, people give me a hard time all the time about not having a V8... so I can relate to your frustration. As a matter of fact this past winter I picked up a sweet running low mileage 302... heck it was free why not!? I would like to warm it up a little and stuff it into a Bronco II. And yes they do have a lot of potential to build some impressive hp/tq numbers. You are free to build whatever you like and if somebody doesn't like it just remember, you aren't building it for them.

 

I had a friend who had an 85 Bronco with a 302 and that Bronco was a rocket! It got up and moved liked a scalded cat and got decent mileage when he wasn't pushing on the bellhousing with his foot.

 

I guy I was in the service with had a 92 F150 4wd rc lb with a 302/E4OD it had plenty of giddy up.

 

Yeah 302s are good man but they are better in a ranger mustang or bronco II that would be a neat project Pkupman

 

Hey all I'm saying is the 302 should get a little more respect then some people on here give it.Who knows one day you might be looking at an old beat up 84 F150's tailgate after the light turns green.Once it hits overdrive I'm gone and the truck with the 351 is at the gas station.

 

easy big fella

first of all you'll beat me and my 351w at every light, first off I don't push her, secondly its a f250 HD and weighs a crapload. Third, I didn't buy a freakin huge truck to win stoplight battles, and neither did you!(hopefully) Enjoy the 302 and I think we will be at the same gas station...

 

I love 302's, FI 5.0's, 460's, 390's, 427 SOHC's, 400's, Flatheads, etc.

Each one with the right gears and rear end, in the right application ROCK!

All of them in the wrong combination, are just lousy.........

I've put over 300K on my 5.0 EFI truck.

 

302s SUCK, just yanking your chain, I love my 302.

I have the honor of driving a 300, a 302, and a 351 on a daily basis. For a straight up truck engine neither V8 can touch the 300. My 300 will haul 1500 pounds of scrap just as well as my 351, they both have WAY more bottom end grunt then my 302.

I've lined up my 96 and 86 on three different occasions, all three times the 351 has jumped out and front and keeps pulling away. Both trucks have common mods, both have headers and duals with glass packs and no cats. The 96 has a electric shift improver and a hypertech tuner. The 86 has a old holly 650 on the factory intake.

Both trucks started life with factory 3.55 gears and limited slip diffs. In the 86 I installed a new 9 inch center section with 3.73 gears and a locker. Before the gear swap the 96 could hang about 3 or 4 lengths behind the 86, with 3.73s the 86 jumps out in front and just keeps pulling away. She'll turn the speedo past 85 and point the needle straight down in the six o clock position, she keeps pulling till 5000 rpms when i lift my foot. I love all three of my rigs for they're own reasons, my trusty old work horse 300, my week night cruiser 302, and my mighty 351.

Theres times I'm out cruising with my buddy's on a Saturday night and the 302 just don't have the the nuts to keep up. Its a shame when I have to go home and retrieve my work truck

 

I've got a 86 f150 with a 302 and as happy as a hog in slop.I put a jeg's coil,ford mtor sport wires,homemade k&n fipk,gap the plugs at 55,and turned the timing up to 14 btdc.She will get on down.I've got a set of jba shortys in the shed waiting to go on within the next couple weeks.It's funny when the teenagers say hey ol man what you got in that thing?I'm thirty and i look at them and say the smallest v8 ford made that year.

 

Plugs at 55? The manual says 42-44, for my
85. I'm running a carb - this make a difference?