I have no idea about engine building, i bought a 302ci small block 5.0 out of a 1984 Ford E100 van,,,,engine #'s are E3AE-9425-BD, I always have wanted to build a motor and see if it would run, so I have some time and money and I'm going for it,,,,What i want to do is beef it up a little bit but not to much, I'm going with new pistons, new lifters, springs, valves, headers, carb, and cam does any one have any suggestions for what size or what brand of parts to use, as i say I'm a beginner and I'm looking for any info from you guys the PRO"S, I don't know compression or much about the motor i know it had 75,000 on when pulled i have it completely torn apart.



Any info is good info

 

Go pickup a copy of these....

Amazon.com: How to Rebuild Small-Block Ford Engines: Tom Monroe: Books

Amazon.com: Ford Windsor Small-Block Performance: Isaac Martin: Books

 

Awesome info thanks for the Info on the books (CONANSKI)

 

Easy engine to work on, good power available with minimal effort (and the right parts) Good luck.

 

you might want to look into a intake as well. I know with my 302 it just has an intake, headers, and a mild cam, and the heads and head components are stock OEM replacements and she has lots of *****!!!!
Basicly an engine is like an air pump. the faster you can get air in and out with minimal drag, is better for performance and economy. Stock parts such as exhaust manifolds, intake manifolds, heads, and such all have lil bumps and ridges on the inside of them that creats drag aka wind resistence. for an really high performance engine all of those ridges/bumps are gone and the passiges are as smoth as Dasey Duke's DD's.....in other words reallly, really, really super smoth!!

Now once you have all of that air in the "air pump" were is it going to go. It needs to get out on the pump just as fast as it is going into it. and that is were headers and exhausts comes into play. See factory exhaust manifolds are heavy, restrictive, and just unsightly. And the factory exhaust??....pitifull, WAY TO restrictive and way to quiet!!!!!! First off headers.

There are lots of brands out there;
Heidmen, Flowtech, Hooker, Jegs, Summit Racing, Borja, etc... it really all depends on what your looking for.
There are several diferent styles too;
shorty, block huggers, and my personal favorite: full leighth headers!!

full leighths are perfect for those specal occasons were you want to run open header. they offer just enough back pressure were as your not going to suck a valve. Also a lil bias here I think they sound better then the other styles.

As far as cams go. With Fords from what I've heard you can have lots of lift with the stock rocker arms before you have to change over to bigger sloted rocker arms. it also depends on if you want a nasty lope or if you want lots of power. See the cam is to an engine what your brain is for your breathing. The cam dictates how long each "breath" is and when the engine "exhales".


Or if you looking for power and don't want to mix'n match parts, you can get a 331 Stroker or a 347 Stroker kit. Both are offshoots of the 302.

I hope this helps a lil bit cuz I was reallly tired when I opsted this. If you have anymore questions don't hesitate to ask.

 

Stock crank and rods are fine for street use, but upgrade the rod bolts with ARP's.

Hypereutectic pistons are good value, get flat tops if your combo will allow it.

Machine work (align hone, cylinder bore), balancing your block/crank, pressing on pistons, etc. will need to be done by a competent machine shop. Build to zero deck (piston tops level with the block deck) if possible since it will let you run more compression.

Your stock heads are junk, you can pick up an easy 50-75hp with some aluminum heads. If you're stuck with stock they'll need a valve job.

Comp Cams K-kits come with fully matched lifters, springs, retainers, etc. and their XE cams are quite the rage these days. Edelborck's Performer RPM manifold is a good one. Any 500-600cfm carb is fine. Thermal coated headers RULE but are expensive as heck. IIRC, the plain Jane painted Hookers I got for my truck were ~$175.

I'd estimate $750-1,000 at the machine shop and another $1,000 for parts if you're careful. Add some AFR heads for another $1,400. It's easy to spend $4,000 on an engine rebuiod if you're not careful.

 

Haydeno1, fantastic info you guys are the best...........

 

not a problem kidkaden.