I have a 79' f-100 5.0 (302) 4 bbl 750 edelbrock 750 cfm 4 speed manual with 3.93 gears looking to add a little more power to it. what would be the best thing to do? looking for an option that will take the most abuse and require minimal amount of maint. it already has headers, its bored out .30 ladder bars thats about it. no preformance cam or lifters/rockers any help would e great thanks
Brian,

 

a cam is a must. you could put a massive carb on that thing but if you keep the stock cam your just pissing into the wind.

 

also isnt a Procharger just a name brand of Supercharger?

 

what kind of cam would be best like a 1/4 over? and a procharger is a little diff. ck them out at procharger.com

 

Are you racing??
Having had two F 150s with 302's in them, and two with 390s, I'll tell you that even with broken pushrods, flattened cam lobes and broken rings/pistons, the 390 has clearly more take off low RPM power. Late model 302's relied on way more aggressive cam profiles that utilize roller lifter cams to squeeze low end truck power and EFI fuel injection. What I'm driving at is this. The 302 can be adequate in a 70s pickup truck. But it is probably the weakest option available. It really shines as a high revving Mustang motor. 390s, 400 and 460s are in another league power wise that don't require super chargers or Turbo chargers. Even the 300 has virtually the same displacement, but much more stroke (which translates to great low end torque) than a 302.

I was able to buy a used 390 that a junkyard had screened as strong, for $500. That was 8 years ago, and I still haven't rebuilt my other one, because this one has run strong. I haven't even bothered to put my 4barrel edelbrock setup on it. My Dad had a 79 Lincoln (heavy car) with a 400 that towed large travel trailers very well. That car always had gobs of power available. 460s were made well into the 90s and have loads of power and speed parts as well as EFI potential.

Granted you would have to address a few swap issues like changing engine perches and bellhousings/transmission. Even going to a 351W would allow you to keep tranny and perches as well as having lots of late model advancements. In short, you'll get more bang for you buck by going to a larger motor. Trying to get more power out of what you already have is gonna start getting way more expensive.

 

You need to do alot of work to get power out of a '79 302. Heads are not the best, stock cam would definitely need to go as well as the intake. You could build that 302...it's all in what you are looking to do. A procharger, supercharger, etc. you are looking at several thousand dollars....and it still wouldn't work very well with your motor. Instead of spending that much on a power adder, just buy a good strong crate motor in either a 347 or 351. Here is one 347 stroker, just add carb, ignition, water pump, that has pretty strong numbers...this particular one is offered by T&L Engines in N.C. They also have stroked 351's to 408 cubes for $4995 465hp/480 torque.

430 HP / 430 TQ
$4,084
ENGINE MODEL - 347 A2
HORSEPOWER - 430 HP
TORQUE - 430 FT LBS
BORE AND STROKE - 4.030 X 3.400 Inches
COMPRESSION - 10:1
FUEL - Premium pump gas
CRANKSHAFT - Cast steel
CONNECTING RODS - Forged I beam, bushed
PISTONS - Hypereutectic
RINGS - File fit plasma Moly
BLOCK - Ford 302 roller block, one piece rear seal
CAMSHAFT - Comp Cams hydraulic roller
DURATION - 224 IN / 230 EX at .050
LIFT - .556 IN / .515 EX with 1.6 rocker
LIFTERS - OEM style hydraulic roller
TIMING SET - Double roller chain
TIMING COVER - New aluminum
HARMONIC BALANCER - Professional Products
OIL PUMP - Melling standard volume
OIL PAN - Stock style chrome (front or rear sump)
HEADS - 195cc Dart Pro 1 Platinum
HEAD BOLTS - ARP
VALVES - Stainless Steel 2.02 Intake 1.60 Exhaust
SPRINGS - Dual with dampner
ROCKER STUDS - ARP 7/16 diameter screw in type
ROCKER ARMS - Aluminum full roller, 1.6 ratio
PUSHRODS - 5/16 Hardened steel with guide plates
INTAKE MANIFOLD - Aluminum Edelbrock RPM Air Gap
VALVE COVERS - Chrome stamped
SPARK PLUGS - Autolite 3922
OIL FILTER - Fram PH5 or comparable
IGNITION TIMING - 32 degrees at 4,000 RPM
OIL TYPE - Shell Rotella T 15w-40 recommended, synthetics not recommended