has anyone used a 289 or 302 in there truck???
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Freshman User
Joined: Nov 2004
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From: Sault Ste. Marie, ON
has anyone used a 289 or 302 in there truck???
has anyone ever used a 289 or 302. if so did it work well, is there certain years that work better than others. will they work well if i do a bit of performance work to them?? i dont wanna race but i want to move good and get somewhat decent gas mileage. i have 4:11 gears and 4 speed. its a 78 with 351m! any ideas or info wpuld be greatly appreciated!!!
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Eagle River, Alaska
I have a 1990 F250 with a 302 manual w/ OD. I hate it for the most part, its way too under powered for me. Ya its ok if you never need to tow anything or want to move very fast off the start, just climbing a hill is a chore sometimes.
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2004
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ya i think both of those are car engines, could probably be done in a truck if your geared real low and keep the rpm's high but you wont gain any mpg's that way. I love the 289 w/4brrl for a old stang or falcon but not for a heavy truck.
You have a truck motor in that 78 now just make IT the motor you want.
You have a truck motor in that 78 now just make IT the motor you want.
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2003
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From: Baltimore
I just rebuilt a 302 and put it in my 1973 F100. I raised the compression in the motor, added an RV Cam, a Edelbrock Performer manifold and a 4 bbl carb. It runs great but it's not going to win any races. It has no lowend guts but it does come alive at 55 mph. I am seeing about 13 mpg if I keep my foot out of it. For some reason my wife only gets about 7 mpg when she drives it.
Posting Guru
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From: Southwestern Michigan
I swapped in a 289 in place of a tired 300 in my plow truck. It has 4:11 gears and a 4 speed also. It works, It will tow a load,......if your not in a hurry.
I would use another 351M/400 or a 460 The swap will be much easier.
I would use another 351M/400 or a 460 The swap will be much easier.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: In the woods of Oregon
I would rebuild the 351m as a 400 raise comp to about 9:1 and use a 255deh comp cam, some hedman headers, a 4v edelblah manifold and 600cfm carb. It will make great low end torque decent hp and still get about 13+ mpg. A 302 is a great motor, but it just doesn't have the low end torque that a truck needs. Low geared and high strung they would work in a truck, but it wouldn't get any fuel mileage. This is just my opinion, goto the 351c 351m/400 forum and read up on these great underated engines and see for yourself.
Laughing Gas
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From: In the woods of Oregon
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Postmaster
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From: Spokane WA
We have an 82 with a 302, edelbrock intake and carb, and thats it for now, and it gets up and scoots.... and its an automatic.
I just dont agree with the statements about 302s not belonging in trucks after owning one.......ours does great
sure it aint gonna tow a 6000 pound trailer up a mountain pass at the speed limit, its all about what you want and need.
I just dont agree with the statements about 302s not belonging in trucks after owning one.......ours does great
sure it aint gonna tow a 6000 pound trailer up a mountain pass at the speed limit, its all about what you want and need.
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From: Red Deer
I have an origional 302 in my 78 f-100. I get about 21 mpg on the highway. Again, it wont win any races, but it accelerates all of the way up a 7% grade hill and is happier than hell going 120 on gravel. I like it. also has alot of power in first. Anyway. good enough for me
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I would disagree with those who say a 302 isn't a truck motor - Ford didn't put hundreds of thousands of them in all kinds of trucks over 20 or so years of production because people didn't like them. They can be great truck motors for the right application - light towing, decent power, fun to drive & relative long lived with the right maintenance.
Broncoman79, you didn't say what kind of truck you've got, but there's a '78 Bronco in your profile. A 302 can be a decent motor in a Bronco, even a big one, but you've got to keep it light - stay away from the lifts, keep your tires around 31'x10.50's or smaller. If your 4spd is a truck tranny with no overdrive, good highway mileage is going to be hard to come by no matter what. With your gears, a light truck with a good motor, driven sanely, might get you around 12-13 in town and 13-14 on the road.
All that being said, unless you've got all the parts you'll need for free (engine, accessories, bellhousing, mounts, etc.) I'd probably build the 351M you've got, there's lots of good advice in the 335 engine series forum about how to build those motors.
Broncoman79, you didn't say what kind of truck you've got, but there's a '78 Bronco in your profile. A 302 can be a decent motor in a Bronco, even a big one, but you've got to keep it light - stay away from the lifts, keep your tires around 31'x10.50's or smaller. If your 4spd is a truck tranny with no overdrive, good highway mileage is going to be hard to come by no matter what. With your gears, a light truck with a good motor, driven sanely, might get you around 12-13 in town and 13-14 on the road.
All that being said, unless you've got all the parts you'll need for free (engine, accessories, bellhousing, mounts, etc.) I'd probably build the 351M you've got, there's lots of good advice in the 335 engine series forum about how to build those motors.
Last edited by rakent; Apr 3, 2005 at 08:53 PM.
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I see where Sara1978f100 says her 302 gets 20+ MPG on the highway, I had a 78 long Ford van with a 302 and got close to that, now I have an '82 F-100 stepside with a 302 that must be at least 1K pounds lighter than the van and I get 10 MPG, anyone know why?
Laughing Gas
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From: In the woods of Oregon
31" tires (or smaller) shouldn't be on a 4wd. Tires that small are worthless in deep mud. With that thought a 302 in a 2wd with small tires would be a good truck motor. But to run 4wd with 35" or bigger tires you need a engine with *****, and a moderatly built 302 just doesn't cut it. MY opinion. Of course in my mind a truck is for offroading, and some towing, and thats about it. So to each his own. I still think you should build the 351m.
Postmaster
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From: Spokane WA
Originally Posted by kopfenjager
31" tires (or smaller) shouldn't be on a 4wd. Tires that small are worthless in deep mud.
the question wasnt, "Is a 302 a good motor for 44 inch swampers and eleven gazillion inches of lift?"
If it was, your reply would be an excellent answer.
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Originally Posted by kopfenjager
31" tires (or smaller) shouldn't be on a 4wd. Tires that small are worthless in deep mud. With that thought a 302 in a 2wd with small tires would be a good truck motor. But to run 4wd with 35" or bigger tires you need a engine with *****, and a moderatly built 302 just doesn't cut it. MY opinion. Of course in my mind a truck is for offroading, and some towing, and thats about it. So to each his own. I still think you should build the 351m.
Man, I've been doing it all wrong all these years . . .
In all seriousness, everyone's entitled to their opinions & that's what makes this so much fun. Broncoman79's question was about 302's in trucks, and there are a bunch of folks who say they can work just fine in the right application.
As for tires, I've had a fair number of 4wd trucks over the years, including two Jeeps, two Broncos, a Trooper, an F350 dually and an F250 highboy. I've also rented my fair share of 4wd Explorers, Expeditions, Grand Cherokees and 4-Runners, and been camping, hunting and just plain old exploring on trails from Montana to Florida, including Moab, Utah and the mountains of Southern Colorado. None of my trucks have ever had a tire larger than 31' outside diameter & I've always made it home.
