What's the going rate for a 302 from the boneyard?
 

My son's 90 F150 4x4 5sp is having some serious motor trouble. Considering swapping it out with one from the junkyard. What would a good running one set me back? The other option is to pick one up that needs a rebuild and work on it and swap it in once the other one dies. For that scenario what would one run? Acquisition and rebuild cost? Not looking for a fancy rebuild with expensive parts but just making the daily driver more dependable. Thanks for the thoughts...

well i found one for $850 out of an explorer running but i'd go through it just to be safe. but you could go online and order a good long or short block from wholesale-engines.com shortblocks start at $699 i didn't ask about the long blocks..they say they are no built on an assembly line either

I see what are claimed to be "no smoke good runners" for ~$450 all the time here in Dallas. Reman short blocks from the local hi-volume shop go for $350, long blocks for $650.

170 bucks complete without warranty. That includes everything connected to the motor when you have them pick it up with the forklift. !90 with a 30 day warranty. This is the Pull A Part franchise junkyard. I scored a brand n ew 351 windsor from my yard. I usually shy away from junkyard motors but this was to good to pass up. If you go this route, take a jump box with you to spin the motor over to do compression checks. Open the valve covers to see how clean the heads are. Spinning the motor will also give you an idea if there are any unusual internal noises. Look to see how clean the outside of the motor is also. We pulled a 300 six from an econoline with 69,000 miles for my friend. The van had all original ford parts and all ford labels were intact and easily read. The motor runs great in his truck. We also had one of those cameras with a flexible shaft to stick in the spark plug holes to inspect the pistons and cylinder walls for scarring. One can be bought for about 100 dollars at harbor freight. The jump box also comes in handy for connecting power to seats to remove them or just get more space to work.

Good luck in the hunt.

i wish that i could have found a 351 for that price maybe i should hit up the local pull a part next week!

I just pulled a 5 speed from a 94 f-150 with the slave cylinder, rear crossmember, clutch, pressure plate, flywheel, flexplate, and starter for a hundred bucks.

Thanks for the info. We've got a local pull-a-part so I can start there but will also keep an eye out on CL and such as well. Are there places that sell a pre-packaged rebuild kit or do you bascially need to order items individually?

whats wrong with the current motor?

CNN came by the other day asking about the oil slick in the driveway. Tried to tell them it was just my son's F150 but they were convinced they had another major oil spill story. Seriously, it leaks like a seive, is underpowered, gets horrible gas mileage, fairly unreliable, etc. It will probably run a while longer before it leaves him stranded but you never know. He's headed off to college in the fall and I would like to have something more reliable under the hood before he goes. I figure we can get a donor and rehab the thing and then make the swap. That way he can continue to get back and forth to work this summer and he's only down a few days to swap in the rebuild once we get it done. Or so the thinking goes...