new motor

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Joined
Sep 5, 2011
Messages
862
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Location
San Diego, CA
My Car
1971 Mustang Grande
She is named Victoria and sports a 302 with a C4.
I am going to start building a budget 302 this year for my 71 coupe. Sticking with the 302 as a base because it is what I have in the car now and after all this is a budget build. My goal is to achieve about 300-325 hp with broad power range (mostly a highway driver). This car is my daily driver, but I still want a motor that will move her heavy ass when I need to. I am considering a Scat Stroker kit, either 306 or 331, but not 347. The items I need input on are heads, cam and lifters, and the decision on whether or not to stay carbureted or go with an efi system. SO what is everyone running, brands, specs, etc.? I am considering sticking with my Weiand Stealth 8020 manifold and Edelbrock 1406 600cfm carb (if I stay carbureted) for the sake of saving money. I have looked at AFR heads, comp cams for cam kit, and several efi systems (msd, fast, edelbrock). I will keep my C4 behind the motor as well. As always thanks for the input!

 
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hey man

sounds like your gunna have some fun for sure

the cam choice is the tricky one

do your research go on the cam websites most have a form to fill out wanting all the info from weigh and gear ratios carb size plus fifty more questions but that is so they can work out the best cam package for you and heads are the most expensive add on

so they may blow the budget

recond the stock ones and spend the cash on a good balanced bottom end and bigger carb and i assume you have good headers

im sure you ll get plenty of advice now someone has put their 2 cents worth in

im currently doin my 351 and have had so much conflicting advice i sieve through it all and do my own research and have decided to go old school with an aussie 780cfm holley 3310-1 from our XA GT RPO83 70s falcons and custom Scott Cook alloy intake that arrived today looks freekin awesome and will fit with my ram ram air and a big noisy mechanical cam

good luck brother

 
A 331 based on a roller 5.0 block makes a V Fine Engine. Go straight to the roller block. All of $50 for a block, what with modern oils not having enough zinc, as well as the vast improvement roller cam profiles allow, Don't waste money restoring a flat tappet 302, Your not really saving yourself anything. All of your accessories will fit, as will oil pan(get a new pick up), timing cover and dipstick, intakes & exhausts. 5.0 block will need to have the un-used dip stick hole in the side of the block plugged/tapped/siliconed/your choice.

AFR's re my personal favorites, however don't over look Trick Flow, & Edelbrocks. For a budget build, good used aluminum heads are available $1k-$750, in the Stangnet or Corral.net classifides. The long term members there, are no more willing than a 7173 forum member is willing, to ruin their forum reputation by ripping off a on a classifides sale. Yes it's still the internet so do use approriate caution. Being properly judicious, I have very successfully purchased used intakes, MAF's, Throttle boddies, even cams, using those classifides.

A roller cam ranged 218-224 to 224-230 is a moderate cam with a broad torque range suitable for street use in our bigger cars. 680-740 Street Avenger carbs on a good dual plane intake manifold are "known good" parts to use. Also as part of your long range plans, Get an Overdrive tranny and a lower set of gears. You'll have a much more efficent and far more fun to drive Mustang.

 
+1

I love stroker motors. If you're getting a rotating assembly anyways, its not much more $. As for carb or EFI, a carb is easy but EFI is really nice. If you can pull everything off of a donor car that would be great. Then yoy can replace parts for more power as needed (MAF, throttle body, etc)

 
Hello 71_resurrection,

Tubo made some good points regard the 302 roller motor. I was going to recommend using the early style 302 blocks. But, I had to look into the metal content of the early Ford engine block due to the claim of higher nickel content. Ford’s continuous improvement program improved the casting of the modern 302 Roller blocks.

I found this thread questioned this claim.

http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/best-year-for-the-302-block.482448/

Regarding the theory that Ford used nickel in their blocks----- go to the Ford FE big block forum, on Network54. There's a guy there named Dave Shoe that's done extensive research into Ford’s engine casting techniques and he's found NO evidence of Ford ever using nickel in their blocks. The late 70's D8VE 302 block is also a heavy weight; it weighs 10 lbs more than other 302 blocks at 135 lb's. According to Ford, this is a thick walled casting. The late model roller blocks have semi-Siamesed bores which the earlier ones don't. They may also have less iron in them, but this doesn't mean they're weak; they were cast using better techniques, requiring less iron to do the same job. I noted a late 80's 5.0 cranks casting quality, damn thing looks almost like a steel forging, the casting quality's so good. No sharp edges, all counterweights have smooth contours.

mustang7173

 
SO, I have a good friend that just bought a 1956 F-100 that is really nice and has a fully built 429 in it. He went and bought a brand new 532 long block to drop into the truck and will sell me the 429 oil pan to carb for $3000!!! My biggest question is will it bolt up to the same motor mounts as a 302, I know the answer in my head, but just want to have it confirmed by someone else, and you guys know pretty much everything. I would love this motor, but don't want to have to get a bunch of stuff fabricated to have it work in the Mustang right now. What do yall think?

 
I am going to start building a budget 302 this year for my 71 coupe. My goal is to achieve about 300-325 hp with broad power range (mostly a highway driver).
Misnomer in my opinion.

Why spend the $$$ to hype up a 302 to 1hp/ci when you can more easily and reliably get .88 HP/CI aka 300 hp with a 351 doing a lot less hyping?

 
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