questions on 87 5.0 HO engine

hi folks,

my 302 in my 72 is giving a little headache. the engine was rebuilt and not very well if i may say. now while overhauling the 72 vert i wasn't that experienced as now and that is haunting me now. the performance of the engine is a little weak and when i turn on the AC i feel like i just dropped an anchor on the road.

the engine's crankshaft is 030 under and the pistons are std or 030 i'm not really sure. now i have 3 possibilities and my favorite would be possibility 2.

1

-) i could swap the crankshaft and put in new pistons IF the pistons aren't 030 over

OR

2

-)take out the old 302 and put in the 5.0 HO that i could buy.

question to this: i want to use my FMX and that is not possible if i'm using the old 157 toot flexplate. the HO flexplate is balanced to 50oz and has 164 teeth.

how can i solve this problem? is the 164 tooth and 50oz flexplate compatible with the existing fmx transmission? has anyone here done this swap?

OR

3

-) take a 1976 351W and rebuild that and drop that into the vert.

i really would appreciate informative feedback. always bare in mind i live in europe making things a little harder to get.

abudi

I like option 3 the best. Put on a good dual plane intake and you'll have more power and bigger smiles.

+ 1 on option 3

Abudi,

Your options would depend on your desired outcome. If pure power is your ultimate goal then option 3 is your best choice.

If originality plays into the decision, then choice #1 or choice #2 in that order would be your ticket.

If you are looking for a balance of good power and driveablility then choice #2 and I would suggest some updates. Use a roller camshaft 5.0 (205 horsepower), make the swap to factory EFI and use the AOD transmission with it. You will thus gain horsepower, driveability and economy all in one step.

My son and I did this swap to his 71 Maverick (except with a 5 speed). It is a straightforward swap, runs great, looks good and sounds great.

I agree with Steve, if you are going to go the 5.0 route, grab the transmission as well.

A full 5.0 EFI and AOD swap would be cool too. Plus add on a '96 Explorer v8 EFI intake to bump up the power of the 5.0. That intake is essentially the same as a 94 cobra.