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I just got a hold of a stock 5.0 (302 engine)
Im going to put her aside and rebuild (super her up)
Things I wan do are.
Shave the heads-
add a cam
have a weight reduction done to the crank.
iv got a cold air ram intake on my truck now and iv got duals on it…
What should i have the heads shaved to????
What cam can i use.What do yall recommend…
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That’s a long handle you have there! Some friends just call me Yard or Yardy.
If you’re talking about a V engine, and a pushrod V engine at that, removing material from the cyl head is for straightening a warped head, not for increasing compression and making more power. Here’s why.
Reduce the height of the cyl heads SIGNIFICANTLY, and the intake manifold will not line up with the heads, the valves will run into the pistons and the pushrods will be too long (the pushrod/ rocker geometry will have to be re-calculated and you’ll need to buy new parts). If you create any of these problems for yourself, you will know why it is better to buy high compression pistons when you want to increase compression. With the exception of the small block Chevy V8 there are no cheap high compression pistons available, not even for the 302 Ford, the second most popular pushrod V8 in the world, but no where near as popular as a Chevy 350.
I have nothing against the Ford small block, On the contrary, I’d rather have the lightweight Ford V8 in a light weight car than another V8, even if it is expensive to build up.
If you want a LITTLE more power from a small V8, you can get it out of a 302 Ford, but there’s just one way to get a large amount of power for cheap out of a pushrod V8 > buy a bigger engine > and especially if you’re building an engine for a PU truck.
Check out the price of new higher compression pistons, or see if there are cyl heads available for your 302 that will increase power, but remember, even if you can bump up the horseponies of that 302 for cheap, you can’t bump up the ft lbs of torque of any engine unless you’re willing increase the displacement (buy a bigger engine?) or add boost.
If you could squeeze any real hp out of your 302, > even if you could do it for free > you would be be looking for a high stall torque converter and a 4.11 rear end.
If you are building up that nice 302 for a light weight car or a street rod, you’re on the right track.If buying aluminum heads are out of the question, look got some GT40 or GT40P heads, same too with the intake. These can be found on Mustang Cobra’s or i think the year was a 95 5.0 Explorer.
The alphabetical cams are ok for those engines. I would be looking at Mustang forums for Fox bodies from 79 to 93. The 1987+ 302 E7 blocks are the best due to the internals.
Here are some links –
http://mustangforums.com/forum/5-0l-1979-1995-mustang-14/
http://forums.corral.net/forums/
http://forums.corral.net/forums/5-0-5-8-engine-tech/1006747-gt40-gt40p.html
Becareful on those forums as some members ‘bite’. Search for your questions first using there search function.
I’m with Yarddog on this. Don’t just throw parts at it and expect it to go faster, first have a plan of how you want to use the engine in the end and work toward that end, do you want to race, tow, or just have a little more power and WHEN do you want that power to happen? To be honest all you normally need to do is a cam a lifter set along with some fresh bearings and rings, a little time with a qualified machinist that could do a valve job as well as clean up the cylinder bores and machine them if necessary (don’t shave the heads as more compression could lead to problems), beef up the lubrication system and possibly the cooling system, and a lot of time and care getting the installation right and that is all you really need in most cases. Lastly performance is about more than just the engine, remember there are a LOT of other parts on the truck including not the least of which would be the tires so have a plan and work the plan other than that you might as well just cut your credit cards up now if you have them and if you don’t you might want to see if there’s enough room to sleep in that truck because that’s where you might just end up before you’re all done. Oh and don’t go thinking that if you do a bunch of ‘upgrades’ to a vehicle it’s worth more, just the opposite, it’s worth more to YOU sure but to someone else it’s just a bunch of problems they’re going to have to fix when they take it on. I know this may seem harsh but I’ve seen this over and over and at some point I hope to make a video series on it to try and save some pain and suffering.
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