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This is my first engine build, a 302 from my newly acquired 1980 Ford F-100.
I am not a mechanic, just a DIY as I get time to work on this project. If you have any suggestions on anything I could do better, please let me know. I have a lot to learn.
This will be an ongoing forum, so I will add pictures as I complete each phase of the work.
Thanks for stopping in.
Engine Disassembly while the 302 was still in the Bay
Below is the 302 while it was still in the bay. You can see I have disconnected quite a lot at this point.
- The air filter has been taken off the Holley Carb. This truck originally had ductwork coming from the front fender to the air box. By the time I bought it, there was one of those aftermarket filters with no ductwork remaining. The original charcoal cannister was still in the bay, but nothing was connected to it.
- I have disconnected most of the wires at this point and marked them with tape.
- The A/C compressor has been moved to the front of the engine bay so I can have clearance to remove the 302 with the lift.
- In this 1980 truck, the jack and bar are housed in the bay. They have been removed.
- The radiator and hoses have also been removed. In fact, my original goal was just to upgrade the cooling system because the truck was running hot. After checking the system over, I discovered that most of the parts (radiator, hoses, heater core, belts) looked fairly new. The coolant also looked clean. At this point, I realized I had better go ahead and “go in” and take a closer look at the engine. Since I have always wanted to do a rebuild, this seemed like the time to begin.
The exhaust system on this truck was shot and had to be removed. There was plenty of rust and most of the bolts were unmovable, even with good doses of PB Blaster. I resorted to one of my favorite tools for this type of job, the reciprocating saw. To the exhaust system, this tool is known as Dr. Death.
On this engine, there is a small bypass hose next to the thermostat housing. In this picture, it has been removed. The water pump has also been removed (it would have been located right below the bypass hose).
One thing that was absolutely essential was a solid piece of wood to hold up the A/C compressor. In this picture, it appears the wood is holding up the entire engine, but actually, it is just wedged up front and the compressor is resting on it. You can see from this shot that the engine definitely looks old and has some oil leaks here and there.
In this next picture, I am taking out the mechanical fuel filter. Just before that, I disconnected the fuel line from the fuel filter.
In the next shot, we are at the top, studying where everything goes at the carburetor
This engine had several oil leaks. This one is from the valve cover gasket on the passenger side.
One of the more troublesome items I had to watch were the automatic transmission fluid (ATF) lines that ran from the transmission to the radiator. I was always bumping these things and surprised I did not damage them in the process.
This next shot is from “down under”. The yellow rod on the left side of the picture connects to the carburetor.
After loosening all of the bolts to the intake manifold, I gently wedged a gasket scraper in the seams and tapped lightly with a hammer to dislodge the piece from the engine. Normally, it would not be necessary to take this piece out while the engine is still in the bay. The only reason I did was my engine hoist was not quite ready for use yet.
Engine Removal
The engine removal went fairly well. To accomplish this feat, I purchased a Torin brand engine hoist from my local Advanced Auto. It was easy to put together. I also bought the Torin brand engine leveler which worked perfectly. For someone who has never pulled an engine, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it went.
Below is a little diagram I made on how I set up the engine leveler.
When I first started pulling on the engine, I encountered some resistance. I went back and rechecked to make sure that all of the bell housing bolts were out. In other words, I checked to make sure I did not miss a hidden bolt somewhere. Everything looked fine.
Then, I went down and looked at the bell housing to flywheel connection. That is where I found the problem – one of the torque converter bolts was snagged onto the flywheel. I moved the engine hoist in the opposite direction of the snag, and the engine pulled right out.
The next shot shows the engine coming out after being released from the torque converter. Nice and easy does it.
As you can see from this next shot, this engine has been leaking a lot of oil.
Before I could attach the engine to the stand, I needed to remove the flywheel.
[b]Engine Disassembly in the Engine Stand
Some of you have already seen the mysterious black hole in this next shot. I posted this originally on the repair forum and several noted that it was just a casting hole, nothing to be concerned about.
Oh yea, before I forget, I got a lot of help in learning how to do this rebuild. Here are a few of the resources I used below.
OK, back to the engine. The heads are now off.
With the heads off, I can get a better look at the deck surfaces.
Here is a closer shot of those blocked water passages.
I removed the oil pan next. I had read to do that with the pan in the DOWN position on the engine stand in order to see if there were any metal pieces present. Fortunately, I did not see any when the pan came down. I then rotated the engine on the stand so the crank area was now UP.
Oil pump screen is visible in this next shot.
The next shot shows the rest of the oil pump apparatus.
The next two pictures show the state of the timing chain.
And now, on to taking off the main bearing caps.
I am going to take a break but will be back soon
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Good luck on the rebuild.
The 302’s were a good engine, but seemed to be elusive to not having oil leaks!Not to be cliche but… “Dude this LOOKS SO AWESOME!” lol.
Thanks for the diagrams, nice touch pointing all of the stuff.
Love seeing a down and dirty baby taken apart and put back teether. Did you buy this truck as project rebuild in mind or as you said… after peaking in and see crappy exhaust and leaks said…“meh f**k it, let’s rebuild it” ?
I bought the truck from a neighbor, knowing it would be more or less a project vehicle. I wanted something to wrench on, but nothing too complicated either. This truck fit the bill perfect.
Rebuilding is not an option at most shops,reman engines are the way to go.My father,he talks the customer into a Jasper reman engine.Much cheaper to do this and takes a couple days.Rebuilt engines,a couple weeks and the vehicle sits.With a Jasper,a hassle free 3 year 100,000 mile warranty.The 302s,the #8 piston get destroyed because someone that does not know what they are doing crosses the #8 plug wire.
Looking good ! here is a piece of advice – you had the engine leveler installed wrong. when you go to reinstall the motor attach the leveler with the crank handle twords the front of the engine ( not to the side ) this will allow the chains to reach and also allow you to tilt the engine making install much easier. I have the same leveler and when install properly they make a big difference. also- you may want to pull the tranny while the motor is out then when time to install bolt the tranny to the motor while outside the truck and slip the whole thing in at one time. way easier then laying on your back trying to line everything up.
Quoted From 619DioFan:
Looking good ! here is a piece of advice – you had the engine leveler installed wrong. when you go to reinstall the motor attach the leveler with the crank handle twords the front of the engine ( not to the side ) this will allow the chains to reach and also allow you to tilt the engine making install much easier. I have the same leveler and when install properly they make a big difference. also- you may want to pull the tranny while the motor is out then when time to install bolt the tranny to the motor while outside the truck and slip the whole thing in at one time. way easier then laying on your back trying to line everything up.
Whoa, great advice on that leveler. Thanks!
I am going to pull that tranny, and should have done it when I pulled the engine. Thought I would overhaul it too while everything was open.
You are welcome ! two things I forgot to mention – ( 1 ) make sure to grease the drive screw of the leveler for easier operation ( 2 ) sometimes depending on the angle of the hoist boom you will have a clearance issue with the crank handle hitting the boom and not being able to turn the handle. if this is the case install the leveler with the crank handle twords the rear of the motor. good luck with this project , sounds like a good time.
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