Posted by Sam Mangano (IP: 209.66.34.41) on July 05, 1999 at 11:31:22:
In Reply to: 250 -> 302 swap posted by Stefan Thibeault on July 04, 1999 at 17:33:56:
Stefan,
Let me put it this way: If you're building a car to be a "project car" or a "show car" or a second car that you want to drive on weekends and will keep for a long time, I would tend to think that rebuilding any engine before you install it would be a good idea. Especially when you consider the kinds of folks who were the first owner of the ubiquitous wrecked Mustang GT. People buy those cars to go fast in, and many owners are not so careful with them as far as how they treat them, and the kind of maintenence they do on them. When I built my EFI Maverick, I got my engine the same way you're talking about. I took it to my machine shop and about $400 later I had a nice fresh engine bored 0.20 over. They checked for cracks in the block, cleaned out the water jacket and gave me new freeze plugs. I think this is a small price to pay when you consider the benefits of having a like-new engine.
As far as putting a carb on this engine, I think it would be a fine idea (it's certainly easier than making the fuel injection work). I still run a carb on my other 302 car, and I pass the New Jersey State inspection every year with it, and that's a 70's combination. With a fresh 90's roller motor and a properly tuned modern carb, I don't foresee any problems with emission laws (Keep in mind that you'll also have to run catalytic converters with cars '73 or newer). Just as a point of information, I run ZERO emissions equipment on my EFI Mav, and I breeze right through the inspection station. It just goes to show how clean you can run when you have a good setup.
Having said all that, if you are building a car because you need another car to replace one that was destroyed and money and time is tight, then depending on the condition of the "donor" engine, a rebuild may not be necessary or cost effective. I know lots of folks who just drop in a junkyard motor without even blinking, and it runs adequately.
: Being not much of a mechanic, I was thinking of installing a 302 from a wrecked 90's Mustang with low mileage. I would remove the EFI and install carb and at the same time upgrade the Maverick to electronic ignition. Is this a good idea or would it be better to get any 302 and rebuild it before doing the swap. as for the transmission, I think I would get it rebuilt with the extra clutches. TIA.