I found a 302 that a guy is willing to sell me and he has some .040 pistons for it. Also he says it has Windsor heads. I wanted to know how much of an upgrade is that going to be on the performance of the engine and what kind of things I would have to do to accommodate it otherwise. Upgraded radiator, etc. Thanks in advance guys.
Ask me again in about 2 weeks. I am dropping a .040 over roller block into mine as soon as I get my heads back and my truck running (so I can bring home an engine hoist). That is only 8 cubic inches, so I wouldn't expect to take over the world with it, but the flat-tappet to roller conversion might be a better kick in the pants:bananaman
probably not going to do to much over a stock motor without a cam and good carb, maybe some headers. also it depends on what windsor heads. Some people consider the 302 heads as windsors. others only the 351w. C9 or D0 are the preferred 351w heads.
My grandpa is pretty in to Ford and told me that it may run hot. I was just wanting to be sure since I'm in Phoenix. Overheating is something I worry about. Especially since that's how I wasted my 250...
he's right. .040 is about the most you want to go on an overbore and some of them do have problems. i'm just down the road from you , near casa grande. If you are going with this i would definitely have a good radiator, fan shroud, and water pump.
Well, is there anything we can do to our engines to keep them running cooler? I had read something in the last few days about drilling out something, I don't remember if is was drilling out holes in the head gaskets, or drilling holes in the actual heads.
I'm still really new with parts so, specifics would really help. What is a good model of radiator/shroud/water pump? I'm on a very tight budget to get going since there's so much work required. I just need it running and reliable. I'm not going to push it to a performance vehicle just yet.
Okay, ignore the tight budget bit. What's a solid radiator that can carry me through some future upgrades? Haha.
I am using the Summit "circle track" 19X22 radiator. It is plenty big, but has no mounting hardware, so you will have to do all the hard work yourself. I think I saw a "direct fit" aluminum radiator on here recently...
We need more specifics on the heads. It was touched upon that 302 and 351w heads are very close, and often confused. I just wanted to go further by saying that even if they are 351w heads, that is not always a good thing. Some 351w heads are junk, just as some 302 heads are. Need to think about what year the 302 itself is too. What is the current bore? If it is virgin, then why go .040" over? You will keep it coolest by using a low temp thermostat, good radiator, smaller pump pulley, least overbore possible, and ALWAYS use a fan shroud.
dont know if its true but ive heard if you paint the bottom of your intake white it helps. think its like one of those "pepper to fix a coolant leak" things
I'll have to call him again to check on the heads and year of the block. And I'm going to go .040" over because I do like fast and power. Besides, those are the pistons he already has for them. I just want to make sure it doesn't overheat when I put some horsepower in it. I'll keep the tips you put in here in mind, though.
i don't know how well the ...paint on the intake works... but i know that ...pepper...will fix a leak... ...Frank...
don't take shortcuts on the cooling system !!!! new radiator, 3 flow max cooling !!!! heavy duty water pump, 160 degree thermo-stat and a factory fan cover. If your electrical system is up to it, a extra-cooling electric fan(from a AC car).
Here is what I ended up with. I have the top mounted better now. THat was just a temporary fix at the time. It is a Summit Circle Track 22X19 radiator (it is stamped with Griffin logo), fan is out of some junkyard car, but you can get nice ones from AutoZone for less than $60. I am running a 160 degree high-flo thermostat from BeKool or someone like that. Has a much larger "mouth" than standard ones, and supposed to fail in the "open" position, rather than closed. Also recently added a thermostat fan relay that turns on when the engine gets up to 190 and turns off at 175. Car runs really cool now, and the fan doesn't run all the time. By the way, there was a LOT of cutting going on to get it to fit in there with the electric fan. You would be better off paying the extra $100 for the radiator that already has the mounting hardware.
