Ok, I'm not necessarily new to mechanicing, but definitely new to all the intricacies of designing and building an engine. I understand the basics of how an engine works, but when it comes to picking out parts that would be a good match for each other, my knowledge falls short. That being said, I have a 69.5 that I would like to convert to a 302. This isn't going to be a track car, but I do want it to have some balls, if you're smelling what i'm stepping in. The other problem that we all seem to have is my budget. I can't afford to drop $5000 for an engine. I would like to build it myself (as much as I can) to gain the experience, but I don't really have any of those "older, experienced" guys around to help me. Is there any good websites or books you guys recommend that has detailed instructions on an engine build? Also, what would you guys recommend as far as engine parts/specs for a guy in my situation? (as-budget-minded-as-possible-but-still-has-nuts-engine) Thanks, Wes
Hi Wes There are quite a few good books out there for a small block Ford. Here is a page that shows some of them. http://store.wpsracing.com/foboclhe.html I like the Small Block Fords book by Tom Monroe http://www.limotransportation.info/books-plain/0912656891.html You can build one up using a stock 302 engine from just about any year. My personal choice, particularly on a budget, is one from the late 60's to the mid 70's. You can do quite a bit of the work yourself, and what you can't do, a machine shop can. Go with new higher compression pistons, a hotter cam, good set of headers, and a 4 bbl carb in the 600cfm range and a new manifold for performance. Spend the rest of your budget on machining the heads, crank and block, and also on a new timing chain and gear set. Also buy quality in your gaskets and bearings for added reliability. Take your time and do things the right way. 10 times more satisfying doing it youself then having one built for you. Eric J
and ask alot of questions....i always ask questions.....even if you know the answer and you just arent sure believing yourself...ask.....to be safe... and take your time....torque everyhting....and recheck everything. even plasti gauge your bearings...even if the machine shop says they are good...i had a machine shop do my crank bearings and they gave me the wrong bearings...i took their word for it until i kept hearing a loud knocking sound when i was hard on the engine... checked them and found a .012 gap instead of .002 gap... if you make sure eveything is good as you go..it will turn out just fine and you might learn a few things good luck and ask me anyhting.. if i dont know..i will help you find the answer...and i bet everyone thinks the same way on here
You're not too terribly far from me so if you need any help let me know. If you want I have a few "recipes" for 302 engines I could send you. Let me know if you want this thing to be a real-live daily driver or a hot-rod style daily driver. You also need to figure out what else you're doing to the car. What transmission, rear gear, tire size, etc, and how much money you'd be comfortable with spending.
Well, honestly, all that is up in the air. I want it to have longevity, so I can't hot-rod it out too much. If both the "real-live driver" and "hot-rod driver" will last about the same amout of time under the same driving conditions, then I'd say probably the hot-rod, but I'm still thinking about all of this. I will need a new tranny, axle, and tires, so I'll get around to asking about all those things soon. The catch in this is that I probably can't sink any money into it for another 6 months or so, because I'm looking at getting engaged, (which takes a lot of money... btw, does anyone know a good custom jewler in Texas?) and I'm an old student that has about a year of school left, but I'd like to start learning about all this and get everything planned and in order. (I can dream, right?) Budget should be modest, but I don't want to take shortcuts. If I have to wait a little longer to get quality, I'll wait, lol... Shadow, thx for your offer of help, I'll definitely be looking you up sometime in the future. What part of Houston are you in? Wes
