I've searched through plenty of posts, and come up with plenty of suggestions for building a 302 from mild on up - aftermarket carb, intake, headers, cam, headers, pipes, etc. But I'm aiming for "restore" rather than "restomod". And not having the first clue about what my options are, I figured I'd put it to the group. What should I be buying, and where from? I'm no gearhead - this is my first full rebuild, so bear with me... Parameters: Going into a reasonably "well-optioned" 73 Grabber (hence the desire to keep it original - ala Mr. Boyer) 100% street (cruising only - no strip) Must be stock or at least look stock... Rest of power train is a stock (for now) C4 w/aftermarket converter (not a stall converter) and stock 3.00:1 gears. If internal mods can make it last longer, get better mileage with the stuff that passes for gasoline these days, or get better performance, then great. I'm planning to keep the original block (VIN # stamped and all), heads, intake, exhaust, and carb unless something turns out to be irreparably wrong with them. Block: D2OE (2B13 casting date - 3F19 build date - if that makes a difference - thought I read once somewhere about a deck height change mid '73?) Heads: D2OE Intake: D3OE Carb: Original Motocraft 2BBL (with tag) Parts that I'm pretty sure I'll need at a minimum: Cam & lifters (original set was wiped flat) Pistons (haven't measured the bores yet, but they look beyond a simple honing) Timing gear/chain set (worn out nylon gear is what started this rebuild...) Oil pump drive Usual bearings, plugs, and stuff. Lots more than that I'm sure... Learning by the day on this one... Thanks for the wisdom... __________________ --David
You can put a very mild (RV) cam in it and it won't affect the idle and will apear stock. Get the cam kit with springs, lifters, retainers and locks - that way you know it all works together. You can bore the block (.030" is considered within stock limits). You can use flat top pistons (cast is stock and fine for a street machine) and increase your compression. A Borg-Warner timing chain and sprocket set is a direct stock replacement (with iron instead of nylon) and will serve very well in a street engine for 100000 miles. Keeping the stock two barrel manifold and carb is essential to a stock appearance but you can replace it with a Ford two barrel from a 1969 351W and gain a little power. Using moly rings will let the engine break-in take no time at all and they will last 100000 miles plus. You can also have the engine completely balanced to free up hp that was lost to imbalance from the factory. Balancing will also make the engine rev quicker and last longer. Clevite 77 bearings or the Federal Mogul tri-ply bearings are a great choice for almost any engine. Find a machine shop that is willing to do the work at a price you can afford and talk to them about what you want and need. A good machinist will talk to you and listen to make sure you get what will make you happy.
Pistons? Look for a set of flat tops with a 1.610 pin height. These will bring the tops closer to the deck than shorter ones. Not all flat tops for a 302 are the same, they range from 1.585 to 1.619, the 1.585 and 1.610 are the most common. The 1.610's will yeild the most compression. Agree on the RV cam. Comp's 268H is a good choice. Replacing the carb with another Autolite 2 bbl is a crap shoot. These carbs have been rebuilt and replaced so many times over the past 40 years that virtually none are on the application they started with. If you want a new carb, go with Holley's 350 cfm or 500 cfm 2 bbl. The 350 is more of a stock replacement, the 500 will boost the HP by about 20.
