Small Block Ford Build Info - 300hp Formula?

So the search button doesn't take 3 letters, so any search involving SBF, 302, 351, etc isn't yielding and good info -

Here is what I want to know - I have a '70 302 - nice little motor - I want to rebuild it for a '32 Tudor - tired of SBC's, this really isn't going to be a car I want to put a flathead in - but I do want it Ford powered - 5 speed, etc.

So we all know how to screw a 350 together and get about 300hp or so - nice little idle - So what heads/cam/intake/pistons(CR?) to have a nice little streetable 302? All the Mustang & 5.0 forums are very heavy on the EFI stuff, roller cams, various trick aluminum heads and all that -

Any input?

 

Do everything the EFI boys do, but drop a Weiand Stealth & a 670 Avenger on it.

You can search for any character string by using google like this:

302 site:jalopyjournal.com

 

Leave the bottom end alone, GT40 heads, somewhere around a .500 lift cam, 650cfm carb, done. Should be good for around 300-350 on a budget. Other than that, like Ernie said, do everything the 5.0 guys do. If it works, they've done it.

 

302 will make a great engine. Easy on the budget and easy on parts. Just go through the short block like standard rebuild. We like to tweek the balance on the rotating assem. Take the heads to a good head shop and have 351 valves installed in them,makes a ton of difference,if your into a little porting remove the smog bump from the exhaust,install good valve springs,roller tip rockers like comp magnums,and a comp XE262H-10 camshaft. Use this format and it will scream and not be too hard on the gas pump either. We build this combo all the time>>>>.

 

FORD 302 BUILDUP
I've found a 289 blockand a 302 crank and
rods for my 66 Mustang, I would like to build
this Ford engine to make about 350 hp. With all
the changes and broad choices of what to put in
for performance, I would like to know your rec-
ommendations for building it -pistons, heads,
cam, intake, and carb. No stroker kit!


Drop 302 Ford rods and crank in a 289 block
and you end up with.., well, a 302. You need to
order 302 pistons, not 289 pistons. Modern
aftew market aluminum heads will run rings
around old iron heads. The Ford Racing
GT-40, Edelbrock Performer RPM, and Airflow
Research (AFR) heads will get the job done in
your application. Personally, I have seen very
good results with the AFR 165cc Outlaw
Street/Strip cylinder heads with 58cc cham-
bers and 1.900/1.600-inch valves-they're
worth 60-80 hp over classic musclecar era
Ford heads.
Shoot for a true 10,0:1 compression ratio
with aluminum heads and pump premium gas.
With a 0.030-inch overbore (306.1 ci), Probe
PM 10682-030 forged pistons (-4cc dish), and
Fel-Pro Performance MIS head gaskets (PN
1133 0.040-inch compressed thickness, 9.0cc
compressed volume) deck the block to yield a
-0.005-inch deck height (at TDC the piston is
above the block deck). With 58cc chambers,
this produces 9.96:1 compression while still
leaving 0.035-inch piston-to-head clearance.
Be sure to check piston-to-valve clearance.
A hydraulic flat-tappet cam gets thejob done
at this power level. (you're running an auto-
matic trans, look at Comp Cam's Xtreme Energy
XE2S2H (262/270 degrees advertised dura-
tion, 218/224 degrees duration at 0.050-inch
tappet lift, 0.493/0.500-inch valve lift with
1.60:1 rockers, 110-degree L0A). With a stick,
step up to Comp's XE2SBI-I [268/280 degrees
advertised, 224/230 degrees at 0.050,
0.509/0.512-inch lift, 110-degree L0A).
On the intake side, bolt on an Edelbrock
Performer RPM dual-plane (PM 7121) or RPM
Air-Gap [PN 7521), fed by a 650-cfm Holley
double'pumper (PM 0-4???C) or equivalent
carb. Points are dead-use an electronic igni-
tion system such as an MSD Street Pro-Billet
distributor (PN 8479) triggered by an MS0 6A
box (PN 6200). Install headers with no larger
then 1%-inch primary tubes, such as Hooker
PM 61XIHRK [1.625 x 30-inch primaries into
3x10-inch collectors).
Make sure you getthe right balancer and
flywheel or flexplate for your 302 crank. Differ-
ent amounts of unbalance have been used
overthe years. Most `80-and-earlier 302s
require a 28.2-ounce unbalance, the same as
the 289. This combo should make 375-400 hp.
Good luck!

Note I built a 302 close to this and it really does produce power!

 

As the others have said, it's pretty straigh forward.
The SBF is sensitive to heads, I'd use the X303 GT-40 head (uses 1.94 intakes and 1.54 exhaust), E303 hyd cam, around 9.0 to 1 compression, MSD ignition with A6L box, roller rockers,equal lenght headers, intake and carb are up to you, but this motor will run on 87 octane and produce somewhere in the 300 to 340hp range.
Remember, the heads are probably the key factor to making power with a stock 302 without
going to a stroker.

IMHO

 

he is right on the money for the intake. ive built small motor fords in every configuration there is and a 300hp motor is an easy task to hit. stay away from comp cams, and keep with the Motorsports cams. the combo i would use would be a 89-93 5.0 block (already set up for a roller)punch it out to .030, an E-303 cam, crane roller rockers (the factory 93 cobra ones will fit under the valve cover) Gt 40 heads(cast) with a mild match port and polish ( the heads are readily available in the Explorers with a 5.0) run 11.5:1 compression slugs, Match port and polish the Weiand Stealth intake to match the heads. (hands down the best intake to run on the street) and on the exhaust ports open them up a little and take out the tit on the inside of the port. that will really free up some ponys.

the last small motor i put together was a all aluminum Motorsports 427 with a paxton supercharger with 18lbs of boost. in a 92 notch back Stang it put down a little over 1700hp on the chassis dyno spraying 800HP!! he runs in the 10.5 tire class and its a 6 second door slammer. i am wanting to build a World Products Man o'War small block, you can take them up to 470 cubic inches!

 

I'm working on a similar combo right now. I already have a rebuilt 5.0 long block purchased. It has the stock E7TE heads on it and I'm going to have a buddy do some port work on them. I have an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake and 650 carb. that I'll be using. Most likely will use 5.0 Mustang shorty headers. I'm still doing research on what cam to use. I'm also thinking around .500 lift, but I need to be careful with the duration, to keep good low-end torque - going in a fairly heavy car.

With the heads cleaned up, I'm thinking that combo should be good for around 300 hp.

Malcolm

 

oh and the nice thing about my set up is that you can build it for around a grand if you do most of the work yourself.

 

Should be, the E7TE heads are the best out of the "stock" heads not including GT-40s. GT-40s can be had fairly cheap on ebay and in junkayrds, like mentioned above on. My setup for my '51 goes as follows: '72 302 +.040, coated flattops, .512 lift/280* dur, cast GT-40 heads with 1.6 roller rockers, double springs, Edlebrock Perf, 650 cfm. I'm putting a T5 behind it with a fairly steap rear so 1st gear should be all smoke. Should be around 350 horse with around 9.5:1 comp on pump gas.

 

Paint it orange and put the distributor out back. That'll make it go fast.

 

ouch!!!

 

Paint it orange, it makes it easier to hook a chain to it under water to hold your boat.

 

AFR heads are the best available. Use 165s to lean toward the 300hp goal, or 185s to lean toward 350.

Most cams are pretty well figured out. I like the TFS cams. They sound good and make nice streetable power. Stage I for your 300hp goal, Stage II for 350.

Weiand Stealth intake is indeed the best around. Use it.

As for the shortblock, any well-rebuilt 302 will hit the goal reliably. The '85+ roller cam blocks are good because, well, they have roller cams. But they have really weak castings that fail at high RPMs and around 450hp. Taking them out to 4.030" bore tends to make them run hot. They're also 50oz imbalance which is a little heavy IMO.

You would be better off finding a late '60s 302 or 289, as they use 28oz imbalance (less rotating mass + high rpm = good) and you can usually take them out .040 if needed. Good luck!

 

Heads are the key as others have said .I switched the the smog 87 model heads on my 302 thats in my Ranchero to a (used) but rebuilt set of edelbrock aluminum heads and added a Msd 6al and went from running a 14.49 to a 13.59 in the 1/4 .It also made the motor go from running 190 degrees to 180 .If you look you can find used aluminum heads for sbf cheap and you can always paint them if you dont like the look of the aluminum...

 

Agreed!

After doing a bunch of reading and looking around on Corral.net, that's the conclusion I came to. The Trick Flow Stage 1 cam is very popular and well-liked. Here's the specs on the Summit website:
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=tfs-51402000

There were alot of guys that didn't like the Ford Motorsport cams, saying there are way better choices out there. I tend to agree....

 

Good luck sorting thru all the info. I would use a set of flat top pistons, your choice, arp rod bolts balance, hi vol oil pump, a set of the 65 289 heads with the slots ,so you don't have to use guide plates. a chet herbert cam 475 Int, 500 Ex with a adv 275/285 duration, along witha edel f4b clone of the cobra,ford,shelby intake ,or an rpm. I would use a autolite carb from a 65 must 1.08. i have run a 14.0 at 100mph in the 1/4 with this cheap combo. the later heads are a good choice, with the larger valves. so many eng builders, so many combos. best of luck.

 

I used a '97 5.0 out of an Explorer in my '63 Ranchero. It had 6,000 miles on it so I left it alone internally. I installed a Stealth intake, a 600 CFM Holley, Tri-Y's and a points triggered MSD. The power goes back through a T-5 with a 3.27 geared 8.8 rearend, and I am grinning every time I drive it. In a far lighter '32 Ford this combination would be awesome.

 

I have a 93 HO, I tookoff the EFI and put on a carb. And a dist. I have been told that I should change the drive gear on the dist?

 

Yep. Need a cast steel gear for the roller cam...

 

Thank you.

 

wILL IT RUIN THE CAM OR THE DIST GEAR.

 

The dist gear if anything. It is bronze on the dist you used, but I have heard of people running them wth no problems.

 

Yes but the metal particles are now in your oil...

Didn't mention bronze - that's not really for street use anyway. Go to Ford, buy the correct gear.

 

Thanks I think I have the HO DISTaround some place I will know it when I see it. It has the ford cover on it. I will try to use that gear.

 

Sorry TIM DAVIS for hijacking your thread.

 

The HO distributor gear might be too big...but definitely worth checking. I think they changed the size of the shaft for the HO distributors at some point, but I'm not sure when...or even if, really.

 

www.fordmuscle.com plenty of info there!

 

Not going to bust anyone's chops, but I see a lot of information in this thread that isn't entirely true regarding heads.

If you are on a budget and looking for a factory head, get the GT-40P heads over the GT-40's. Factory in 97 and later Ford Explorer/Mercury Mountaineer. Slight differences, but really these are the best flowing factory Ford head ever produced. You can usually pick up a set for about $350 a pair used. They do not have the thermactor bumps the E7TE heads have. E7TE heads aren't a terrible choice if you are on a really tight budget. You can pick them up dirt cheap or free usually. Most Mustang guys swap them out for something better and have them laying around. There is tons of data backing this all up. Google "GT40p heads"

 

Why stop at 300hp? Why not push close too or just over 400hp? On a stock 5.0 cam. On a near 100,000 stock 302" shortblock. Without nitrous. On 87 octane fuel.

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/116_0307_ford_302_v8_engine_buildup/index.html

If you want a nice little rumpty rump idle put a TrickFlow TF1 camshaft in it. you'll make about the same power or slightly more and it'll sound like a mild hot rod. A 400 hp mild hotrod...