Need engine ideas for my 50 Ford for a cruiser

I have that XXX block with E7 heads but I will just use a mild can for a little more torque . Would like a Holley 550 to 570 cfm carb 4 bbl . That will be more than I will ever need to use on that engine . Heck a 500 cfm would probably be enough .
I see people over carb their engine so much and don't understand why they want such a big carb on a small cube engine !

On my other shoebox I want to build a gasser . Well today I picked up a complete straight axel with the brakes , drums , drag link , pitman are , steering box and about 3' of the steering , springs and shocks all for $100 ! I measured and the spring perches are 1/2" off . Not sure what it is from but the guy said it might be from a IH . It's a 5 lug so I don't know , but will fit very nicely .

Thanks again for all the ideas !

Retro Jim

 

holley carbs are great racing carbs,,,but are too simple/crude to get really good part throttle air/fuel ratio control.

there fore in daily driving they will not get as good MPG as a q-jet or a AFB/Edelbrock carb.

Why?? air flow controlled mettering rods,,,holley aint got em.

read this tech link befor you pick a carb

http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_new/mc/carbs_acc/pdf/carb_owners_manual.pdf

 

BEFORE you completly tear down your 302,,,measure the lift and duration, overlap, and lobe centers of stock ford cam.

if you install a cam with more overlap and with the intake valve closing later,,, you lose MPG on a street driven car.

remember you wanted maximum fuel MPG.

also you will have to recurve the distributor,,,many efi cars have the pcm advance the timing to almost 50 degrees under light cruising speeds. so run a adjustable vacuum advance unit.

 

Ford 300 ci inline six w/ tall gears.

Good WOW factor

 

They are nothing but gas hogs ! Never did like them when I worked for Ford and never will . Strong running 6 cyl but not good on gas at all .



Tricknology , I never use a stock distributor from a Ford . I know about having to have them recurved for EFI and cam .


When I rebuild a newer roller engine and I am not using the EFI then I rebuild it just like a carb engine and set them up that way . That is the way I will end up rebuilding it .
I also have a 1970 Ford 402 with a bad rod or wrist pin but the engine is good . I might rebuild that and use that engine .
I am also building a SBF gasser for my other Shoebox I have . So I can use that roller engine for that one also .

I guess with a heavy car I will go with the 302 and a 3 speed trans or a 3 speed w/overdrive SROD which I have sitting under the work bench . I know the SROD can't take a lot of torque but won't have that much anyway . If not I have another C4 sitting here to be used also .
I am just looking for the best mill to go with so I can start getting all the parts when i find them cheap and put aside till I start the build .
thanks for all the help !

Retro Jim

 

I'd say buy a Honda civic and forget about it.

 

Too tall of rear gear can make around town mileage less because the engine has to work harder accelerating. I think your idea for a roller 302 with smaller carb around 500-550 max cfm rating, stay out of the secondaries will work good. While you have the engine apart, if you take it to bare block, zero deck it and shave the heads to get compression up to about 9:1 so you can still use cheap gas. Use headers and good flowing exhaust. For trans, a T-5 would be nice and easy enough to get the parts from a 5.0 Mustang, but since you have the SROD, that should be good enough. The 2.79 would be nice to be 3.00-3.25 range. Manual trans is slightly better for power losses than auto, which means better mileage. A tall rearend gear is harder to get started with slipping the clutch. AOD trans will tolerate the taller rear gear due to torque converter multiplication. If you run auto, make sure to keep the converter lockup.

I really don't think a 200 six would get that much better mileage than a good designed 302. The 302 will have a lot better sound, which is an important factor to consider.