spinning off a previous thread... Im looking to wake up my Ford 302. It has currently a Edelbrock performer intake and 500 cfm Edelbrock carb and HEI dizzy. This was all put on back in late 2007... its run good.. but lately she's just needing a tune up. I've got a small leak at the rear of the intake where the gasket is seeping, and a carb flange hole that is stripped ( dunno how that happend-- hasn't been touched in years ) .. its boggin out, stumbling off idle, and I get a blehb blehb at times when you give it quick gas. I tried to tune it out.. no positive or negative outcome. Its been getting hard to start when it hasn't run in more than a day or so.. and I've always felt like she isn't giving it all shes got. Some guys I run with all attribute my issues to carb, intake and dizzy just getting flat before the motor is. . and the hard starting ( so says one guy is just a attribute of eddy carbs that have been sitting ) The motor is rebuilt - bored .60 over with a melling mtf1 ( basically an RV cam ) stock re worked heads.. ( i don't have funds for new heads) . . . heavy duty aluminum cooling, double roller timing and high flow oil pumps. The motor is healthy and makes good torque.. feels strong .. sounds strong.. but often at the top end it just doesn't act it. . . stock heads im sure aren't helping . . . and im running hd truck manifolds ( which I was told flowed well compared to stock options . . eh . . they fit, and the long tubes I ordered wouldn't. Shorty's would be nice if it would give me an improvement. I know I don't need a great big carb.. and I really tend to get lost in all the opinions on this topic.. but it seems that a WHoLE lot of folks like the Holley 570 carb, Edelbrock Air Gap Performer dual plane, and a summit or MSD ready to run dizzy. now I really don't mind my HEI distributer as far as performance and reliablity goes.. but I hate looking at it.. and I hate how tall it is making me run spacers to fit my air cleaner. other wise I'd keep it.. my philosophy here is im pulling it off anyway.. im a guy who likes to try new things ( as long as its better ) I might as well replace it with an upgrade and sell on the parts to someone else. Im hoping to soon swap out the C6 TCI trans for an AOD or even an overdrive 5 speed.. and up the gear in the rear. im too high right now at 2.75 ... but I cruise the roads, hwys, and interstates comfortably and it is peppy there.. not so much in town .. but till I find a good trans. . . . Thoughts on the Carb, intake, and distributer... would an ignition box be an improvement? or would a dizzy like the petronix with the ignitor 3 or 2 be better? open to ideas. I hear good things about the stealth intakes as well. i've got about 500 bucks to spend. I want to make it perform better, look better under the hood ( no spacers or big ol dizz ) be reliable, and not over do the engine.. but not under do it either. I like snappy not boggy.. and im kinda boggin right now. I know I can rebuild the carb... and repair the intake.. and if you guys think this setup should do me better than something else. I will give it a shot.
The Jalopy Journal
