Does anyone have a "map" of a 289/302 intake? Basically, I need to know what each of the holes in a Ford intake are for. Or how I can tell which are vacuum ports and which are water ports? I have a Edelbrock Performer intake. Due to the size of the HEI-style distributor I have, the water temp sender is in the way. There are 2-3 ports in the rear half of the intake that are about the same size, so I'm thinking I could move the sender back there where there's a LOT more room, maybe move the 90* water elbow, too... but I need to know which holes are vacuum, water, etc.
The coolant temp at the back of the heads will be lower than at the front of the heads...coolant flows to the back of the block, then up to the heads, where it gets heated as it moves forward. There are usually no water p***ages at the back of the manifold, only the front, where the crossover p***age and thermostat are.
If it's off the motor, run water or air through the hole and see where it comes out. If it's on the car, remove the plug and if it starts to leak, it's water. If it doesn't is vacuum. Not being a smart ***, it's just the easy way to tell.
I had this same problem with my 302 with the wires from the HEI hitting the water temp sending unit. I just lifted the wires out of the notch in the dizzy housing and let them sewing free as I timed the engine, when I had all the timing set, the dizzy was in a place that allowed the wires to just barley clear the water temp sending unit and I just tucked them back in to the notch on the housing where they belonged.
Hmmm...I guess fords are different than Chevys...anyways, if this is your intake then the two threaded holes in the p***age at the back are coolant, as are the two in the front p***age. You should be able to use the one on the lower left corner or upper left in the picture for the temp sender.
In that pic, there are 3 threaded holes at the rear. I'm guessing the one that up on the riser leg is vacuum and the other 2 are coolant then? Why use the HEI design? Well, the performance numbers looked good, it already had the right gear, I read some great reviews on it, and it cost about half what other, smaller electronic distributors cost.
Mine does, too. I think I'm trying to make too many things work. I have the fan temp switch in the thermo housing, the water temp gauge sender in the lower left port, and a heater hose outlet coming out of the upper left port (by the distributor). If I put the heater hose in the back... or was able to screw the sender down a couple of more threads, I might be ok.
you should be ok with the heater hose at the back, lots of later models are made like that. I'd keep the temp sender at the front....so it actually tells you something useful...
Thanks! Does it make sense for me to have the fan switch in the thermostat housing? It's supposed to kick the fan on at 185. I figured that when the thermostat opens at 185, it will immediately kick the fan on.
That does make sense, yes. I'd probably run a higher temp switch, so you don't run the fan until it's actually needed. Maybe 10-15 degrees higher than the thermostat.
I think HEI's look plain stupid on any motor.....at least on a Chevy they're located at the back of the bus where they belong. Having an HUGE HEI sitting in the front of the Ford motor is gonna look like a wart on the brides nose.....same goes for the 'wide cap' equipped Duraspark distributors as well. If your on a budget why not use a reman points dizzy and an electronic conversion? Ford advance curves are easy to change so they can be dialed right in and the Pertronix, Accel or Mallory conversion units drop right in without issues. ....just a thought. -Bigchief.
well, I already have it, so it's too late for that... besides, it's in an Econoline, so no one but me will ever see it. It's not like it's a hood popper motor... even if I could
I have two 302's. One I put a Weiand intake on and it has an extra coolant port. The other I used an Edelbrock on and it doesn't have one. So I changed the thermostat housing to one that has a threaded port in it. Joe
It turns out that this is the manifold I have... and it's an EGR manifold... not the non-EGR manifold I thought it was. The 2 rear ports are filled with pipe plugs and I haven't had much luck removing them, but they're probably not water anyway. (?)
The 2 all the way on the right in the above pic? Not the 2 bolt holes, but the other 2 are coolant ports. The one to the left is vac***. The 2 all the way in the front are coolant as well. The manifold above isn't an EGR manifold.
Nope...that IS a water cross-over and there's water under the two plugs at the back of the manifold. The two plugs up front are also on a water cross-over. The only plug with a vacuum source on this manifold is the one on the runner just ahead of the two plugs on the rear water cross-over. -Bigchief.
bam! According to Edelbrock, it is an EGR manifold... but mine doesn't have the hole in the carb base, so I don't really know what mone is. Just an early 302 intake they don't make anymore, I guess.
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