2.3 TO 302 carbed swap HELP!!!!

well, you definetly dont need a diff driveshaft, thats for sure. go to corral.net, and im sure you'll get tons mre responces there.best of luck

It is best to get a donor car. You need the throttle cable, engine front dress, for ac, ps, alt, smog pump, as applicable. Rad hoses, heater hoses. Neutral start switch wiring, etc. You need to figure out the ignition, I recommend going to an old Duraspark 2 setup. I would try to go with a mech fuel pump or low pressure elec fuel pump and regulator. Not sure that stepping down from 40 to 7 psi works very well.

This swap can be done fairly cheap if you are on a budget and plan ahead.I swapped a 302 into my 86 Mustang and it probably didn't cost me more than about $300.I used a Mercury Zephyr for a parts car.That gave me a 302 with the proper oil pan and mounts and all the other assorted pieces like throttle linkage, hoses, Duraspark module etc.I used the Zephyr C-4 so my only extra expense there was a used aftermarket shifter.For my exhaust I picked up a set of factory Ford shorty headers and a used h-pipe, both of which can be found cheap when people are upgrading their parts.My car was already carbureted so I just had to hook the engine mounted fuel pump up to the factory fuel line so you are going to have an added expense there.I retrofitted the Duraspark module into my car but looking back I wish I had just hooked up a GM HEI module to the Duraspark distributor as the wiring is easier and it allows you to keep the stock TFI coil.A lot of times people do these swaps and they get taken over by the "might as well" syndrome, might as well buy an MSD,might as well rebuild the motor first,might as well get a full set of gauges, etc,etc and before long they lose interest as the project starts taking a lot more time and money than they had planned.I figured things would be a lot more fun if I just got it running first and then did all my upgrades later.

Sounds pretty good. All the front accessories will be the hardest to find with out a donor car. If you want a cheaper alternative to ignition. When I was talking to SUMMIT last night they told me about a HEI summit distributor for small block Fords with a roller cam. Part # is SUM-850020. it is $179.95 and has a built in coil. Sounded like a nice way to go to me. Just an idea for ya. Have fun with the swap!

One thing I figured out real quick is that all that little nickle and dime **** you dont really think too much about like accessory brackets and stuff will blow the budget fast. I would try to get a complete motor with all accessories on it and go from there rather than building up from a longblock or something like that.

I would not use the stock fuel pump. I know poeple have done it but I wouldn't. I have found a couple of different soultions as far as tank pickup goes and both worked really well. One one car I used the pickup from an earlier carbed car and on another I drilled a hole in the bottom of the tank and installed a fuel cell bulkhead. In both cases I used a Holly red pump. Not the best but its what I could afford and they work fine for modest power levels. I would also run a bigger fuel line that comes out on the passenger side of the engine compartment. You can use the factory fuel pump wiring but you need to splice a couple connections where the computer is to get power to it. I suggest curling up with a Chiltons and studying the wiring charts.

For a budget swap, I would go with an 85 5-speed distributor and do the HIE mod. You can do the whole deal for under $100 and it works well. The instructions are on my web page under tech. I didnt invent it and take no credit but I added a couple things I learned from when I did it.

You can use your 4 cyl trans and 7.5 rear but if you bolt on some sticky tires, you will probably start breaking ****. I do know you need a different pilot bearing but other than that I can say because I have never done it. You will need a double hump crossmember out of a V8 car.

You will need to fing a throttle cable and bracket from an earlier carburated car. Doesnt have to be a stang, keep an eye out for Fairmonts and the like.

You can keep the original brake lines but you will need to relocate it a bit because it occupies the space for your pass side muffler. You will need the exhaust hanger for that side also since the 4 cyl cars didnt come with it.

Alright, I alerady did this same swap. Actually sorry no, it was a 5.0 efi - carb swap...but same principle.

I would suggest buying a complete 1985-1988 motor. They will be cheaper because they are not EFI, and if they are, not Mass air. Get the complete motor with all the bracketry, and you will save yourself a headache down the road. If you find a 1985 motor it would be best, because it already would have the roller, carb distributor. Mine didn't so I used an MSD...if I didn't get it for free it would have beenpricey.

If you have any questions about the swap message me, I will be glad to help you out.

the rear end will hold fine i swapped my 306 combo in a 88 4 cyl vert with the stock rear end i did however swap in 3.73 gears and it was harshly abused daily i estimate my combo was around 325-350 hp and it held up.i would reccomend a holly red fuel pump instead of using the stock pump and tring to drop it down to proper pressure i kept mine regulated at 5 psi for daily driving and got better gas mileage then my new fi project.as far as ignition i used a stock ford dist with a msd 6al and a blaster coil easiest most effective way to go on a budget u can find msd 6a ignitions fairly cheap on ebay.i have a crapload of u can use the stock radiator also even though i chose not to i would reccomend a 180 t stat just dont over carb it a lot of people doing this conversion run a 750 or 800 carb and there is no point a 650 will do the job fine i ran a holley 650 double pumper and a wiend accelerator intake with a half inch spacer.i would suggest also to try and find a 8.8 posi as soon as possible cuz spinning one wheel like crazy is no fun lol.good luck man if you have any specific questions once u start dont be afraid to pm me.its a pretty easy swap.good luck