302 Build Need Help

mikestang63 said:

Rule #1 in an engine rebuild is cleanliness. Rule #2 is checking and rechcking tolerances-even when a machine shop does the work. Rule #3 is to have the proper tools. Do you have dial bore indicators, calipers, micrometers, ring and bearing filers, piston install collars, good torque wrenches in ft and inch pounds, timing wheel, pushrod length checker, spring hieght checker, valve spring compressor, and engine stand? Rule #4. You need to know what you are doing and have a game plan. One example- I bet you are going to buy the bottom end kit before you have the block machined. What happens if the crank and main journals need to be resized. What size bearings did your crank kit come with?

Any reputable and quality bottom end kit is going to cost around $800-1500 unless you get some cheap, chinese, thrown in a box mismatched crap, Those Summit bargain kits are simply parts thrown in a box. Add in another $500 or so in machine shop work- magnaflux, line boring, cylinder boring, freeze and cam plugs, squaring the deck, installing the pistons on the rods, etc. Then add a few hundred more for the heads. The fact that you had a crankshaft laying on it's side and wanted to port E7's should make you think about this twice.

Best of luck to you though, If you want to tackle this yourself be prepared to spend twice as much as you think it is going to cost. Remember, you always have enough money to do it right the second Unless you are going to spend the money on a decent short block, you will end up spending more money than you think and still not get any more HP than a JY explorer motor. Hell, I'd say get an LMRS assembled short block for $800. At least they come with a warranty and supposedly are assembled by professionals.
Sorry if I come across as harsh. Not trying to- just seen this story about 1000 times.

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2000xp8 said:

Car-parts.com
Search 96-00 explorers 96/97's have cobra gt40 irons, 98-00 gt40p, me personally i'd take either, but people seem to like the P setups.
Sort by distance
Even here in NJ, they are cheap and we pay more for pretty much everything other than gas.
I bet if you started on an explorer conversion on Saturday morning, you could drive it to work on Monday.

Not sure if your last post was sarcasm or a joke about the douche bag thing, but I assure you, we are just trying to save you time money and headaches. Owning a fox for 20+ years (same one), I've made more than my share of mistakes mechanically and financially. Most of them, preventable.

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