Engine Engine rebuild suggestions

[2000xp8]

I'm not so sure i am overthinking it.
He said he wanted new parts, the smaller throttle body and meter aren't going to be much less money than the larger ones. Neither are the injectors.

Now i'm all for used parts if he's willing, but again, lesser parts aren't going to save much money.
About the only place there is money to be saved is the intake, but you already bought 185 afr heads, is saving a little bit of money really worth it?

 

[JulianR]

Just to clarify, from what I understand, just installing heads, lower and upper intake should work. Yes, I may not get full potential of the heads in terms of power, but it'll be drivable. Later, I can go in and update the TB, injectors and so on when I save up some more to get even more power. Correct?

 

[2000xp8]

Not sure anyone here can predict how it's going to run.
People who buy afr 185's don't randomly mix stock and mediocre parts.
That's the kind of thing people do with gt40 iron junk yard heads.

I can say with certainty that i would not do it.
IMO, wait and do it all at once.

 

[AeroCoupe]

I wasn’t going to rain on your parade but 100% agree with 2000xp8. Start hoarding parts and do it all at once. Will save you time and money. Buy the cam last as which one you get will depend on your pile of parts.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Cam will not cost you $1000. Good cam will run about $400 and you can reuse your roller lifters.

It can get up there if it requires spring upgrades to match the cam.

I think my custom FTI cam was $325 ($400ish now) and then there was the $400 spring package to go along with it. Throw in a good timing chain and new pushrods and there's your $1K cam swap. I know it can be done cheaper depending on the cam, but if he went with, say, GT40P heads, those springs aren't known to handle anything more aggressive than a stock HO cam.



I kinda agree with others here. Plan what you actually want, get opinions on what parts match and start hoarding and do it all at once. I stockpiled parts for my H/C/I build for about 3-4 years before I actually tore into the motor and installed them.

 

[LILCBRA]

Short and sweet.
Pull the engine, fix the leaks, clean up the engine bay, stuff it back in. Enjoy the ride. The reason here is KISS. Scope Creep is a real thing with cars this old. AND you probably don't have the experience and likely the budget to dig deaper into the engine.
This way you can fix the leaks and drive the car, in the mean time grab a 5.0 engine you can tear into and learn together with your son.
Free opinion from an older hot rodder.

Or, similarly, fix the leaks you can without pulling the engine, buy yourself a running 302, rebuild IT, then install it. That way you can enjoy the car even if it's still leaking and satisfy all of your desires. That would give you plenty of time to research different options and build it at a pace that you and your son can benefit from, both financially and mentally.

I still think you'll be better off going one of those routes.

To answer your last question: yes, it will work. But it most likely won't be much of an improvement above what you already have. This is why I gave my suggestion of building another engine and swapping the "old" one with the "new" one when it's done. Things can, and most likely will, come up and delay getting the car back together, which can be aggravating to say the least. So if you have the space available, I still suggest getting your hands on another engine and building it while you enjoy the car now.

 

[JulianR]

Well, seems like I'm starting my build today. Will begin the disassembly soon.

One question I couldn't find the answer to, how do I make sure the engine works once it's all back together? I had the plan to run it on the stand, but since it's EFI not Carb, it seems it's a lot harder to do.

Has anyone run a EFI 302 on a stand? Is there a writeup anywhere? Otherwise, if I need to test it back in the car-- how do I make sure it'll work while it's on the stand-- before I go through the work of installing it in the body?

Thanks again!
Julian

 

[Bullitt347]

Why would it not work?
You don't trust you can get it apart and back together correctly?
Take a lot of pictures during disassembly. They can be invaluable during assembly, especially if this is going to take some time. Take more pictures than you think is necessary, chances are, it is necessary.

 

[limp]

Buy this book.....

 

[General karthief]

CRS (can't remember )
Does it run good now?
Are you disassembling the engine?

 

[JulianR]

Yea-- it's my first time pulling an engine. I'm not supervised by someone who's done it. I will make mistakes. Just rather find out about it sooner than to have to pull the engine out again if it doesn't run. Perhaps besides running it on a stand-- is there any other things I can do or test that will tell me all is well to install back in the car and it should run?

I do have that book-- when I bought it, I looked it over and it didn't seem informative, but I'll look at it again. I also have the Ford shop manual for my year mustang-- the big red book, and of course YouTube

Yes- before pulling the engine the car was drivable and running.

 

[LILCBRA]

Can you spin the engine by hand? That will be indicative of anything interfering before you even attempt starting it. Did you ensure the distributor is installed in the correct orientation? Meaning cylinder 1 is at TDC of the power stroke and the distributor rotor is pointing at the #1 plug wire? And, just for clarification and your peace of mind, the cam is at least installed dot to dot on the timing gears? If so, you most likely have nothing to worry about as long as you followed torque specs with everything.

 

[AeroCoupe]

@JulianR - can you tell us your plan? That will help in providing guidance on the project. For example, if you are going to leave the cam in the short block and just change the timing chain and oil pump then help can start at that point. Also, are you pulling the motor out of the car or leaving it in? I will say that pulling it and putting it on an engine stand will make life easier in the long run.

 

[limp]

I do have that book-- when I bought it, I looked it over and it didn't seem informative, but I'll look at it again. I also have the Ford shop manual for my year mustang-- the big red book, and of course YouTube

I am 68 and I have done alot of engines just not a ford..... I found that book amazingly helpful... Full of torque specs, what to look for, assembly instructions... If your looking for " Hot Rod" magazine, I agree with you....

 

[limp]

5L5 on here suggested this video about camshafts to me.... I thought it was informative and I changed what cam I purchased after watching it... Maybe it can help you....

 

[JulianR]

Well, at this point my plan is pretty fluid At the very base, I'm pulling the engine, putting it on the stand and re-gasketing. Probably new rings as long as I have it apart, definitely new oil pump. For now, planning to not change the heads (unless the build is going pretty smooth, I find a deal or just in the mood ). Planning to keep the cam original. (yea, I like the loopy cam sound but not sure it's worth the loss of low end drivability and all the new hardware that goes with it.) I do plan to replace the timing chain while I have the engine out.

On the same note, I came across this site: https://proenginerebuilders.com/pro...ls_5-0l~hy_engine-rebuild-kits-overahaul-kits

Seems reasonably priced for getting an engine to relatively new condition. Is it worth it?

 

[LILCBRA]

You can probably get stuff cheaper depending on what you're after/what you'll need. But I'd hold out on stuff like that until after you have the engine out and torn down. That way you can inspect everything and make sure you won't need any kind of machine work done. It'd be a shame to spend money on new bearings or rings only to find out you need a different set.

or

 

[AeroCoupe]

Before you do all that have you done a compression test on the exiting motor? If not I suggest you do and post back the results. If the motor has good compression then there is not need to mess with the rotating assembly. I would suggest that if you are not going to swap heads then at a minimum put new springs on yours and if needd lap the valves and hope no new guides are needed. From there put it back together with a new timing chain and oil pump and enjoy.

 

[JulianR]

I did not do a compression test. I was planning to, but the battery was dead and when I charged it, it didn't hold a charge, so I figured I'll just start on the build rather than finding a new battery.

 

[AeroCoupe]

Buy a battery and do a compression test. Typically 100,000 miles on the factory low drag rings will still provide good compression. I am only saying this so that you do not spend a ton of money on sealing the motor back up. Get it drip free and running then if the power bug bites build a motor for it while it is running as has been suggested.