Hello all, I have returned from a hiatus... Update and Questions

As the thread title suggests, this is my first post in quite some time so hello old friends! I am to be returning from a deployment and when I get back, I plan on doing an overhaul on the II. To catch everyone up, I bought a II that sat in a yard since '03 and worked for months getting it running again which came with its own set of (mostly electrical) issues. The most recent update I have on the car is that even after putting in a new thermostat and hoses, the car overheats after two minutes or so of idling and struggles to run past idle due to the crappy VV carb (cannot be replaced in favor of a 2100 or 2150 because it is California spec and therefor the EGR blocks the larger carb...I have tried).

THIS IS WHERE I AM AT WITH IT:
I now want to save my time and am no longer interested in trying to rebuild an 86 horsepower engine that has a crappy carb. I have decided that putting in a mild 302 will give me everything I want out of the car. I say mild because I do intend on keeping the C4 and possibly rear end. My question is this: If i grab ANY 302, would the bellhousing pattern be the same? If not, what years would I need to be looking for? I am already tracking that I need the II specific 302 oil pan to deconflict with the steering rack. Additionally, I want to convert from DuraSpark II to a conventional electronic ignition (HEI Distributor) so if anyone could provide links or insight it would be much appreciated. Ill send update pictures and start a build thread for the car when I officially get back.

Thanks all,
Jack Holloway

Blackhawkxx said:

I'm surprised you don't want to use the DuraSpark II. They were also used in the carbed Fox's and always seemed to work well for me.

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One of the major issues I had with getting the car running in the first place was with the module and distributor so definitely want to go with just a two-wire set up if possible.