Lifespan of 5.0L engine?

a91what said:

11 year old thread...

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Just saw that. Makes me wonder.

1. Does OP still have the car/motor?
2. Do they still run?

Anyway, since we're here...

Ford 302s are insanely tough. I've seen an F150 with one that was heat-seized twice that still ran. I had an idiot customer that wouldn't replace his radiator, he had it towed in because it "died and wouldn't start". Fired up on the first try for me, but the radiator was bone dry. Filled it with water and pressure-tested it, and it leaked, badly. Told him he needed a radiator and that I wasn't finding anything else wrong with it. He called me an idiot and picked up his truck. Had it towed BACK to me the next day with the same problem and the same bone-dry radiator. Fired up on the first try for me again, this time he let me throw the radiator in it. I test-drove it 100 miles (charged him time for it too) with the new radiator with no problems and he picked it up happy as could be, I saw it for routine maintenance the rest of the time I was at the shop (I think that's what saved the engine, he actually did take care of the truck).

I've pulled 100,000+ mile 302s out of the junkyard to rebuild, and have torn them down to reveal the crosshatch still on the bores and very little bearing wear, I've also pulled a 32,000 mile 302 out of a T-bird that needed to be bored out because it hadn't been maintained. They're very durable, and if you run a compression check and all is good, a cooling system pressure test and all is good, and it runs good and doesn't smoke? Quit worrying about it. They're tough, damned tough.