roller questions

streetdemon70

New Member
Apr 4, 2005
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I am wanting to pull the motor in my 70 and put in a roller block. Is there any one year that is better than the other that i should put in? also what will i have to modify or change for this to work? can i still use my distributor? will my 70 model C4 bolt up? Thanks for any help.
--A
 
streetdemon70 said:
I am wanting to pull the motor in my 70 and put in a roller block. Is there any one year that is better than the other that i should put in? also what will i have to modify or change for this to work? can i still use my distributor? will my 70 model C4 bolt up? Thanks for any help.
--A

Get one from a mustang, the casting will be E7TE or F1ZE. These include a spider and dogbones for the roller lifters. You really won't have to change anything, make sure you keep your timing cover so you can check your oil and plug up the hole in the block if it isn't already. If you have a windsor, the bolt pattern to the bellhousing is the same. Distributor yes if you have a 302 currently.
 
You could put a roller cam into your current block. They make a short version hyd. roller lifter to do this and it allows you to run a regular base circle roller cam vs. a reduced base circle roller cam with standard hyd. roller lifters. They cost about the same either way.
 
the best roller short blocks are from the 87-91 5.0 mustang since they had forged pistons. if you use your old dizzy you'll need to change the cam gear. also if you want to use your old pulley system you'll have to but a special harmonic balance that has the early bolt pattern but the late model 50 oz. balancing.
 
65fastback2+2 said:
is your 70 a 302 car?...you'll need a different flex plate for the c4 as well as a different balancer and dizzy cam gear.
65fastback2+2 is right on the money. I'm doing this swap right now. You need a 157 tooth flex plate with a 50 oz balance (the number of teeth need to match your current flex plate and the newer 302s require a 50 oz balance). The balancer also must be 50 oz - try to get that with the engine. You also need a steel gear in the distributor to match up with the roller cam gear.

If you want to use a mechanical fuel pump - this is the route I think is best - you need to pull the eccentric off the front of your cam (old 302) to run the fuel pump. The roller motor may not have one. My '89 motor didn't, anyway.

You also need to use your existing timing cover and your front sump oil pan. The foxes have a split front/rear sump that interferes with a classic Mustang crossmember. I used a 1/8" NPT tap and pipe plug to plug the old dipstick location. The hole in the block was a little oversized, but I think it's going to work. I also had to put a little bend in the old 302 dipstick tube to make it clear the alternator bracket from the roller motor. I heated the block and timing cover to remove/replace the dipstick tube - worked slick.

Edit: one other thing about the roller block that I got - it had two dowels in the timing cover. I had to buy a 1/2" diameter drill bit and counter bore two holes so that the old timing cover would fit onto the new block. You'll see what I mean when you have all the parts.
 
sounds like it would be easier to keep my current block then. What cam company and roller rockers and lifters would u go with? do i have to change my heads? sorry for the rookie questions just new to this
 
if you want to use a hyd roller cam, you can still use your block.
there are 2 methods:
1. buy crane linked roller lifters (~$400) and use any standard roller cam. done.
2. use late model stock roller lifters and holddown. use a reduced base circle cam.
 
I'd get an FMS conversion balancer, it lets you use all the 3-bolt pullies, and therefore all your brackets, and at $82, It's the cheapest I've seen. You can't use your flexplate, but a TCI unit from Summit is $65.
HTH
--Kylw
 
I used the serpentine belt system that came on the 5.0(I did delete A/C compressor, power steering pump, & air pump, Utilized a March A/C delete bracket)
No problem with the reverse flow water pump,cause I up graded to a 19x26" Northern aluminum rad at the same time. Aluminum & cross flow are much more efficent than the origional undersized rad.