Stock 69 302

[TheMetriX]

I need some help with upgrading my engine. I think a rebuild and some mods is the best way to go, rather than with one of the crate options. Maybe it'll be cheaper, but I'm just doing research right now. Other things are happening to the car right now anyway.

I'd like to have more "get up and go," but I'm not going to be racing the car; I'd just like to throw myself back in my seat from time to time. So what basic upgrades besides a better camshaft and its associated goodies can I expect to mesh well with this engine. I'm planning on just going with a port/polishing on the stock heads, but we'll see what happens when they're off the engine. I think a valve job is in order as well.

I've searched and have come to where I'm at now, so if you have any pointers, they'd be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Headers and dual exhaust go with saying.

 

[mj440]

dual exhaust and hedders will help wake up the motor, I would say a mild cam 1,500 to 5,500 rpm range, a nice dualplane 4 barrel intake like a edelbrock performer rpm and a 600 cfm carb. Also stock heads would be fine for what you want. A valve job is a good idea and if your going to get some porting done at least grind out the knuckle in the exhaust ports. I would also say get the heads decked .020 to .030 to add alittle more compression, but shaving anymore than this you would need to deck the intake to match. Also convert over to electronic ignition and an MSD 6a box is awesome for everyday performance. This would give you a nice low end to mid range power band and do some good burn outs.
Good luck

 

[geostang351]

What about rear gears? If you make those steeper, that should help. What do you have now?

 

[LMan]

4-bbl carb, intake, set timing/ignition, deeper gears. See where you are at that point. You feel a lil more ambitious, home port your heads.

Want to go farther, then cam + head change.

 

[TheMetriX]

I don't know much at this point, I'm just looking toward the future. I'm going to do the suspension, and the granada swap right now.

mj440: I was thinking of going with those things.

Maybe by spring time I'll have the funds to do this. I think after I complete the suspension, I'll look into the rearend situation, and then maybe the interior/wiring.

Anyway thanks for the help.

 

[D.Hearne]

As far as ignition goes, simply replacing the points with an electronic conversion kit goes a long way with a stock to mild engine. Pertronix, Pertronix II, Crane HI-6, etc. are all good choices in the stock distributor. And a good hotter coil to match. This won't set you back $400+ dollars for something like an MSD system. The extra cost for that is something that you'll never feel in the seat of the pants meter, other than your wallet being thinner.

 

[mj440]

sound like you already have the basic idea of what you want to do.

D. Hearne all he needs is a stock electronic distribitor and a MSD blaster 2 coil and MSD 6a box which can be picked up used on ebay for less than $75.00, which is way cheaper than Crane or Pertonix.

 

[bnickel]

sound like you already have the basic idea of what you want to do.

D. Hearne all he needs is a stock electronic distribitor and a MSD blaster 2 coil and MSD 6a box which can be picked up used on ebay for less than $75.00, which is way cheaper than Crane or Pertonix.

huh? the crane and pertronix are both less than 100 bucks each, i think both can be found for about 65-70 bucks at summit, the blaster coil itself is almost 50 bucks, plus the $75 (or more) for a USED msd 6al box, not to mention the cost of a rebuilt duraspark distributor which is generally 75-100 bucks by itself, no way i would buy a used distributor, myself, since there is no tellin what kind of parts would need to be replaced. true, you might get lucky and find a good one from a low mileage engine but not highly likely.

 

[D.Hearne]

sound like you already have the basic idea of what you want to do.

D. Hearne all he needs is a stock electronic distribitor and a MSD blaster 2 coil and MSD 6a box which can be picked up used on ebay for less than $75.00, which is way cheaper than Crane or Pertonix.

A couple years ago, I had a kid ask me what to do with the ignition on his Fox Body Stang. I told him to leave it alone. He didn't listen of course, buying into the advertising and peer pressure to spend the big bucks for a complete MSD ignition system. That set him back over $400. I asked him a few months after he'd installed it what the difference was between it and the stock Duraspark II the car came with. His reply was a frown on his face. then he told me he should have listened to what I'd told him and spent the $400 somewhere else. For a mild motor, all the wiring and setup of an MSD system just isn't worth the trouble in my opinion. And when you buy something like that used, you'd be lucky to get all the instructions and other info to make the install easier. I've used the Pertronix I & II and the Crane XR-1 and they're all simple two wire installs and work perfectly up to 7500 rpms in a stock rebuilt distributor.

 

[TheMetriX]

Just making sure I'm not crazy.

 

[mj440]

guys all this is good advice I'm sure, but your missing my point you can find stock ditributors for almost free and there is hardly anything to a distibutor to go wrong, even a junkyard one works fine just avoid discount auto or autozone reman crap. Then an MSD blaster 2 coil used is any where from 10-30 bucks and a msd 6a or 6al box used is anywhere from 25 - 60 bucks. dirt cheap and all this can be wired in less than 30 minutes, cake.
I've never had a problem with any of these and have had these in cars for over 5 years with no problems. I'm sure Crane and Petronix are fine too but no reason to get defensive, I'm just trying to help with the cheapest and best I've learned, but to each his own.

 

[bnickel]

guys all this is good advice I'm sure, but your missing my point you can find stock ditributors for almost free and there is hardly anything to a distibutor to go wrong, even a junkyard one works fine just avoid discount auto or autozone reman crap. Then an MSD blaster 2 coil used is any where from 10-30 bucks and a msd 6a or 6al box used is anywhere from 25 - 60 bucks. dirt cheap and all this can be wired in less than 30 minutes, cake.
I've never had a problem with any of these and have had these in cars for over 5 years with no problems. I'm sure Crane and Petronix are fine too but no reason to get defensive, I'm just trying to help with the cheapest and best I've learned, but to each his own.

guess you've never had a distributor go bad before. i have had a few from the likes of bad bushings, bad reluctors wheels etc. i have been using a mallory unilite conversion for years with no trouble except for a few popped modules early on because i wasn't grounding them right, but all were replaced under warranty. the new accel conversion is the exact same thing as the mallory unilite kit just with the accel name instead of mallory and is a whole bunch cheaper to boot. the point is that any of these are under 100 bucks are most are under 75 bucks, a whole lot less than a cobbled together system from used MSD parts. don't get me wrong i have nothing against MSD at all, in fact i would love to have an MSD 6AL and blaster II coil with an MSD or even a stock duraspark distributor, but i'm not going to start buying used parts to get it.

 

[Max Power]

DHearne, the MSD website has downloadable PDFs of all their manuals and instructions online. There are many legitimate reasons not to bother with a cd box, but in 2006, lack of information is not one of them.

mj440, where are all these cheap used coils and boxes that you spek of? I sure haven't seen it, but of course, I have never searched on ebay for used coils. Actually, given their penchent for failure, buying ANY used aftermarket ignition components gives me the willies.

 

[D.Hearne]

DHearne, the MSD website has downloadable PDFs of all their manuals and instructions online. There are many legitimate reasons not to bother with a cd box, but in 2006, lack of information is not one of them.

mj440, where are all these cheap used coils and boxes that you spek of? I sure haven't seen it, but of course, I have never searched on ebay for used coils. Actually, given their penchent for failure, buying ANY used aftermarket ignition components gives me the willies.

I here you on the PDF downloads, but I too, like you, don't care to buy used ignition parts. I've used some stuff that came with other parts deals, but never bought used ignition stuff outright. And I just never felt the need for spark boxes, I saw plenty of these boxes go bad, giving the owners fits, to want to use them when I had a simpler choice. Even in my 331-sixpack all I used was a rebuilt points distributor fitted with the Pertronix II, a Mallory Promaster coil, and Ford 9mm wires. This combo has never let me down. I used the same parts in a previous 302 that was rev'd to 7500 rpms and that too was all it needed.

 

[mj440]

DHearne, the MSD website has downloadable PDFs of all their manuals and instructions online. There are many legitimate reasons not to bother with a cd box, but in 2006, lack of information is not one of them.

mj440, where are all these cheap used coils and boxes that you spek of? I sure haven't seen it, but of course, I have never searched on ebay for used coils. Actually, given their penchent for failure, buying ANY used aftermarket ignition components gives me the willies.

here is a 6a for cheap
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MSD-6A-MULTIPLE-SPARK-DISCHARGE-IGNITION-MODULE-NR_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33689QQihZ007QQitemZ170026955531QQrdZ1

and coil
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MSD-BLASTER-2-COIL-P-N-8202-uesd_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33689QQihZ009QQitemZ190027860688QQrdZ1

 

[Max Power]

As I said, I never searched ebay for used coils. New ones are only $45, so I wouldn't risk buying used.

 

[Z06killinSBF]

Heck, I have a Mallory dual point dist I'll sell ya. Nothing wrong with it. I upgraded to a Unilite for better reliability while I was in school.

 

[TheMetriX]

This was just to get some ideas, and make sure I was headed in the "right" direction. I probably won't be tearing into the engine untill spring. The engine runs fine right now, but is in need of a rebuild.

I want to get other things done before I do the engine. I find it funny when I see things like fancy new rims on a "beater." Another funny thing is when someone has a lowered (too much for street use) car with those bumper kit things (think they're called ground effects) that are hanging by a thread because they've caught it on something.

No offence to anyone's comments, I appreciate the help, but I'm just saying "first things first." I want to put in the research time before I do anything. Its like that saying, "measure ten times and cut once."