Hello. This is my first post and would like to take a second to say HI.

I have a 1997 F150 (4.2L-V6) that has blown it's second head gasket. It blew up at 40,000 miles and had it rebuilt on Ford's dime and I got 135,000 out of my rebuilt motor but it died last week (180,000 miles total). Apparently, there was water sitting on the piston when I went to start it and it bent the crankshaft causing the #4 piston skirt to bottom out on the crank journal.

Anyway, after doing some numbers crunching, I've decided that I'd like to replace the "bad design" v6 with a nice 302 crate motor. I know there is ALOT of upgrading that needs to be done but I think it would be a better option since this is my daily driver. I've always dreamed of setting it up for a V8 and I guess now's my best opportunity. I've been reading for a couple of weeks now and can't seem to get the answer I'm looking for, so I thought I'd give you good people a try!

My question is this:

Since I'm to assume that entire wiring harness and motor/tranny combo will need to be replaced, how do I go about finding the right one?

I will check back regulary with answers to any questions you have.

Thanks in advance!
insta

 

The easiest, but not necessarily the best would be to go carbed with a DUI (davis unified ignition). Its a simple hookup that uses an hei distributor.

Now if you wanted to go efi, painless wiring has a ford controller that you just plug and play.

Part number Part# 65120 is for the pre 94 injection and part# Part# 65121 is for 94 and 95.

http://www.painlessperformance.com/w...rchField=65120

If you are going to do this swap, emissions needs to be a concern as well as hp. I suggest if you are ok with blowing your emissions, dont go with a stock 302 unless its out of a mustang. Stock 302's are dogs IMO, they are so choked down from where they could be. Under 200 hp for everything but the mustang application.

There are a bunch of companies that put out good crate motors. DSS racing is one of them. Glance through a mustang mag and get some ideas.

If you dont have a jegs and/or a summit racing catalog, you need to get one. The other challenges you will have are motor mounts, however a welder can fix nearly all mounting issues.

Do some searches on here as there is a lot of good info and note your sections, this is a wiring section. Since the 97 didnt come with a 302, a 4.6 or 5.4 would be a more plug and play type of swap for your body style. Not sure if any of this would be financially feasable, but if you enjoy the project, it might be worth it.