I heard a rattling/pinging noise in my engine so I took it in to the dealer to be checked out. Turns out, it's one of the piston rings, and the only way to fix it is to get my engine rebuilt My truck runs fine now, but there's no telling how much time I have left til it's starts to go, so I'm basically driving a time bomb. But, I always try to make lemonade when life hands me a lemon (not to sound corny or anything), but if something needs to be fixed or especially replaced, I at least gotta upgrade, right?! Make it better now than it was before. What's the point of spending all the money for nothing. So I figure, if I'm gonna need a rebuild, what are some things I can do to increase performance without sacraficing too much reliability? Any suggestions? I don't want a hot rod or anything, if they're gonna tear my enigne out, might as well make it run better the second time around, right? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

p.s. I have a 1990 F-150 302, with just over 90,000 miles on it. Personally, I give it 'til 100,000 miles til I really need to fix something, but you never know. It's never too early to start planning for something as serious as this!

 

Have you considered dropping in a 351W? Look at performance upgrades for the Mustang 302s. Upgrade your ignition to an MSD. Headers help a lot, you've got to get that beast to breath, heads will give you the most HP gain (if you can get them to breath properly) and that has to be supported by a sufficient fuel supply and fire power. You could also put on underdrive pulleys for HP gains, electric fans (remove your clutch fan), low restriction cats and muffler...

Good luck,
Slik

 

If you really want to save yourself some money, try to find a "take-out" engine, either a 351 or a 302. You might just want to find a 302 from a 1985-1993 speed density motor. I can bet you'll find a 302 cheap. My uncle has a 1980 F-150 4x4 with a 302 and a 4-speed granny, that he bought new. He found a 302 out of a 1980 lincoln that had 60k, swaped the intake and oil pan off the old 302 (the original had well over 200k and was worn out) and the total swap cost him about $450. The motor and installation. I can't say the swap would be easier on a efi engine, but if you can find a motor that has been out of a wrecked truck. It would be as simple as a swap in. I can guarentee you it would be cheaper than a rebuilt or even swapping to a 351.

Slik has it right ,aftermarket is better than stock. The problem with speed density is you'd have to get another computer to runa 351. If you do decide to swap for a 351, I think it would be cheaper to run a carb instead of a s/d/ system.

Any opinions?


[This message has been edited by Pastmaster (edited 06-09-2000).]

 

When I read your problem, the words: dealer, trust, and big $$$ went through my mind. Is there someone that could give you a second opinion, without telling them what you were already told? Somebody that can do a compression check, etc? Does the ping go away if you switch to mid-grade (89 Octane) gas?

 

Well, I am gonna get some other opinions. I'm gonna take my truck to some machine shops and see what they say the problem is. And yes, I do have a nice set of headers on there already, as well as a low restriction muffler with the mandrel bent pipes. Eventually, I definately want to get some high flow cats., and do something about increasing air flow in to the engine. But what are these underdive pulleys you speak of slik? What are their functions, and how much do they cost? Thanks again!

 

in-for-slik: Underdrive pulleys allow the engine to free up 25% hp. Accessories takeup power, the pulleys reduce the anount of spin they get. A set for a 302 is $84.95 from March in Summit racing. I can imagine you can get some a bit cheaper.

 

Thanks, Pastmaster, I've been away for a few days.

Slik

 

You know, I've heard that the air conditioner takes away some power. I've been thinking, it's been in the 100's here in California these past few days, and I haven't even been using my a/c! I just roll down my windows and open up my rear window (to get better gas mileage). Maybe it's just a waste of perfectly good power. If I take it out, will I get a little more power, and how hard is it to re-install if I want to sell it someday? Thanks in advance.

 

I don't know if you'd gain anything by removing the compressor and accessories or not. My 1983 F-150 had them removed by the previous owner, compressor was bad. If you do have them removed, you probably should have a professional remove the R-12 otherwise it will leak into the atmosphere. Bad news!