i have an 85 f150 that orginally had a 300 i6 in it but the motor was trashed so i bought a 302 after doing some research and heard the swap wouldnt be that hard, i have been working on cars and trucks for bout 4 years and figured i could handle this. I have been alright up until now, i was about to drop the 302 in the engine bay and i realize that the mounts that are on the engine do not line up with the brackets that the 300 bolted into. and i dont have any clue what to do, i have called around and everyone seems to not have any of the 302 brackets. i have been reading on here for a while as a guest and i came here first to see if anyone could help

 

are you using the 302 or the 300 mounts? what year 302? what exactly is causing them not to line up?(too far forward/backward, too much/little angle, too wide, etc)

 

I did the same engine swap 20 years ago with a 1980 F150 4x4. I6 to 302 from a Mustang GT(forget what year model 302). After it was done, I swore I would NEVER EVER do this again! Let me see if I can remember all the mods I had to go through.....
---If your 302 is a car motor, the casts on the block for motor mounts are probably different than a truck motor. I had to get engine stands (bolt to the crossmember. The motor mounts attach to them) for a V-8. One motor mount for a Mustang, one for a F150. Still didn't line up perfect, but I was able to get the motor in and bolted in.
---If manual tranny and non-hydraulic clutch....the threaded hole for the clutch linkage fulcrum point is a larger diameter than the 6 cylinder. You need new fulcrum point hardware.
---Lower radiator hose is located on opposite side of engine. You need 302 radiator and mounting hardware/brackets or you do creative plumbing work.
---If manual tranny, the flywheel for the 300 should bolt to the crank on the 302, but don't do it. It is balanced differently. You need a 302 flywheel.
---Pullies...You have to match up everything the same. Use all pullies (including the power steering, alternator, A/C, harmonic balancer, water pump, etc.) from same engine. Pully depth can vary between vehicles the 302 was put into. And you will have to use the water pump for the same engine as the pullies because there is a variance in neck length on water pumps depending on the engine and year model. The 302 was used in so many different applications that even though the "block side" of the pumps for the 302 are the same, neck length(read ..pullies and belt all matching up) varies.
That's all that comes to mind right away....but there was probably more problems. Feel free to e-mail me or post back if you have ??'s. I will gladly help if I can.

Good luck to you and I hope you do not have all the issues I did.

 

You have to swap the engine perches that are riveted to the frame. The I6 is 2 cylinders longer front-to-back than the V8, so it attaches to the frame 1 cylinder (~4") forward. The V8 perches rivet to the rear of the crossmember; the I6 to the top of it (right over the V8 oil filter hole). Just go junkyarding with a GOOD cordless drill, a BFH, some chisels & punches, prybars... And read this TSB:


Remember that you'll need a V8 radiator, too.

 

All you need to do is go to your local salvage yard and tell them you need motor mount brackets for a 302 out of an f150 from around the same model year. I got a set for the truck i put a 302 in for about 35$$. Dont be to worried this swap is eassy peezy. Who ever told you it was hard is lacking some capability because it took me no time to do it and im by far no genius but im not stupid either.

 

And if you run into problems with your radiator hoses not clearing your clutch fan. Take the clutch fan off and put a set of electric fans on there. it will make your life much easier. And if you dont want to run a toggle switch to your electric fans get a relay and thermostat trigger set up out of another car and wire it up. I got mine out of an mid 90's cavalier and it works d amn good... As for your pully situation just save your self the head ache and buy a serpentine kit for an early ninetys f150 and everything will line up perfect.

 

i have a radiator that will work, and as for the engine mount brackets which is where im stuck now, the ones from the I6 are too far apart for the 302, which is out of a 80 crown vic, so should i go for getting mounts for this year truck or go like RebelYell said and get one out of a mustang and one out of an f150. im having all kinds of issues with this and not only is it my senior project but here in about 2 months it will be all i have to drive. plus its my baby i want to see it back on the road.

 

you need mounts specifically out of an f150 from around the same model year....ones out of a mustang will NOT work. Been there done that lol.

 

Did you remove the I6 perches from the frame? Did you install V8 perches? Did you put truck engine mounts on the engine? It doesn't matter what year, as long as they're for '80-97 F-series 5.0L.



This is what you need:

If you want those, e-mail me thru my profile. But you should be able to find plenty in any junkyard.