ok, you really seem to want more power and we've explained your options out very clearly. So what is your budget?

 

With 270K on the clock, the last thing you should be concerned about is more power. 302s are good engines but that's over a quarter of a million miles. You need to be thinking about how to keep it alive and getting a plan in place to re-build it.

The re-build plan is the first time at which you should be thinking about performance and there you should be concentrating on building a bulletproof short block to form a platform for future mods.

 

You're 16 and need a truck to get you to and from school and/or work. Drop in a new long block and save your money.

 

all right well my budget is 3 grand, but i think i will wait till the engine is blown then i might drop in a 429 or 351 ( redone ) not quite sure yet. and one more question which is better carb or fuel injection? i really appreciate the help guys!

 

A 429 would be a bad choice. They make beaucoup HP but they're not really very good at low RPM torque. The 460 is built on the same block and does a far, far better job of getting things moving. Either of them will require some front suspension mods and a new tranny. The 351 is a much simpler swap. Rebuilding your 302 is simpler yet and less expensive

Converting an EFI truck to carb can be done but frankly it's probably too big a project for your skill set, stick with the EFI.

 

alright with the 302 all done up how much hp could you possibly push out of it?

 

it depends how far you want to go. I think if you buy the right parts you can easily see 300 hp at the crank. That would involve new heads and a good cam plus some headers so it can breath. Keep it EFI! no need to go messin with your fuel system. You can search the mustang sights for hp combos and you'll see how much money it will take to get your motor up to your desired power. Remember with more power you'll need to make sure you can stop fast too, and I'm pretty sure you need to check the suspension out. A good chunk of change will go into rebuilding it.

 

First of all forget about HP. What you need in a truck, or any street vehicle for that matter, is mid-range torque. Big HP numbers sound sexy but if you have to spin the pee out of the engine to see them, they're worthless on the street..

An example of a moderately built 302, from actual dyno runs on my Mustang a couple of iterations back:

Stock short block printed and balanced
Prepped "3-line" GT-40 iron heads
GT-40 intake and T/B
Ford Racing Cobra processor and 24# injectors
Ford Racing shorty headers
Underdrive pullies
Crane 2030 cam and kit
Ford Racing timing chain
Crane 1.6:1 roller rockers
Stock cats
Dual 2.5" Dynomax cat-back
Crane Hi-6 ignition and PS-92 coil

270 RWHP @ 5000 RPM (roughly 310 HP @ the crank)
318 ft-lbs @ 3800 RPM

Since then it's gotten a lot stronger but the additional 30-40 HP it has in its current form cost disproportionately more

For a truck engine there are some things, I'd probably do differently.

Instead of the GT-40 manifold, I'd probably either prep the stock truck manifold or go to the Edelbrock truck EFi manifold and use one of their slightly larger (54mm??) throttle bodies. (There's lots of debate as to whether the Eddy actually gives you any gains on a 302.)

Instead of the dual 2.5" cat-back, I'd go with a single 3"

Crane has gone out of business but Summit still has some Hi-6 s on the shelf but they won't be available forever, so I'd probably be looking at an MSD Digital 6-Plus ignition

Crane 2030 camshafts and roller rockers are gone too. I'd look at something like the Crower 15916 "Torque Beast" in a flat tappet or their 15510 roller. Both emphasize low to mid-range torque over high RPM HP and both work very well in a truck. For roller rockers I'd use either the Crower or the Harland Sharp versions.

None of this should break your budget and it will give you way more usable performance than a stock 302, or one built to deliver beaucoup HP.

 

alright thank you for all your help. i will be posting some pics of my truck that i got for 400 bucks.

 

I agree with Ranger on most accounts. That build he listed would be decent for performance as well as being decent on your wallet.

He listed the things that needed to be changed for a truck engine. I would add that I would skip underdrive pullies on a truck, especialy if you plan on running lights or anything else that would put extra strain on the charging system.

The myth about the Edelbrock intake for the 302 is true. Nothing is gained from going from stock to aftermarket. The 351 sees an improvement from this, but the 302 stock intake flows plenty.

When choosing a cam be sure to not go below 114* LSA.

Converting from EFI to carb would be time consuming and pointless. Dont mess with something that works.

For exhaust, I would do a set of shorty headers -> Bassani y-pipe with high flow cats -> choice of muffler -> single 3" exhaust pipe.

Ranger, why would he need to swap trannies for a 460? Regardless if the truck is auto or manual, an E4OD should be an E4OD, and an engine from a truck with a ZF5 should bolt to a M5OD. Or am I missing something?

 

The small block Ford has a different bolt pattern from the 385 series. Both the ZF and the E4OD have integral bellhousings so nothing that fits a 302 will fit a 429/460. For that matter the 302 is much more likely to have a 4R70W than an E4OD and neither the 4R70W or the M5OD will fit up to a 385 block (or live very long if you did find a way.)

 

Does any body know anything on MagnaFLow converters? will one be enough for my truck to pass e-test?

 

Stock your truck had 2 converters. The front one reduced NOX the rear one oxidized carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide. It also had an air tube which ran from the smog pump to supply the oxygen for the second converter.

If you replace them with a single converter, you can use one with or without the air tube as long as it is described as a "3-way" converter. (Some of the more modern designs do not require the additional air.) However a lot of state inspection agencies require that the smog pump be hooked up so in general you're better off using one with the air tube. I used a Catco 9513 on my truck. I'm sure Magnaflow makes an equivalent.

All federally approved converters come with a certificate of compliance. Keep it in the truck at all times just like your insurance card. If you get any hassles at the inspection station or from a badge-heavy trooper with more attitude than brains, the certificate is your "get out of jail free" card on the substitute converter meeting smog compliance.

 

great well that'll save some costs. im just getting a whole new exhaust system for my truck done up.(single) with Super 44 muffler and the magnaflow Cat.s

 

I'm planning to build a new engine for my '92 f150 and part of that is going to a MAF sytem. To keep the stock intake (which according to many is as good as any aftermarket) I was planning to convert to FIPK basically so I would only have one MAF. Adding MAF means a different ECU (EEC IV) and that requires a tuner, Right?

What I read is that the S+D system won't realize upgrades. is that wrong?

Am I missing something. Otherwise, I think GTRider's recipe is exactly what I'm looking for