302 rebuild questions

[BigWrenn]

I'm in the process of getting the parts together for my engine and had a few questions. I'm not trying to build a monster motor, just something with a little more power than stock. Links, part numbers, and any other info would be greatly appreciated.

1. What would be a good cam for a little more torque than stock?

2. What's better for a 302, Moly rings or Chrome rings?

3. Would replacing the pistons and con rods be a good idea?

Thanks for any input as I'm a newbie to rebuilding a Ford engine. Done several Chevy SB's so not new to the rebuild game but need a little advice/help.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bidibronco]

Never heard of using chrome rings as long as you're talking about piston rings. I would personnaly go with moly. The pisons and rods can be re-used if you would like as long as you can clean them up. If they don't seem to be worth anything then I would get some new OE style replacements. I'm not sure if an 89 is FI or carbed so that would determin the cam specs for the most part. Just make sure whatever cam you choose get the recomended valve springs as well. Also, make sure that the crank is done correctly and if needed have it spun so you can have good bearing clearances and keep in mind that if it's cut you have to get bearings acordinly. Another thing to note is that the ford engines are externally balanced whereas the cheby is internally. Make sure that you have the correct weighted balancer and flywheel on it. Other than that it seems like you know what you're doing so happy building!

 

[BB33's]

Edelbrock's Top end Power package for the fuel injected ford trucks is a good all in one kit that eliminates the guess work. It comes with a Performer 5.0 Manifold Perfomer 5.0/5.8 Heads and the performer 5.0 camshaft kit. With headers their test motor made 300 HP and 345 Ft lbs of torque a vast improvement over stock wich should be 185 HP and 270 Ft lbs of torque. As far as the bottom end goes you eill most likely need it bored and honed and that means new pistons. Federal mogul makes cheap quality replacements that are sure to last.

 

[BigWrenn]

Thanks for the replies!

What I was referring to about chrome or moly was in reference to the top compression rings. I have decided to go with good ol' moly rings as I have experience with them and how to break them just right.

For the time being I'm going to build the bottom end as tough as I can afford and just have the top freshened up. Time and money constarints are limiting me from building an all out motor at the moment. Once my time and finances are good again I plan on getting a short block kit and building the motor I want from it.

By the way, what size is the torx head bolt on the upper plenum of the intake? The largest Torx I have is a T-25 and obviously that is to small.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[BigWrenn]

Okay, finally got to the crank this afternoon and WOW! The front two main bearing journals are grooved badly! So bad in fact that machining the crank would require to much material being removed to be practical.

List of what is good from the engine:

Camshaft

Pistons & con rods/caps

Lifters

Pushrods

Rockers

Valves

And of course the block /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

The upper half of the engine is dirty but in great shape as far as I can tell. The pistons and connecting rods/caps are in surprisingly good shape for their age and make me want to lean towards keeping them. Finding out the crank is in bad shape has lead me somewhat to the possibility of a crank/piston/rod change out. If I do this I will also get the block and heads re-decked, centerline bore the cylinders .030 over, clean up all bearing/mating surfaces, and go with a medium to hefty bumpstick. I do like the fact that this engine does not have a roller valve train, much easier on my wallet /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />. I know I said in my earlier post that money is an issue but since the crank is bad I might as well go ahead and build it like I want to. Might take a little longer but I'm sure I'll be better off in the long run.

 

[Yardape]

The torx bolt is a T-45 I think. I just used it last month so I know exactly what one it is out in my garage, but never actually looked at the size. Try that if i'm wrong I'll run outside and look for sure and let you know.

 

[BigWrenn]

I appreciate the input but I figured it already, it's a T-40 torx. Thanks again though.