5.8 L h.o.

[jsomedaysoon]

yea my step dad is selling this ford club wagon van the same year as my truck. its got a 5.8 L H.O. motor. i'm thinking about buying it and swapping the motor for the 302 i have in my truck now. my question is would i even see enough power gain to be worth it? i'm not fermiliar with the 5.8 L at all really i'm not even sure but i'm assuming that would make it a 351? there is only minimal things wrong with my current motor it starts every time and runs very smoothe for how old it is. it just seems to be lacking power when i take it off road. its always very capable just seems like it it should have more bad ass to it if that makes sense. as always thanks for your help and opinions! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Seabronc]

Yes you could swap it. Just keep in mind your 302 cu in / 5.0 L engine is an EFI while the 351 cu in / 5.8 L engine is carbed. There would be some conversion tasks, and you will most likely find the gas mileage going down. I'd keep it around as a spare or something to trade with.

As far as the performance of your 302, when was the last time it had a tune up? Maybe the gearing of your rear end needs to be changed. What size tires are you running? What percentage of the time is it off road compared to highway? I'd do a little more looking into why it seems weak off road.

Good luck,

>-

 

[RBuffordTJ]

yea my step dad is selling this ford club wagon van the same year as my truck. its got a 5.8 L H.O. motor. i'm thinking about buying it and swapping the motor for the 302 i have in my truck now. my question is would i even see enough power gain to be worth it? i'm not fermiliar with the 5.8 L at all really i'm not even sure but i'm assuming that would make it a 351? there is only minimal things wrong with my current motor it starts every time and runs very smoothe for how old it is. it just seems to be lacking power when i take it off road. its always very capable just seems like it it should have more bad ass to it if that makes sense. as always thanks for your help and opinions! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

The other thing to look at if your seeking power is the 5.8L H.O is the mustang package for the motor, more hp from the factory in the H.O engines vs the regular 5.8L.

Rick in Orlando

 

[BroncoJoe19]

I see that he is running 33's on his bronco, other than that wouldn't the trans and the rears most likely be the same for the two trucks?

IF so... then he could maybe put his wheels on the van and take it for a spin to make a comparison of how the 5.8 will feel in his bronc.

Another suggestion to tag along with Seabronc's thought is that maybe your 302 isn't running as well as it should. See if there is someone around that also has a 302 that will let you take it for a spin. If your's lacks power in comparison, you may need a tuneup, or one of your sensors may be a little flaky.

You can try pulling codes to see if there is anything there... even if your CEL is not on.

On a lark I pulled codes (when my CEL was NOT lit) and discovered that my TPS was out of range. I replaced it and the truck is a pleasure to drive now. I'm not saying that is your problem, but it wouldn't hurt to pull codes just to be sure.

 

[jsomedaysoon]

i like the idea about putting my tires on the van to see what it would feel like. as far as gas milage thats not really a concern since my truck is a recreational vehicle only. i only take it out a few times a month. i didnt think about the carb vs fuel injection conversion though. would i have to change all the sensors and wireing harnesses and all that or how crazy extensive would that be? i wish i could find sombody around here with a bronco with a 351 and see what i feels like, especially off road.

 

[Seabronc]

33x12.5s is where you need to start re-gearing to get the low end torque you had with smaller tires. Do you know what the gear ratio for the differential is? The axle code is on the safety compliance sticker, that is if they are the original gears. It can also be found on the differential tag, again if they are the original. If not you can get a close approximation by jacking up the rear and turning a tire while counting the revs of the drive shaft compared to one rev of the wheel. I find a big difference on my trucks, "get up and go", between 31 and 33 inch tires.

As far as conversion, the engine is a bolt up to your existing trany, trash the computer and harnesses, add a simple ignition system, ie. MSD. The 351 doesn't need computer control. You might want to go for an over sized radiator to help keep it cool especially when running at low speeds off road. My setup, (no A/C, Hd radiator, Lincoln Mark VIII electric cooling fan, keeps the engine rock solid just a few degrees above whatever Tstat I have in it).

Good luck on your decision,

>-

 

[Leadsled]

Is it worth the swap? NO! End of story!

 

[jsomedaysoon]

thanks everyone for your input. i think what its going to come down to is if i can get my step dad to just give me the truck. i dont want to drop 1000 on a truck i dont really need just for the motor. if i can get him to do that though i think i'm going to do the swap. if nothing else just for the experience. i've never pulled a complete motor and put in a new one. For the time being though i cant trust the door sticker to tell me what gears i have. the guy before me did so much stuff to this truck and changed so many things i cant bank on anything being stock. i'll try the lifting the rear end this weekend and see if i can tell what gears i have that way. what gears would you recomend for a truck with 33's? i dont have mud around here but we take the truck on the beach and there is a lot of soft sand. i'm not sure if that makes a difference in gear selection but everyone always asks for details in here so i thought i'd add that.