Engine Decision

[s4dustin]

I have a 69 Fastback with a 302 out of a 88 5.0. Want to upgrade the engine and tranny, what engine do I go with? Do I stay carb'd or go modern?

Any thoughts? This will be on a budget so, looking for bang for the buck....

thanks for the ideas,



Dustin

[s4dustin]

The purpose of this car is to be a daily driver with air.

Thanks,
D

[oestek]

It would probably be cheapest to get more power with a carb. If you just want a cruiser, stock Ford EFI stuff is cheap, but limited on the power side. You say "stay carbed" - do you have the Ford EFI parts? If so, adding the fuel system and wiring isn't really that hard on those cars. What trans is it?

[s4dustin]

a C4 trans...needs to be replaced. I would like 300 to the tires. I thought about doing a swap, doing one right now on my camaro.

This car is for the little lady, she drives it every day, it just has no balls whatsoever.

Would put a AOD mated to whatever engine I put in.

[oestek]

OK. Stock '88 5.0s EFI made around 185 to the wheels through an AOD. Now you just have to figure how much $ you want to spend on this one. I'd recommend a junkyard 4R70 (like an AODE with steeper gears) over the C4 - overdrive, programmability, etc. You can get a Baumannator TCU trans controller or a TCI unit to handle the trans, or use a factory 5.0 Explorer harness and ECU which can control the trans.

I may know of a 4R70W with the Windsor V8 pattern - most have the later Mod motor pattern - for sale. If you're interested, PM me and I'll ask the guy.

The AODs are OK, but they lack the tunability of the electronic versions.

You can coax 300 to the wheels (370-400 crank) from a 5.0 pretty easily with decent heads, intake, and a cam, although there are guys running 11's with factory GT cams. I'd look for some used aftermarket heads and intake to keep it cheap. Also check used injectors, throttle body, rails, MAF, and intake plumbing. You'll need a decent tune.. there's a cool toy called the TwEECer that allows you to datalog and adjust nearly every parameter of the EEC-IV ECM. Grab a wideband and go drive around a while with the laptop and you'll be on your way.

We've got a '62 Galaxie with the following combo:

SVT 351 Windsor crate motor
GT40 X heads
Comp XE266HR cam
Comp adj. alum. rockers
SVT Shorty headers
Edelbrock upper & lower
PRO-M 24 MAF
24# injectors
70MM Edelbrock TB
Ford distributor, MSD coil & box
4R70W, Baumann TCS controller
FAST wideband o2

It drives very well, but it's like anything else... we're always tuning. The car put just shy of 300 to the wheels BEFORE any tuning was done with a stock ECM. I'm sure we've picked up alot since the tuning began, but I have to get it back to the dyno. We've just been tuning for optimal AFR and drivability recently. Oh yeah, it's best is nearly 24 mpg.

[s4dustin]

well, do i just build the 302 that is in there then?
Heads, cam, and good carb? Will that wake it up?

[oestek]

The 302 is the only engine you have, right? And it's currently carbed? If so, it's a roller block, so you could just add heads, cam, intake, and ignition, get the right carb, and it should help alot.

[s4dustin]

it has intake, hedders, a cheap carb. I think then a new cam and heads then?

[oestek]

Check to see if the bottom end is in good shape, with decent compression. Then I'd start the search for used heads and an intake. If you're sure this is an '88 302, it's already got a decent roller cam for the street. See what you can do with top-end mods to make some power. I would go with a overdrive, however, to make it a better driving car.

[s4dustin]

Thanks for the input.
When I got the car, the previous owner said it was a 88 5.0 motor and it was written on the side of the block. The really needs some help. Makes a little bit of noise, but doesnt go anywhere.