I've finally convinced myself I can build my 92 f150. I sourced a good transfer case from the junkyard and now I'm going to start with a little refresh on my 302. It's been sitting for at least 10 years and hasn't been run in that time. What's a good starting point to get this to run again? It ran well when parked so I know at the very least I'll do new belts hoses spark plugs and spark plug wires. Is it beneficial to convert it to carburetor rather than deal with the injectors and would that require a different fuel pump from a different year to make that work? I bought a new fuel tank and pump combo so I'd prefer to use that if possible with a carburetor and intake.

 

The first step would be to pull the plugs & check if the crankshaft can be rotated. If it can, drain the oil and check that the pan isn't full of sludge.

No, carburetors suck. EFI is vastly better in every way, in addition to being the only LEGAL way to run it.

 

I was able to make it out to the truck and it turns over freely by hand so I'm taking that as a good sign the engine is able to be saved and used again. I haven't drained the oil but when I pulled the radiator last year it had nice clean coolant in it.

 

The coolant says nothing about the condition of the oil, which congeals at this age. And just removing the radiator doesn't empty the block, heater core, or hoses; so there's still old coolant in there, causing corrosion, which won't necessarily be visible until the water pump (assuming it still has blades on the impeller) starts pushing coolant through the system again. The radiator doesn't corrode, so you wouldn't expect to see corrosion in its coolant from the engine being abandoned for a decade. I like to use a pressure washer to stir up the coolant in the block, and see how much rust comes out. It's best to remove the water pump first, so you have access to the journals going into the block.

 

Those are good tips that I'll check as the weather permits. I'd planned on replacing all the rubber and the heater core anyway but it would be nice to see inside the engine without a total tear down so I'll run water through the passages and flush the engine that way.

 

Unless there's a problem with a particular hose, it doesn't need to be replaced. This truck had factory hoses on it when I pulled it to re-seal the engine for oil leaks.

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I put them all back on.

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Then I towed a loaded trailer from Memphis to Gainesville, and drove around towing trailers for a week.

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On the way home, a pinhole appeared in a small hose, so I replaced it during lunch, & kept driving.

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After I got home, another pinhole appeared in another small hose, so I changed that one.

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I would not replace the heater core unless it is leaking or severely blocked beyond hope. I think it is a good idea replacing all the hoses.Old hoses, especially after the vehicle has sat so long would not be trust worthy in my opinion.Change them once and you likely never will have to be concerned about them again.