Need Gray Haired Man Help
 

Truck;


1995 F150 302 ext. cab 4X4 w/ 4r70w trans.


Looking into doing a full drivetrain swap, here's what has peaked my interest;


Gearstar 4r70w (stage 2) its expensive but can handle 450hp/460tq and comes with a good warranty and I plan on keeping the truck.


Monster Machines 4r70w (stage 2) Cheaper due to non custom make but has same power capabilities, still pricey with a good warranty though.


Called Jasper, they want WAY too much for the rebuilt thing they're selling with the Jasper name, plus another $1k for shipping of core return and residential nonsense and blah blah it's TOO much money for a non reputable place in my eyes.


The real question is; ENGINE?!


I've looked into the ford racing x302 engines with the gt40 heads and 1 piece rear main seal however I cant see myself getting a long block that only produces 300hp and costs $6,000 and having to put a new timing cover on, and bolting an old EFI intake with weak injectors when everyone clearly said to get 24# injectors, which would require a new tune and this slowly turns from $6k to $7+.....


I haven't called around to have anyone quote a rebuild on my current 302 however I imagine parts/labor will be a lot, and if my block can't handle the new parts then I'm out the money.


Does anyone have a 302 swap they did or a rebuild they did that they wouldn't mind sharing? Doesn't need to be detailed I just wanted an idea of what to do.


Budget build but not too low budget, if its worth it I don't mind paying the money but I just don't see the point in spending $10k on a drivetrain setup that only makes around 250hp to the wheel, I'm not racing or anything but I want a reliable powerful setup.

The 5.8 will practically drop right in, and your truck is MAF so the computer can handle it.

But does the 5.8 produce more power? And if so, enough to wanna do the work? And doesnt the exhaust setup for the egr differ on the 5.8? I know mine goes to the rear of the intake, im pretty sure the 5.8 goes off the right exhaust manifold (or at least thats where ive seen an extra piece to aftermarket headers)

Does a bigger motor make more power than a smaller one? Yea.

It was just a suggestion. Some would think a little extra work to use a bigger engine is worth it.

And a good suggestion at that. If you wanna squeeze more power out of the 302 you start running into stress limits a lot faster than with a 351.
And of course 250 horsepower at the wheels isn't exactly a slouch.

Let me clarify, my issue is time. There is NOTHING wrong with my engine, just doesn't have any power. Short of me finding a centrifugal procharger kit the 302, it isnt a powerful starting point. I like the 351 suggestion but I dont have time to fabricate things for it I.e. egr. Unless its a direct fit (I can understand diff motor mounts) I dont wanna do it. Trucks a Daily driver so turnover time is important. I just wanna hear what you guys think overall so please keep the suggestions coming, im loving it!

I dont think 250 is slouch at all, but I cant see myself spending $6k on a ford racing long block, and another $1k for the intake, throttle body, distributor, injectors etc etc.

Thing is the 302 is an ok motor but... you can get 400 horse out of a 4 cylinder but you will pay a lot to do it, it will be working very hard and will wear out or blow up easier.
302 can produce pretty good horsepower but in a truck you need the torque too.
That's where the 351 comes into the picture - it already produces more h/p and way more torque than a 302. You don't have to build it nearly as crazy to get the h/p levels you want and it will stand up much better.
Thing to do maybe is find a crappy old pos truck with a 351, have it pulled out and built up a bit - mostly top end stuff, and make sure they keep all the little bits to make it work.
I don't know if you've ever had the chance to compare a slightly modded 351 to a 302 in something heavy but really it's night and day. Food for thought anyway

Much appreciated. When you say top end im assuming you mean heads and intake?

Yeah and roller cam and port matching. Look for the block set up to accept the spider for the roller lifters. Bottom end you just really need forged pistons and top quality rings and bearings. You'll want to plan on sending the bottom end assembly out for balancing, that's really important on a rebuild.