Garage Merch                Ron Pope Motorsports                California Custom Roadsters               

How Much Horsepower?

A cheaper way to more HP is more cubic inches. A 460 Ford can easily make 400 hp and a lot more TQ for a lot less $$$$. Look for a donor vehicle. Don't rule out other brands Cadillac, Olds, Pont all had big motors in them. If you can get a donor car or truck it will same you hundreds of $$$$ in small parts. Such as Alternator, water pump, starter, brackets, pulleys, flywheel and on and on. Watch Craigslist 3-4 times a day and be ready with cash in hand those deals are out there.
 
This is true Ron. I have alwayes been a fan of the Cadillac Motor.. but you can never find them.. I got a motor today for 200.00 Cash in had.. Its a 302 carbed motor complete with trans.. I know the guy and he gave me one hell of a deal. Know i just have to get the money i had for you back..lol..
 
Yes it does have Caddy valve covers on it, in fact there are 2 sets of valve covers for it, several different oil pans too. 3-4 Hei distributors for it also. I got $1000 in it all I would have to get that for it. There is also several starters for it. It has water pump, power steering pump, fuel pump, all the brackets and pulleys and a couple of fans. I think one of the fans is a clutch fan. Lots and lots of extra parts.
 
Im about 450 out of my big block chrysler and the frame seems to be handling it fine. 400 hp out of a 302 Ford wont be to much of a problem. The biggest restriction on that motor is the heads, get a good set of cast GT40 heads they flow the best and a nice high rise manifold with probably a 750 carb. Also eliminate points and go electronic ignition which is easy to do with the ford duraspark and its cheap. If you want a better system go MSD, other than that have fun.
 
Alright Guys.. I know have 2 Ford 302. one is a block with pistons and crank and block. thats it.. The other is complete.. What Should I do Know?? Keep on Stock and build one?
 
Put your money together and build one decent motor. Why do you need a spare? Waste of funds to IMHO.. What you need to know is what year they are. The early 302's had a 28oz balance and the late model ones use 50 oz. This effects the balancer and flywheel. The best way to avoid issues is start with a complete motor so you have all the right parts to begin with.
 
The engine's model year and what it came from will tell you the what head is on the engine. Some won't even get you 200 HP. Is it a fuel injected engine? Find out what year and what vehicle. That will help us help you with some reasonable ideas.
 
I have got two motors because in case something goes wrong i have another one. One Motor that is not complete is a 86 motor and i have a 92 motor to as well. Hope this helps.
 
Which one has the heads and what did it come out of? The 92 could have E7T, GT40 or GT40P heads depending on what vehicle it was in.
 
You probably have the E7TE heads. Without changing valve springs or pistons, you can go slightly bigger on the cam; although the stock Mustang cam is not bad. If you switch to a carb; an intake rated for 1,500 to 6,500; A cam like Summit 4400 that has higher lift, longer duration and 10 deg lobe separation; and new push rods will get you 260 HP & 335 Ft-Lb. The stock, '92 engine was rated at 210 HP I believe.
 
Don't even think about upgrading without changing to a better valve spring. Springs are not expensive and the stock used ones may be good for 4500 to 4800 rpm.
 
Depends how high you want engine to rev. The Summit 4400 cam limits out at about 5,500 rpm. It's not a high performance cam but has a higher torque band than an F150 truck cam. The Mustang cam is good for a fuel injected engine. However, the fuel injected engine cams tend to have higher lobe spacing than carb engine cams. Lobe spacing is just about as important as lift and duration. I did a lot of research on this before I built my engine. I was lucky and found a used intake. So parts to do the conversion, not counting the carb cost me less than $200 and I picked up about 50 HP and some torque. I started with a '92 F150 engine. Same as '92 Mustang except for cam.
 
I have a big block chev with a 671 supercharger on it. Was a great & reliable street & strip motor till I started looking for 9 seconds on the quarter mile. Now its 540 cubes with the blower & its an expensive, too heavy drag car. And Im not having much fun. (ordered new heads for it on the weekend)

If you really want a high HP setup, look for a big cubed version of the engine of your choice (360 Chrysler over a 318, 350 Chev over a 305, 351` Ford over a 302, 500 Caddy over a 425)

I went the blower route because small cube engines done on a budget and with high HP tend to be peaky - the power isnt in the 2000-4500 rev range that we tend to cruise around in on the street. You can have a heap of fun with 300hp in a bucket like I had in my old 360 Chrysler one. It was no racecar, but it was a fun cruiser.

If you want to go racing you will need a cage anyhow and that tightens up the chassis heaps.

Good luck with your project

Todd
 
The 86 model has a screwed up flat top piston and limits any kind of valve clearance (ie: cam change) without changing pistons. The 92 is a good little motor albeit it has hyper pistons in it. Still strong enough for the average user though. Take your 92, notch the pistons and put a good set of heads. SBF are good motors but they have always been plagued with poor cyl heads earning them a bad rep. I would use a Trick Flow twisted wedge and I bet you could get away with a mild cam swap and not have to notch the pistons. They call it a twisted wedge because the moved the valve location to allow more clearance. Put a RPM air gap/650 carb on it and it will make 400 hspr easily.

If you do decide to notch the pistons you could use almost any aftermarket head and big cam combo. I have AFR 185 heads on my with a XR282 comp cam hydraulic roller, . Total stock 1989 bottom end. I have used both the victor jr and the air gap and the air gap gives a bit more bottom end for a bit of top end sacrifice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Spanky
How much is too much?
2
Replies
29
Views
2K
Buffman
B
thebearded1
Roll bar ideas
Replies
2
Views
769
thebearded1
thebearded1
J
Newbie looking to buy a T Bucket
Replies
11
Views
680
Gostallion
Gostallion
trogdor
Electric shifter for TH350?
2
Replies
24
Views
2K
lincolnuT
lincolnuT
F
Ls swap
Replies
3
Views
484
fletcherson
F

     Ron Pope Motorsports                Advertise with Us!     
Back
Top