New here, rebuilding 302, many questions!!

Hey guys,

I bought an 82 mustang t-top hatch w/ a 4 speed SROD tranny and 302.

When I bought the car I was burning oil, so I drove it awhile and just added some as I went. Then the car overheated on me... so I yanked the engine out and tore it apart. I found out that it had been bored .060 over already w/ notched pistons, had a B303 ford racing cam, full roller motor w/ 1.6 Crane roller rockers, holley street dominator intake w/ a blown intake gasket, edelbrock 600 cfm carb w/ manual choke... timing chain and sprockets looked new, no signs of slap on the timing chain cover, and the heads were 68 mustang 302 heads.

I am going to rebuild it very soon. I was planning on a 331 stroker kit but since it is bored .060 over already that was shot all to hell.  

I need to know what you guys think would be a lethal street/strip setup as far as the motor goes. I think I can re-use the block I have, the rebuild seems to have been done fairly recently and there isnt much wear on the cylinder walls. I want to get a forged crank, pistons, rods etc. but I am at a loss when it comes to heads, cam and intake combos. This is the first car I have attempted to rebuild and want to do it right and have a good streetable car that I can take to the strip occasionaly on the weekends and lay down some solid numbers.

Any info would be great. I have added an MSD 6AL ingintion w/ the blaster coil, new alternator and red-top battery, MSD distributor cap, 8mm wires and new plugs.

What kind of pistons should I use? Heads? Cam? Intake? Carb? Like I said I am really a big noob here so I could really use some help. Thanks everyone.  

What's your budget? That's the first thing we need to know. You could probably re-use most of what you have. Why did it overheat on you? Make sure the block is good before you do anything else, but I would simply add some good heads to this combination, and let it ride. I might update the carb while I was at it, but everything else with this combo is pretty solid. Let us know your budget and we can give you better advice. Thanks.  
Michael Johnson
Associate Editor
5.0 Mustang and Super Fords

I would check for cracks on the fan and for obvious reasons the hoses, then go for the thermostat and make sure that it isnt blown to hell.  

my name is dustin i have a 1979 5.0 302,, im getting ready to build it to a 347 stroker,, what kind of carb and intake do i use?????  

While I prefer to save original numbers-matching parts...get that engine sonic checked before spending any more cash on it. .06 over is a lot on a thin wall block of any manufacture.  But rollers weren't availible until 85 or 86, so it doesn't sound original?

That Single Rail OverDrive tranny and its 7.5" rear won't take much hp.  So how much do you think you need?

Use screw in freeze plugs like the Boss302 for strength, and the longer 289 connecting rods (as the Boss did).  Find out why the intake gasket blew out, it may need to be re-machined, which means the surfaces for the heads, and the distributor clamp, may need to be modified for everything to bolt up.

which means...it might be easier to change intakes.  Call up Edelbrock, and any other head manufacturer you like.  Tell them what you have for a cam, and displacement.  let THEM tell you what intake and heads to choose. Most offer a head/intake/cam kit, so you can be guaranteed what power to make.  why re-invent the wheel?

Aim for aluminum heads--it decreases weight over the front end, and they resist detonation due to the fact they need a higher temp than cast iron before they expand.  Also, find out why it was burning oil.  If it did it during the inital engine starting, then it was the valve guides in the head, dripping oil onto the pistons.  If it was doing it all the time, then the piston rings were shot....or the head gasket was going.  If the latter...make sure that deck on the block is straight. HOPEFULLY, whoever bored the block decked it FIRST, then torqued down a torque plate to represent the distortion of the cylinder heads.