Motor Decision

40 Chev Coupe · September 05, 2009, 10:42:16 PM

I'm going to rod out my 35 Ford. I'm going to keep it Ford. So, do I use a 289, 302 or other. I want a direct fit no modifing.

enjenjo · September 05, 2009, 11:48:11 PM

You are aware that none of them fit very well with the stock front suspension? There are oil pan/steering issues.

40 Chev Coupe · September 06, 2009, 01:04:19 PM

What I mean by fit is inside the engine compartment so the hood fits and closes.
Plan on going with Mustang II front suspension, and revamping the frame.

enjenjo · September 06, 2009, 01:20:53 PM

Quote from: "40 Chev Coupe"What I mean by fit is inside the engine compartment so the hood fits and closes.
Plan on going with Mustang II front suspension, and revamping the frame.

Ok, with a Mustang, any of them fit. I would go with a 351W

Rrumbler · September 06, 2009, 03:02:50 PM

Given the discussion so far, and my penchant for bigger engines, I'd go with a 351. However, the 302 is more available, and parts for it are, too, and usually less expensive - think "early small block Chevy" as a comparison; there seems to be one everywhere you look.

Leon · September 06, 2009, 04:23:59 PM

Plus there are a lot of 5.0 HO cars that you could get the wiring and everything to go with the fuel injection. Look in the Mustangs and around 90-91 Lincoln LSCs. I think some of the Tbirds even had them.

Mac · September 07, 2009, 11:41:38 PM

Y-not a 292 or 312 ?

sirstude · September 08, 2009, 09:01:54 AM

Put a 347 kit in that 302. Remember, the 289/302 are a bit narrower than the 351.

kb426 · September 08, 2009, 07:14:22 PM

I can shed some light on this. You haven't stated how much power you want so I'll break this down by my exp. 200 horsepower is a realistic eec iv 5.0 setup. I started with a 99 explorer 5.0 that has the cobra intake and gt40p heads. Not too impressive. I bought a used 347 shortblock and put Ford x303 heads and a stock Mustang gt cam with 1.7 rockers. The reason for the small cam profile is a 1700 rpm cruising point. More power but not a rocket by any means. I got mad and removed that setup and sold it. I put the original 5.0 back in with the gt cam and 1.7 rockers. It also has a 70mm mass air sensor and 24 lb. injectors. I doubt that I need the injectors but I had then for the other setup. The 347 was around 280 hp and an honest rating of the current is around 220. It runs great. It will make anywhere from 20 to 26 mpg running down the highway. It's 12 around town. I don't think it has enough power for me to be happy but I'm an ex-drag racer that thinks everything has to fly to be good. From the discussions I had about 351's, I would suggest that unless you build a stroker out of it, you won't be happy. I'm going to build another shortblock that may be a 331. I'm going to find different heads but my goal is to have a very strong bottom end and be able to run to 6500 rpm. I still won't put much cam in it for cruising. The eec iv limits in some ways but it's still really good in some. I used a Painless harness on mine. In the Ford catalog, it lists outside dimensions of all the current engines. Do some measuring and you may have most of your decision made for you.

Learpilot · September 18, 2009, 05:18:04 PM

Quote from: "kb426"I can shed some light on this. You haven't stated how much power you want so I'll break this down by my exp. 200 horsepower is a realistic eec iv 5.0 setup. I started with a 99 explorer 5.0 that has the cobra intake and gt40p heads. Not too impressive. I bought a used 347 shortblock and put Ford x303 heads and a stock Mustang gt cam with 1.7 rockers. The reason for the small cam profile is a 1700 rpm cruising point. More power but not a rocket by any means. I got mad and removed that setup and sold it. I put the original 5.0 back in with the gt cam and 1.7 rockers. It also has a 70mm mass air sensor and 24 lb. injectors. I doubt that I need the injectors but I had then for the other setup. The 347 was around 280 hp and an honest rating of the current is around 220. It runs great. It will make anywhere from 20 to 26 mpg running down the highway. It's 12 around town. I don't think it has enough power for me to be happy but I'm an ex-drag racer that thinks everything has to fly to be good. From the discussions I had about 351's, I would suggest that unless you build a stroker out of it, you won't be happy. I'm going to build another shortblock that may be a 331. I'm going to find different heads but my goal is to have a very strong bottom end and be able to run to 6500 rpm. I still won't put much cam in it for cruising. The eec iv limits in some ways but it's still really good in some. I used a Painless harness on mine. In the Ford catalog, it lists outside dimensions of all the current engines. Do some measuring and you may have most of your decision made for you.

How about 350.

kb426 · September 18, 2009, 05:32:28 PM

The 350 is doable but at the expense of low end power. If you have a carb, you can remove the efi from the equation. It's very critical with eec iv to have a cam matched to your cruising rpm to avoid surging. A good set of heads, 9.5 comp., a 220 degree at 50 cam and good exhaust should put you right there. At some point if you want efi, the cobra intakes will become a bottleneck and you'll need some aftermarket part that has more port volume. Because you're starting from scratch, I'd recommend a 393 stroker based on the 351 if the engine width isn't a problem.

Motor Decision

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Learpilot