Ive decided to yank the 292/COM out of my 64 and put in a 302 or 351 with a C4. No interest in an AOD.
Which engine?
Both short blocks run about the same money. I want to run a roller cam.
I would do aluminum heads with a mild cam, 500 or 600cfm carb. Shoot for 8.5-9.0:1 compression.
Im keeping the 9in with 3.10 gears.
Im looking for a solid DD. I like the 5.0 with the shorter deck height, 8.2 vs 9.025 for the 351 and 9.77 for the Y. That gives me a little more room on the steering box. Gas mileage doesnt matter, I dont drive it enough for it be a cost issue.
Im also considering the R&P conversion, although Im not sold on it. It would be nice to get rid of the steering box and gain more exhaust options. Im not sure how the R&P works since its bolted to the axle and the axle moves. I want to keep my oem column shift.
Can/Should I use a 65+ transmission crossmember? It seems that will place the tailshaft at the proper height and position on the centerline.
I have no idea if the driveshaft will be the proper length.
Im guessing someone has already done this.
5.0 vs 5.7
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- Posts: 67
- Joined: March 3, 2016, 12:53 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
Re: 5.0 vs 5.7
Each option has its pros and cons.
If money isn't really an issue I would go with the 351. With that being said the 302 is much easier and cheaper to find and of course modify and fix. I assume we are talking 351w? In my opinion by the time you buy a 302 and add heads, cam, etc, you could do the same to the 351 and have a more powerful package. But again it all comes down to what you have planned if you want just a fun stoplight to stoplight truck and don't plan on going to the track or anything like that then the 302 isn't a bad option. Either way they are both really good engines and I'm sure no matter what you do I'll be good. Bang for the buck I'd go 302 and like you said do some heads and cam work and you should be pretty good. As far as the trans x member goes..I'm not 100% sure on this (using only my truck as reference) I have about 3 different hole sets in the frame for different provisions to mount the crossmember. I would look into that, but it's possible the PO do this when he swapped the engine before I bought the truck.
As far as clearance goes, when I purchased my 65 the PO swapped in a 351m. I removed it and sold it but there was still plenty of clearance for the aftermarket headers he had and it had power steering. There was about 3 inches of clearance between steering gearbox and the HUGE aftermarket headers so you should be pretty good no matter what you choose.
If money isn't really an issue I would go with the 351. With that being said the 302 is much easier and cheaper to find and of course modify and fix. I assume we are talking 351w? In my opinion by the time you buy a 302 and add heads, cam, etc, you could do the same to the 351 and have a more powerful package. But again it all comes down to what you have planned if you want just a fun stoplight to stoplight truck and don't plan on going to the track or anything like that then the 302 isn't a bad option. Either way they are both really good engines and I'm sure no matter what you do I'll be good. Bang for the buck I'd go 302 and like you said do some heads and cam work and you should be pretty good. As far as the trans x member goes..I'm not 100% sure on this (using only my truck as reference) I have about 3 different hole sets in the frame for different provisions to mount the crossmember. I would look into that, but it's possible the PO do this when he swapped the engine before I bought the truck.
As far as clearance goes, when I purchased my 65 the PO swapped in a 351m. I removed it and sold it but there was still plenty of clearance for the aftermarket headers he had and it had power steering. There was about 3 inches of clearance between steering gearbox and the HUGE aftermarket headers so you should be pretty good no matter what you choose.
Re: 5.0 vs 5.7
The 351W has a 9.503 deck height, the 351C has a 9.2 deck height.
The 351W has a 3" min journal where the 351C has a 2.75 main journal, the 302 is much smaller dia 2.248. The difference? Heat in the oil. The 351W will have hotter oil and higher bearing speeds than a 302 will.
For performance you can build a stroker 396 out of a 351. You can also stroke the 302 but it's not as durable. The 331" stroker 302 actually has the best rod ratio and angle of the 302 strokers, the 347 is the worst at this.
I like the 351W for the street, free inches and torque and doesn't weigh that much more.
I would stay away from the 351C or the 351M, heads are too big for good torque on the street. Heads are better for high RPM usage.
302 is fine but tends to lack torque.
JMO,
SPark
The 351W has a 3" min journal where the 351C has a 2.75 main journal, the 302 is much smaller dia 2.248. The difference? Heat in the oil. The 351W will have hotter oil and higher bearing speeds than a 302 will.
For performance you can build a stroker 396 out of a 351. You can also stroke the 302 but it's not as durable. The 331" stroker 302 actually has the best rod ratio and angle of the 302 strokers, the 347 is the worst at this.
I like the 351W for the street, free inches and torque and doesn't weigh that much more.
I would stay away from the 351C or the 351M, heads are too big for good torque on the street. Heads are better for high RPM usage.
302 is fine but tends to lack torque.
JMO,
SPark
1932 Ford 5 window coupe. 302/C4
1962 8V-390/C6 Unibody Short Bed Soon to be Big Window - The Lincoln that never was
2013 F150 Super Crew Eco Boost 4x4
2015 Ford Edge for the little lady, because she said so!
2007 Mustang GT, 4.6-3V/5 Speed. Only 8680 miles on the clock.
More toys, I need more toys!!!
1962 8V-390/C6 Unibody Short Bed Soon to be Big Window - The Lincoln that never was
2013 F150 Super Crew Eco Boost 4x4
2015 Ford Edge for the little lady, because she said so!
2007 Mustang GT, 4.6-3V/5 Speed. Only 8680 miles on the clock.
More toys, I need more toys!!!
Re: 5.0 vs 5.7
This page is mostly Y-block upgrades but the first part of the index is good knowledge to apply to any engine. I didn't have a lot of interest in the Y till I saw a pump gas 362 ci Y make 695 hp on his dyno.
http://www.eatonbalancing.com/blog/
http://www.eatonbalancing.com/blog/
Chris