Hey guys , The 302 in my `85 econoline is starting to get real week on me and it never was much fore pulling alot of weight on the highway . I would like to build a 331 (using a 5.0 roller block) for it that will be good on gas and have good low end torque for towing . I was gonna use a scatt crank and I beam rods , stock cast pistons , stock ported heads , a stock aluminum 4 barrel intake, the 390 cfm holley thats on it now or a 500 cfm eldelbrock , I gess an rv cam unless you guys know of something better and the stock exhaust manifolds unless I can find headers to fit it. Do you guys think that all sounds good or is there something I need to change to make it work right ? Thanks for any and all advice !
Well, couple things: Baddad457 runs a 331 and seems very knowledgeable on the subject. I would make it a point to seek him out. We also have many 347 guys here too. Several hang out in the "Drag Racing" forum. Next, the way I read your post, this engine is going back into the van... Correct? If so, I would be jumping right into a 393w or 408w. Stroking a 351w is SO cost effective, and the torque gain would put a 331/347 to shame. Just some thoughts. Might not be what you are looking for tho. Any way you go, you can do much better than 85 van heads and stock intake. There are several stock heads that best those. If you are doing the van, GT40p heads might even be a wise option. Again, just brainstorming. Hope you get some ideas. Dave
Ditto, go for a 351W or a stroker 351W. You cannot use stock cast(nor otherwise) pistons with 331 stroker kits. You have to use the pistons with the kit. The crank, rods and pistons all are matched parts (all the dimensions work together)
If I can find a cheap 351 with a roller cam I might go with that but I have no need to stroke it to a 408 . What year exploders had the gt40 heads , I`m gonna go junk yarding monday to see what I can find. What kind of cam do you guys think I should use a 5.0 HO cam or a rv cam or ??? . Thanks
I talked to Coast High because I wanted a 331 for my Comet. But much to my surprise, you can get a 347 kit cheaper than a 331. I really didnt want to mess with grinding on the block for the 347.
Exploders had the 5.0 from 96 to the end. But the 96-early97's had the better (in my opinion, due to the regular spark plug angle) GT40 std head. Nothing but "P" heads afterward. The Exploder cam is a hard one to beat for torque and everyday driving. It's specs are 10 degrees less duration and .030 less lift on the intake as oppose to the HO cam. (256/266--.422/.445 lift with 1.6 rockers and a 116* LSA) Works great with a carb too. This same cam was used in all 94-97 truck/van 5.0's too.
The "P" heads are the GT40P's. Almost any head is better than an 85 small block head. The GT40P's drawback is the spark plug angle, it interferes with many headers.
I got the engine tore down the other day , found out it is not a roller motor but it did have a roller timing chain . I thought that all the 5.0 engines had roller cams I gess not. Wich one of these cams do you guys think I should use ? http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=CCA%2DCL35%2D216%2D3&autoview=sku http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=CCA-CL34-231-4&autoview=sku http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=CRN-363904&autoview=sku or just a cheap melling rv cam , are they still mad in the U.S. ? Also what do y`all think of this stroker kit ? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford...010QQitemZ200158593331QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW I`ve heard some bad things about the melling oil pumps is the ford racing pumps any good ? http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1∂=FMS%2DM%2D6600%2DM50&N=700+4294925232+4294839075+4294863521+4294908331+4294908395+4294925022+4294840126+115&autoview=sku Thanks .
Either the first Comp cam or the Crane. Stroker kit with your 85 heads will yeild an 8.7 to 1 ratio. Little low for me. You could always mill your heads .030 to pick it up some. Oil pumps are a crap shoot today. The Ford pump could very well be made by Melling. With a van, I still think you'd be better off with a 351.
I haven`t bought nothing for it yet so the idea of a 351 is still rattling around in my head but if I don`t find one soon for cheap I`ll have to go with the 5.0 block. Right now this is my daily driver and its only running on seven cylinders so I need to do something before it craps out on me .
