The car will run acceptably well with a standard rebuild.
If money is no object, and you want to mess with it a bit...
Have the cylinder heads done by someone who really knows what they are
doing. There is a ton of power in that 1/4 inch area around the valve seats.
The idea is to get air flowing at low valve lifts thus making the engine
more efficient. Multi angles, making sure the contact area of the seat is on
the top part of the valve, paying strict attention to seat width will pay
big dividends.
The second area that will unlock power is in the exhaust ports. That engine
should have heads with thermactor ports in the exhaust. Have someone cut
them out. Exhaust flow will be greatly improved. I asked a noted engine
builder about the small block Ford heads, he told me they flow so little
that almost anything you do is an improvement. The cost of having all of
that done you could probably just buy a set of the new GT-40 heads.
Does your machine shop use an automated honing machine? You want to use moly
rings and have the cylinder walls finished using the appropriate stones.
Using deck plates will also be beneficial.
Have the engine dynamically balanced.
Use a Ford duraspark distributor, have the advance re-curved for the
camshaft you are using. Use an MSD 6A.
You can use an aftermarket intake manifold and carb, or use one of the
aftermarket fuel injection systems.
If you want to see some serious RPM of the engine, you might also want to
consider using a set of Chevrolet connecting rods. The rods in the 302 are
the same length as the ones in the 289. With the increased stroke, the rod
length to stroke ratio is a little off, the rods really need to be
longer.Chevrolet rods work great after the Ford crank is turned down and
custom pistons are purchased.
OR you could just have your machine shop rebuild the engine to stock specs.
Having it balanced is a good idea. A good current grind camshaft will add
power without hurting fuel economy. If the shop doing the work is doing a
good job, they will inspect everything that goes back in and advise you of
anything that needs to be replaced.
Drive the car and have fun.
Good Luck
Bill
1965 GT-350 Shelby
Former NHRA Super Stock National Record Holder
<cprice@here.com> wrote in message news:43BC89EF.3090405@here.com...
>
> (brain dump)
>
> I would personally go with a retro-fit hydraulic roller cam. Run a
> reltively mild duration (~270 deg) with good lift (475-480). Buy hardened
> pushrods. Buy valvesprings, retainers and keepers that match your cam.
>
> A precision balance for your crank/rods/pistons would be a good idea too.
>
> A good dual plane intake manifold (edelbrock still make a
> performer/performerII?) with a 600 cfm carb (edelbrock or holley or ???).
>
> Distributors are always overlooked for cars of your vintage. Think before
> you put that ~25 year old distributor in your new engine. I would look at
> a rebuilt/recurved *electronic ignition* distributor.
>
> Gasket match the intake ports on your heads to your intake manifold. Do
> the same for your exhaust ports.
>
> Get some 1 1/2" or 15/8 exhaust headers for your car and new dual exhaust.
> The factory exhaust manifolds are one of the worst performance killers.
>
> I would stay away from a high-volume oil pump for your application. I
> would however buy a hardened oil pump driveshaft for the build. Blueprint
> your oil pump.
>
> I 100% agree with the machine shop statement. I take the stance that your
> relationship with your machinist/builder/tuner should be closer than the
> one you have with your wife/girlfriend (clothes on of course). Having a
> shop who knows how to do a mild performance build is key; lots of shops
> will just slap things together without being picky about things like
> ring-end gaps, ring side clearances, piston-deck height, piston-to-valve
> clearances, etc, etc, etc...
>
> A great book on performance engine building and blueprinting;
>
> 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...otive&v=glance
>
> My personal favorite small block ford bible;
>
> 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/091...lance&n=283155
>
> You may not need every step in the book for a mild street performance
> build, but it will give you an idea as to what the important details are.
>
> Bill wrote:
>
>> If you are just going the standard re-build route you can stay with the
>> stock cam. One of the Hi-Energy sticks from Comp Cams will give you more
>> power with a smooth idle. The most important thing when doing this is the
>> quality of the work you get from the machine shop. I have lots of horror
>> stories. Are you going to re-assemble the engine or is the shop going to
>> do it? Ask the shop about putting hardened seats in the exhaust valves as
>> I believe this engine was never intended to run on unleaded gas.
>> Good Luck
>> Bill in Yakima
>>
>>
>>
>> "Ron Lyons" <LyonsArcade@Carolina.rr.com> wrote in message
>> news:MmGuf.12018$lg.514@southeast.rr.com...
>>
>>>Hi guys!
>>> I've got a 69 mustang coupe I've had for several years now, that's a
>>> daily driver. The engine has finally gotten to the point where I can't
>>> bear to see my baby like that, so I pulled the engine a few days ago
>>> with the help of my brother, a chevy guy.
>>>
>>>Anyways, I'm not looking for a race car, just a nice driving mustang with
>>>a little bit of git up and go. Actually the car with the engine almost
>>>blown still had power to spare, if you can believe it.
>>>
>>>I'm just looking for suggestions on minor things I should do, I know this
>>>group has probably rebuilt thousands of 302's. I dropped the block off
>>>at the shop today, they're boring it .030 over, and sanding and polishing
>>>the crank, which we'll be reinstalling with 10 over bearings.
>>>
>>>I'm thinking stock cam. Is that rediculous or alright for what I'm
>>>looking for? Any tips or things I need to know while I'm doing this?
>>>
>>>tranny is a c4 automatic, and the engine is the original 302. It appears
>>>that it's never been rebuilt, and is actually the original engine from 69
>>>according to the casting numbers. Heads are the stock C9OE's
>>>
>>>Thanks for any replies!
>>>
>>>Ron
>>>
>>
>>
