302 Crate or Rebuild

Hi All

Not sure which route to go down, either a crate engine or to rebuild.

My thoughts -

Pro's for the crate route engine already done, Con's possible cost

Pro's for rebuild can build the engine that I want and also get to know how it is put together, con's not sure!!



Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated

Mark
 
Hi Mark m8 . I got a used Ford 302 . striped and rebuilt it my self .. Parts from Real Steel . I built it to the same spec as there 330 BHP crate engine .. Much cheaper and I know every nut and bolt of it ,,, Go on build it yourself

John..
 
Hi Mark m8 ... Yes I am about 3/4 done now .. Just waiting for my body to be done ... I got my engine from a breakers paid £600 . then as I said got all new bits from Real Steel .. Look on Ebay normaly a few on there ..

Hows yours coming on ??

John..:thumbsup:
 
Hi John

Only just started again after my back operation, so very slow progress at the moment.

Thanks for the info have seen a couple on eBay around that sort of price.

Mark
 
Hi Mark, if you have built engines before then you should have no problem. Spend a great deal of time researching the spec that you want. You might want to develop a bill of materials listing all the parts before you start which will keep you on track. If you are unsure of any parts don't fit them. Most of mine came from Real Steel and were good quality. Some others from other sources had to be junked - remember there are no free lunches. Also, the old statement that "if you are unsure STOP" is a very good one. Take your time, keep it spotlessly clean and organised and use an engine stand. You'll be fine.
You might want to see the Mountune engine build of Ford's own Mk1 Chassis #1008 in Gordon Bruce's book GT40 Workshop Manual. I was General Manager at Mountune when we did this work!
Cheers Roger Allen
 
Hi,
I was in the same boat, and I was slightly apprehensive about some of the US engine builders reading online. That said Blueprint seem to get consistently good reviews. Buying rebuilt short block would certainly be cheaper, but possibly riskier, and youshould plan to strip down the built engine if you go that route to check everything.<?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com<img src=" /><o:p></o:p>
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I went with a used cut –out from eurocores (ebay). They were very fair and easy to deal with, though their shipping company a bit uselsss (completely ignored the comments about needing a smaller vehicle to get down my road, leaving me having to drag the crate up the road). They spray green paint on the engines, but you’re unlikely to reuse anything without striping or replacing anyway.<o:p></o:p>
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You have a trade off of risk vs. cost. The cutouts on ebay are a cheap way to get a complete engine, but you don’t know what you are getting. For instance mine’s on +30 over. Seems a fresh rebuild, but if I find any damage to the cylinders then I’m facing +60, sleeving or finding a new block -neither of which are great options. Buying a block of known condition would be better but that’s all you get and you’ll have to buy every single component which obviously adds up…<o:p></o:p>
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Other thing to consider is the current cutouts on ebay seem to be later year blocks. Great as they are more likely to have life left in them and will be roller blocks, but an issue with stricter emissions for the IVA test. Something to consider. Not an issue for me as I plan to go EFI, but will be harder with carbs.<o:p></o:p>
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That said it’s and interesting challenge, helped dramatically if you have a good local machine shop and do regular trips to the states to buy parts. Ky plan for me is to work out a total budget, and then figure out the best areas to spend money to get the best performance / reliability without buying expensive parts that are overkill on a mild build. It seems from initial investigation that the best way to do this is through decent flowing heads and a bump in compression (flat top pistons and or deck skim) plus a mild cam. I’m planning on keeping it sensible within the limits of the stock block, crank and rods.<o:p></o:p>
 
My two bobs worth and i'm sure Jac will agree with me, when planning any build regardless of out put expectations, remember the bottom end is the foundation, so if your planning on upgrading power down the track spend a bit extra on the bottom end, and getting the whole shebang balanced is well worth while.

Cheers Kaspa
 
Ditto on Johns post above.... a note of caution to Duncan, going + 0.060" on a 286/302/5.0 factory block is risky, 0.040 if you must bore it again. As a note of interest the humble 351w is the often overlooked best production option, an easy 100hp gain over its smaller brothers and responds very well to some simple parts swapping, its bore castings are thicker on thrust sides and it will stand 0.060 safely. Its only disadvantage in a GT40 is headers being different due to deck height, if your into diy thats not a problem. Make sure you get one with a 'C' or 'D' on the block casting #, the later ones are 'bean counter' refugees.
 
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