• Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.

good blocks?


jaymegriffiths

New Member
Article Contributor
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
1,241
Reaction score
7
Points
0
Location
Regina,Saskatchewan
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.9
Transmission
Manual
I built my 331 about 5-6 years ago, using an 89 roller block. It's been twisted to 7 grand many times, & more frequently to 6500. It's never been apart since built, other than to pull the intake to change gaskets (my son sucked one in after reving it out to 7 grand, then letting off the gas with it in 2nd gear, the vacuum created, sucked one gasket into the intake port) It's been in two vehicles now, first the 89 Ranger, now in the 77 Comet. It shows no sign of giving up the ghost because of being built around a stock block.
and the point is?
are you saying a 331 is worth the money?
and i have a question, did u have to run premium?
I want to be able to run pump gas (87 octane) and not wreck anything. also, what tranny did u have?
 


85_Ranger4x4

Forum Staff Member
TRS Event Staff
TRS Forum Moderator
Article Contributor
V8 Engine Swap
OTOTM Winner
TRS Banner 2010-2011
TRS 20th Anniversary
VAGABOND
TRS Event Participant
Joined
Aug 7, 2007
Messages
32,350
Reaction score
17,854
Points
113
Location
SW Iowa
Vehicle Year
1985
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
5.0
Transmission
Manual
I built my 331 about 5-6 years ago, using an 89 roller block. It's been twisted to 7 grand many times, & more frequently to 6500. It's never been apart since built, other than to pull the intake to change gaskets (my son sucked one in after reving it out to 7 grand, then letting off the gas with it in 2nd gear, the vacuum created, sucked one gasket into the intake port) It's been in two vehicles now, first the 89 Ranger, now in the 77 Comet. It shows no sign of giving up the ghost because of being built around a stock block.
and the point is?
:icon_thumby:
 

jaymegriffiths

New Member
Article Contributor
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
1,241
Reaction score
7
Points
0
Location
Regina,Saskatchewan
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.9
Transmission
Manual
dude i can read
yes the 331 can be built using a stock roller block (kits i've seen require the block to be bored .030 over.
i dont wanna spin it 7 thats soo high. plus if i get to crazy the tranny gonna cost me bigtime...
afrs and a stock 302 are good for 400 horse (plus headers)
let alone 331 and a mild cam?
ill be pushing 500.(flywheel)
and a t5 cant handle 500. and aod prolly wouldn't last either... maybe ill consider the t5 setup...
 

mini274

New Member
TRS Banner 2010-2011
Joined
Oct 13, 2009
Messages
552
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
Elizabethton, TN
Vehicle Year
1993
Make / Model
ford
Engine Size
302
Transmission
Automatic
ok ill put my .02 in... one of my friends is running a 331 in his 89GT it is by far the only motor i would build out of a 302... it is his dd and he runs 89 in it he has the same AFRs your wanting to run and it is very well mannered not wild (of course he is runnin the B303) but thats wat i would suggest he hasnt had it dynoed but it runs 13.40s spinning thro 3rd with drag radials on it... im in no way saying YOU MUST BUILD THIS MOTOR but he has right at 4 grand in it with the kit from probe industries and he is running a stock borg T-5
 

baddad457

Active Member
TRS Banner 2010-2011
Joined
Aug 7, 2007
Messages
2,604
Reaction score
18
Points
38
Location
Opelousas La.
Vehicle Year
1989
Make / Model
Ranger
Transmission
Manual
and the point is?
are you saying a 331 is worth the money?
and i have a question, did u have to run premium?
I want to be able to run pump gas (87 octane) and not wreck anything. also, what tranny did u have?
Well, 85_ranger4x4 highlighted my point,:icon_thumby::pray: but I'll say it again: For what you're going to build, a stock roller block is fine. And yea, I do run it on 93 octane premuim only. The comp ratio is 10.4 to 1, that combined with the Z303's LSA, negates any chance of running it on 87. It's been run with a Toploader 4 speed in the Ranger and now a C-4 in the Comet.
 

jaymegriffiths

New Member
Article Contributor
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
1,241
Reaction score
7
Points
0
Location
Regina,Saskatchewan
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.9
Transmission
Manual
ok ill put my .02 in... one of my friends is running a 331 in his 89GT it is by far the only motor i would build out of a 302... it is his dd and he runs 89 in it he has the same AFRs your wanting to run and it is very well mannered not wild (of course he is runnin the B303) but thats wat i would suggest he hasnt had it dynoed but it runs 13.40s spinning thro 3rd with drag radials on it... im in no way saying YOU MUST BUILD THIS MOTOR but he has right at 4 grand in it with the kit from probe industries and he is running a stock borg T-5
i could easily make 500 crank horse with the right setup invollving a 331 and afrs but 4000 is the most i wanna spend on the engine. no sense putting 20 grand into the truck and its worth 5 when im done.. im gonna look for a t5 to use. once im ready to build ill be updating via my build thread which currently isn't too interesting...
lol
ill let yall know and thanks so much for the help i certainly have a game plan now
 

jaymegriffiths

New Member
Article Contributor
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
1,241
Reaction score
7
Points
0
Location
Regina,Saskatchewan
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.9
Transmission
Manual
Well, 85_ranger4x4 highlighted my point,:icon_thumby::pray: but I'll say it again: For what you're going to build, a stock roller block is fine. And yea, I do run it on 93 octane premuim only. The comp ratio is 10.4 to 1, that combined with the Z303's LSA, negates any chance of running it on 87. It's been run with a Toploader 4 speed in the Ranger and now a C-4 in the Comet.

maybe ill keep my compression under 10 and run 89 (this price difference here is retarded) but from what i've been told a well geared v8 and a well tuned carb can possibly get better milage than the 14-16mpg i get out of my 2.9 now...
 

dangerranger83

5.0 HO under the hood!!!
Supporting Member
V8 Engine Swap
Solid Axle Swap
Joined
Apr 26, 2009
Messages
7,738
Reaction score
54
Points
0
Location
Lafayette, IN
Vehicle Year
1983
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
5.0 HO carbed with an np435 and np208
Transmission
Manual
My turn. Me personaly, I would use a brass gear on the distributor. Why you ask, because its the fuse gear meaning that its cheaper to replace a worn out brass distributor gear then a cam shaft and distributor gear when they both wear out due to them both being made of the same material. I see them doing it on Powerblock on there engines and theirs eaily have more power then what your building. But thats just me.

ATM my trucks dizzy's gear has a tooth that is chiped so one of the teeth is half way gone. I didnt have the money at the time to replace it but so far it has worked fine when it was in my dads truck and mine. I do plan on replacing it when I get the chance.
 
Last edited:

jaymegriffiths

New Member
Article Contributor
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
1,241
Reaction score
7
Points
0
Location
Regina,Saskatchewan
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.9
Transmission
Manual
this may be true but ive never heard of a dizzy gear wearing out and wrecking a cam. ill look more into thanks for bringing that too my attention. i was wondering when your find this thred dr83 haha
 

baddad457

Active Member
TRS Banner 2010-2011
Joined
Aug 7, 2007
Messages
2,604
Reaction score
18
Points
38
Location
Opelousas La.
Vehicle Year
1989
Make / Model
Ranger
Transmission
Manual
My turn. Me personaly, I would use a brass gear on the distributor. Why you ask, because its the fuse gear meaning that its cheaper to replace a worn out brass distributor gear then a cam shaft and distributor gear when they both wear out due to them both being made of the same material. I see them doing it on Powerblock on there engines and theirs eaily have more power then what your building. But thats just me.

ATM my trucks dizzy's gear has a tooth that is chiped so one of the teeth is half way gone. I didnt have the money at the time to replace it but so far it has worked fine when it was in my dads truck and mine. I do plan on replacing it when I get the chance.
I swapped the distributor gear on the dizzy in my Ranger about 8 years ago to a steel (reman points distributor, age unknown) Been doin the job ever since. Brass is OK for an engine that's torn down frequently, but not for a daily driver. When I first install a new dizzy ond/or cam gear, I liberally coat the gear with moly grease to help break it in. Never had a failure.
 

jaymegriffiths

New Member
Article Contributor
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
1,241
Reaction score
7
Points
0
Location
Regina,Saskatchewan
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.9
Transmission
Manual
I swapped the distributor gear on the dizzy in my Ranger about 8 years ago to a steel (reman points distributor, age unknown) Been doin the job ever since. Brass is OK for an engine that's torn down frequently, but not for a daily driver. When I first install a new dizzy ond/or cam gear, I liberally coat the gear with moly grease to help break it in. Never had a failure.
moly grease?
can u keep the lubricants limited to stuff i can get at can tire?
lol what are brand names for moly grease?
or is moly a brand.. oh the confusion u people cause me lol
and thanks for your input
 

fordman4x492

New Member
TRS Banner 2010-2011
Joined
Dec 31, 2009
Messages
458
Reaction score
3
Points
0
Age
31
Location
berwick louisiana
Vehicle Year
1995
Make / Model
ford
Engine Size
5.oh 3oh2 v8
Transmission
Automatic
1st go find a late 80s -early 90s mistang gt they had a 302 h.o.
the 302h.o. had roller cams and port and pollished heads. they had lower compresion but you can put dome pistons in it to fix that
if you go with any other 302 you would have to put a roller cam and roller lifters because they had flat tappet cams and lifters

just build a 302h.o.
my cusin got 500 hp out of his
 

Mac

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
V8 Engine Swap
Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Messages
5,103
Reaction score
183
Points
63
Age
77
Location
C. Wisconsin
Vehicle Year
2003
2000
199
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
4.0
Transmission
Manual
1st go find a late 80s -early 90s mistang gt they had a 302 h.o.
the 302h.o. had roller cams and port and pollished heads. they had lower compresion but you can put dome pistons in it to fix that
if you go with any other 302 you would have to put a roller cam and roller lifters because they had flat tappet cams and lifters

just build a 302h.o.
my cusin got 500 hp out of his
Where did you find this great info? Really better go back and do some more reading up on what the HO motor came out of and when. Even the 2000 Explorer came with what is considered a HO motor. There are some here that will eat you alive with comments like what you said!
Dave
 

jaymegriffiths

New Member
Article Contributor
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
1,241
Reaction score
7
Points
0
Location
Regina,Saskatchewan
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.9
Transmission
Manual
Where did you find this great info? Really better go back and do some more reading up on what the HO motor came out of and when. Even the 2000 Explorer came with what is considered a HO motor. There are some here that will eat you alive with comments like what you said!
Dave
ok dude chill isn't the first time someones come and put some post thinking they know what theyre talkin about and looked stupid in front of those who do.
how about instead of starting an arguement we educate the guy.
the engines ur referring to are simply 5.0's (which have roller cams)
ur correct in saying they are more powerful and they started in 86.
however not all 5.0s are HO
im not gona pretend i know but if anyone knows of a database of HO 302's that might help. perhaps reading over the stickys and googleing before we make un eduacated posts ok?
IF ANYONE STARTS A FLAMY FRIKKEN ARGUEMENT ON MY THREAD ILL BEAT U WITH A STICK!
ok i wont do that but ill let a mod know so u can be booted fools
 

dangerranger83

5.0 HO under the hood!!!
Supporting Member
V8 Engine Swap
Solid Axle Swap
Joined
Apr 26, 2009
Messages
7,738
Reaction score
54
Points
0
Location
Lafayette, IN
Vehicle Year
1983
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
5.0 HO carbed with an np435 and np208
Transmission
Manual
I would just get that cobra engine off your dad and be done with it, might as well put it to use, sitting for how long? I know alot of money was out into it but its money sitting there rotting slowly.


Me I would do the 2.3 Turbo rought, I've heard they can kick a 5.0's ass if built right and still get good milage.
 

Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Staff online

Member & Vendor Upgrades

For a small yearly donation, you can support this forum and receive a 'Supporting Member' banner, or become a 'Supporting Vendor' and promote your products here. Click the banner to find out how.

Truck of The Month


Shran
April Truck of The Month

Recently Featured

Want to see your truck here? Share your photos and details in the forum.

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Events

25th Anniversary Sponsors

Check Out The TRS Store


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad


Amazon Deals

Top