R.I.P. to my 302 - What should I do now?

[rednine4]

as far as a used engine; compression check it if possible, hear it run and see oil pressure with your gauge as stated. if you can find a 5.0 out of a mustang they came with forged pistons from 85-93. just a suggestion.
Duane

Not all mustangs came with forged pistons.. 87-91 did.

 

[flaminranger]

Not all mustangs came with forged pistons.. 87-91 did.

wrong 85 to 93 did

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

wrong 85 to 93 did

Either way now that the newest one is 18 years old chances are they have been rebuilt or need rebuilt by now.

 

[flaminranger]

some do some don't
they also had chrome moly rings and they lasted a long time. I helped a friend pull his engine apart and it had 145,000 miles on it.the cross hatch was still aon the cylinder walls and there was no ridge wear.
we only tore it down because he forgot to add antifreeze after we raced it so the block was cracked. it still ran good but hot. soooo we beat on it for a while.
they are really tuff and someone might read this thread and want to us a used engine and this might help

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

some do some don't
they also had chrome moly rings and they lasted a long time. I helped a friend pull his engine apart and it had 145,000 miles on it.the cross hatch was still aon the cylinder walls and there was no ridge wear.
we only tore it down because he forgot to add antifreeze after we raced it so the block was cracked. it still ran good but hot. soooo we beat on it for a while.
they are really tuff and someone might read this thread and want to us a used engine and this might help

Just sayin, generally Mustangs get flogged and it doesn't really matter what the rings are made out of, it will catch up with them eventually.

Also makes it hard to count on what was put back into the engine if it had been overhauled. If I were going to do anything to an engine that required forged pistons I would make darn sure that it did in fact have them and not go by "20 years ago it had them, so it must still have them now"

 

[baddad457]

some do some don't
they also had chrome moly rings and they lasted a long time. I helped a friend pull his engine apart and it had 145,000 miles on it.the cross hatch was still aon the cylinder walls and there was no ridge wear.
we only tore it down because he forgot to add antifreeze after we raced it so the block was cracked. it still ran good but hot. soooo we beat on it for a while.
they are really tuff and someone might read this thread and want to us a used engine and this might help

Nobody makes "chrome moly" rings. Chrome moly steel is unsuitable for piston rings. There are chrome faced and moly faced rings, but no chrome moly rings. The reason for the lack of wear was the switch to low tension rings and a tighter fit of the piston in the bore to start with. The moly filled rings were used in 79-85's, the 86-up used a chrome faced low tension top ring.

 

[rednine4]

wrong 85 to 93 did

I am not 100% sure but you may want to look in the book on this one... Last time I checked 93 did not have forged pistons.

 

[kris97ranger]

nice truck i hope you get it back together. my buddy has a 84 cougar with a built 351 and it flys! id assume that a 347 in a ranger wouldnt be much of a slouch either

 

[baddad457]

The forged pistons were used in 85-92 HO motors (unless some slipped by on the production line into some other applications, which did occasionally happen But as 85_Ranger4X4 stated, very few are still serviceable after 18 years, so there's really no point in looking for one to rebuild.

 

[flaminranger]

I am not 100% sure but you may want to look in the book on this one... Last time I checked 93 did not have forged pistons.

the last yr has 93 that is what my friends car was and had.
it was a changeover yr. and your right it doesn't matter even though I keep reading post after post about how people keep using used engines whether or not it came from grandma's crown vic or a 5.0 stang. I was just saying it is possible to find one in good shape. I know where two are for that matter.
it was just a statement. not meant to offend or anything like that. if it was me I would probably find an explorer motor as they come with p heads

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

the last yr has 93 that is what my friends car was and had.
it was a changeover yr. and your right it doesn't matter even though I keep reading post after post about how people keep using used engines whether or not it came from grandma's crown vic or a 5.0 stang. I was just saying it is possible to find one in good shape. I know where two are for that matter.
it was just a statement. not meant to offend or anything like that. if it was me I would probably find an explorer motor as they come with p heads

I am using a used crown vic engine, but I am not doing anything to really care what the heck the pistons are made out of. 4bbl and headers and that is about it. It is not a dd, race truck or hardcore offroader so plain old cast pistons should last a long time.

If I was running nitrous or a blower or something that would require forged pistons, it wouldn't go on a 20 year old engine.