Thinking of doing a 351W swap, advice needed!!

[Outshine2]

This will surely be a long post, but I know you guys need something to do at work!! ;D

I'm thinking of swapping in a complete (from carb to pan, fan to flywheel) 351W that I think was already in an EB. I'm told it has good oil pressure and compression but may need a tune-up (not sure what that means).

Right now I have a somewhat recently rebuilt (about 30K) smooth running 302. I'm pretty happy with the 302, except for 3 things. 1. It has a tick from the passenger side valve cover, slightly noticable when driving (if the radio is quiet and the heater is off) but it's much more noticable when the engine is cold. 2. It doesn't have much power. 3. It gets poor gas mileage (around 8mpg, yes I know it's an EB )

I'm hoping that by going with the 351W I will be helping on each of those points. It should surely have more power than my 302, and hopefully since it won't be working as hard I could squeeze some more MPG's out of it.

I have a few installation concerns though... Assuming that this engine came from an EB what mods to my '75 will I need to make? I think was previously bolted to a manual tranny, will I need a new flexplate to bolt up to my C4? Will my stock exhaust manifolds bolt up? What about my stock electronic ignition? How about the radiator/cooling system (never even gets close to over-heating right now). Will I need a body lift? What about smog equipment, will the air pump bolt up to the 351 the same and will it remain smog legal if so (may be moving to Cali in the next few years)? Anything else I should consider?

Finally, how hard is the engine swap? Currently I have no equipment (engine stand, hoist, etc...). I may buy a stand and rent a hoist? It doesn't seem like that complicated a job in these older vehicles...

My 302 is in good shape, I was just about to start spending $ to upgrade things like carb, ignition, air filter, exhaust... I can get this 351 for less than the price of doing those on the 302!!

What do y'all think?????

 

[76Broncofromhell]

You will have to run a distributor out of a '76 Ranchero with a 351 for the distributor (If you have a blue ignition module). All the stuff should bolt directly except for the air pump brackets and PS brackets because the 351 block is an inch taller but some minor fabbing and it will be ok. Swapping engines is not too hard if you've done it before, just make sure you don't forget to pull the dipstick out of the pan before pulling the engine. Make sure everything is disconnected before you start pulling.

 

[Dennis]

You will need to either modify or replace you exhaust. The manifolds will work, but they will be higher and farther apart.

 

[VBH289]

Hey Jason, I got a 351W just sittin here if you want it! ha ha how is that! ;D ;D

 

[74bronc]

Yes, do it. As far as MPG, you probably won't notice much of a difference. You will notice more power and especially more torque. The ticking is probably just a worn out rocker arm on your 302. It will go away as long as the W rockers aren't worn.

The swap is easy. Like was mentioned, you will need a 351W distributor, Intake manifold and Oil pan. Sounds like you already have the pan and manifold. Buy some accessory drop brackets from WH or one of the other ones. About 30 bucks for those bad boys or make them yourself. Use your flywheel or flexplate off of your 302 as long as it is a pre-81 (or so) 302. They have the same 28oz balance as the W. Use your harmonic balancer, water pump and front cover off the 302. Use your current cooling system unless you develop heating problems, then upgrade to a different fan/radiator setup. I doubt you will need to. As far as the smog crap goes, the air injection tube that bolts on the back of the heads won't work because the heads are farther apart than the 302 heads. You will need to find a 351W injection tube. Should be able to find one in the wrecking yard pretty easily.

Drops in the same way as the 302 just a little snugger fit. You will be happy ;D

 

[Outshine2]

[quote author=74bronc link=board=5;threadid=14840;start=0#msg112073 date=1046815011]
Like was mentioned, you will need a 351W distributor, Intake manifold and Oil pan. Sounds like you already have the pan and manifold. Buy some accessory drop brackets from WH or one of the other ones. About 30 bucks for those bad boys or make them yourself. Use your harmonic balancer, water pump and front cover off the 302. Use your current cooling system unless you develop heating problems, then upgrade to a different fan/radiator setup. I doubt you will need to. [/quote]

All that won't apply if the engine was from an EB, right? Will I need a body lift or hood scoop? The 351 has the stock 2bbl carb. The complete engine should be about $500, and I will need to get the misc stuff (plugs, wires, carb rebuild, oil, etc) and rent or buy an engine stand and hoist. Would it be better to put that sort of money into my good running 302?

 

[76Broncofromhell]

I would rebuild it if I were you. Also I figure why switch from a 302 2 barrel to a 351 2 Barrel. Might as well build the thing to have a lot of horsepower.

 

[Dennis]

I would at least ring and bearing it while it is out. Maybe freshen up the heads too while your at it. Its not a complete rebuild, but at least you'll know what the inside looks like. You know it will be fresh. Now would be a good time to look into THIS mod.

 

[351YJ]

Engine stands are only like $35 from Advance Auto, and a hoist is about $25 per day.

 

[Outshine2]

I found out the engine is directly from a 70EB, so hopefully everything should bolt right in?

Good points 76Broncofromhell and Dennis... I would very much like to do a thorough or partial rebuild but I don't have the time/space/knowledge for that right now. I figure spending the $500 right now and getting the 351 would put me in a slightly better position right now, but mostly it'll give me a very good start for future improvements. Once this next winter comes up I'll finally have my garage and a place I could put the engine on a stand and tear into it. Eventually I would want to go EFI for sure.

Since the engine is already from an EB, with a hoist and a friend and some beer could I do this over a weekend?

 

[Dennis]

Don't forget about you existing exhaust. It will no longer line up with your exhaust manifolds. If you have single exhaust you will most definitly need to do something. Duel exhaust you might be able to jury rig it to get you by.