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Engine question

Allen_69

Bronco Guru
Joined
May 23, 2001
Messages
1,492
Loc.
Sugar Grove Pa
Pulled apart my bone stock 1980 302 and everything is looking really good so it's just going to be some performance upgrades. First piece of info is that I'm going to holly sniper it for FI. My questions are all around what should I replace?
Keep in mind this isn't a budget unlimited build. The heads are also in good shape so they are staying stock for now.
1. Oil pump. Replace? High volume worth it?
2. Cam shaft. Thinking of the summit brand. Should I replace the lifters?
3. Timing chain. I'm thinking this is a no brained to replace
4. Intake. Not sure there's any brand that stands out

I'm probably going to match the sniper with their dual sync dist and ignition.

Basically. Looking for confirmation for my plan
 

69_Sport

Full Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2014
Messages
258
Oil pump: I do not recommend anything but a Melling standard pump.
Cam: You are looking for torque, not hp. Buy the RV grind. Always replace the lifters with a new cam.
Timing chain: Yes. Use a quality dual roller type.
Intake: Go with a dual plane that makes torque.
 

spap

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Jan 2, 2010
Messages
2,458
Rear main seal. And. Know you didn’t want to touch the heads but you can find e7 mustang by heads very cheap and they would make a nice difference compared to the stock heads if you are going to do the cam
 

SteveL

Huge chevy guy
Joined
Jun 24, 2001
Messages
11,613
Loc.
Hawthorne ca
1 high volume pump may not fit in the bronco oil pan.
2like he said go with a rv cam for low end and yes on lifters.
3 yes on the timing chain.
4 if you chang the intake make sure you still clear the hood with it. Mostly a 351 thing but worth checking.
 
Last edited:

bronconut73

Bronco Guru
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
9,916
I fit the Melling high volume oil pump in the Duff/Grand Marquis Windsor pan.

I ground the oil pump bottom plate bolt heads down a bit via a tip from James Duff himself a very long time ago.....1990?....
Oil pan fit perfect. I reccomend the one piece oil pan gasket too.
 

Broncobowsher

Total hack
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
34,835
1980? First thing I would double check is if it really is a 302 and not a 255. A lot of the bastard 255s are mistaken for a 302

How does it run now? Good oil pressure when hot, that is the oil is fully warmed up, not just the water. Compression test shows good? Any chance of doing a leak down test?

For the most part you are just dealing with a smog era American V8. Compression ratios were rather dismal. The Summit house brand cam is a good choice. Same specs as the Edelbrock Performer but at a better price. A lot of cam names have been attached to that exact same grind, even Ford Motorsports offers that grind. About as aggressive as you will want to try with stock heads/valve springs.

Timing chain is junk. Gaskets all around, no cork. pop a couple of caps off rods and mains, decide if you want to roll in a new set of bearings.
 

crab

Bronco Guru
Joined
Feb 23, 2004
Messages
2,264
Personally, I would stick with a name brand cam/lifters such as Comp which summit sells. A buddy threw a Summit brand cam/lifters in a small block Chevy build with proper break in and flattened the cam in the first year. I’ve always had great luck with Comp/Edelbrock not to say others aren’t good. Check out Rockauto as well.
My suggestions in order of affordability.
Complete gasket kit with one piece oil pan gasket.
Complete tune up parts. Plugs wires etc.
Water pump/timing chain
Comp cam/lifters
Ditch the duraspark and spend the money on a DUI
Melling standard pump. No need for HV. You will starve the pan.
Dual plane intake such as Edelbrock airgap
Not convinced with any EFI carb. Just throw on a Edelbrock 650 for now.
Any of our vendors long tube headers.
Free flowing exhaust such as flow master 40’s
Keep you eye out for a set of GT40 or sim heads. Should find for around $500
Good gauges. Don’t need fluid filled AM but they make you go faster :)

Even though your motor is clean, make sure it’s not tired. Pull a couple crank bearings and check for scaring. You can find a ‘96-7 Ford Explorer (complete trick)with GT40 (non “p”) heads for under $1k and use everything including wiring, intakes, injection, serpentine.....it’s a win win.
Fishinman78 used a later model distributerless explorer 5.0 and also used the electronic 4sp OD transmission. Then had The EFI GUY send him a tune. Sweet little ride.
 
OP
OP
Allen_69

Allen_69

Bronco Guru
Joined
May 23, 2001
Messages
1,492
Loc.
Sugar Grove Pa
1980? First thing I would double check is if it really is a 302 and not a 255. A lot of the bastard 255s are mistaken for a 302

How does it run now? Good oil pressure when hot, that is the oil is fully warmed up, not just the water. Compression test shows good? Any chance of doing a leak down test?

For the most part you are just dealing with a smog era American V8. Compression ratios were rather dismal. The Summit house brand cam is a good choice. Same specs as the Edelbrock Performer but at a better price. A lot of cam names have been attached to that exact same grind, even Ford Motorsports offers that grind. About as aggressive as you will want to try with stock heads/valve springs.

Timing chain is junk. Gaskets all around, no cork. pop a couple of caps off rods and mains, decide if you want to roll in a new set of bearings.

Ok now you have me worried. Casting above the starter is E0AE D3C.
Only other casting is 1480x on the back below the driver side head. Mileage is unknown but it's got good compression all within 10 psi. Didn't do a leak down test.

If this is a 255 I'm going to just bite the bullet and go 351 roller. Just trying to avoid another 750 to exactly where I am now.
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,353
When looking for a cam, don't just say you want an "RV" cam, because way too broad a range of characteristics have been put on them by the manufacturers and sellers. You can get the perfect cam that way, or you could get a lumpy idle, gas guzzling, strong mid-range cam that you might love or might hate. Personally, I'd hate it.
I've just seen too wide a range of specs used under the "RV" category. So go for details, not just nicknames.

High volume pump? Nice, but not needed. And eventually some people will have trouble with the roll pins holding the distributor gears on the shaft because the pump is putting more load on it. Cheaper distributors seem to have this issue more often, but it can happen to any. You will not have a cheap distributor, but see if others feel that the extra oil volume is worth the worry. When the stock ones have carried oil pressure in our engines for 200k miles and more.
Not to say I'm not a fan of hv pumps. Just that they're not an automatic requirement that they used to be thought to be in the '60's and '70's.

A low-rise single plane intake can actually be beneficial for a TBI setup. Luckily the Holley is the least finicky about this, and most single plane intakes are engineered for better lower rpm performance, which is where you want it.
But if you can find an open-plenum, low-height, single-plane intake, it could be worth looking at. That's a lot of hyphens(!) but not without some merit.
When it comes down to it though, don't worry too much about a dual-plane. It's still dialed in for the rpm range you want with a Bronco, and a small bit of the divider can be ground down, or a short open spacer used to help the TBI read the signals better.
You're not worried about the most horsepower on a dyno, but you are concerned about off-idle response and drivability. Here again, the Holley seems to be the most forgiving of divided plenums.
Broncobowsher has a full install write-up going on right now in fact, so you could check that out to see what he's using and how it's working.

Paul
 

Rustytruck

Bronco Guru
Joined
Feb 24, 2002
Messages
10,875
My personal choice. Replace the valve stem seals, the crank shaft seal the timing cover seal. Use the 1 piece seal on the pan. I would replace the rod and main bearings. Roller timing chain installed 4 degrees advanced. I would replace the oil pump shaft with a better unit. Whatever you use for a distributor replace the gear attaching roll pin with a high strength pin even on new units. Fix the oil pan dipstick mount so it doesnt leak any more. Replace all freeze plugs with brass plugs. Replace the water pump. Use good head gaskets dont cheap out there. I would pull the piston and rod assembly and make sure the rings are clean and free. Oiled and reinstalled. Look for cracking on the piston skirts.
 

Broncobowsher

Total hack
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
34,835
With good compression I would leave the pistons in the block. Too much risk of damaging the rings and lands pulling the pistons out.
 
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