Engine upgrade help

[wantone]

Looking to buy an Explorer 302 and need some advice. I'm thinking of buying a donor explorer for the engine only. I want to keep everything stock, but get the engine with hardened valve seats. I want to keep the carburetor and 3-speed manual on the tree. I love the old stuff.

Questions:

1. If I want to use the new engine with my stock 3 speed manual, can I use my old stock flywheel and harmonic balancer? I think the balancer doesn't work?

2. Is there anything else I have to consider besides the transmission linkage?

3. What parts on the Explorer are worth selling? I'm thinking rear end, EFI, serpentine belt setup and scrap the rest.

Any advice is welcome. Please tell me if I'm missing something.

 

[sykanr0ng]

Looking to buy an Explorer 302 and need some advice. I'm thinking of buying a donor explorer for the engine only. I want to keep everything stock, but get the engine with hardened valve seats. I want to keep the carburetor and 3-speed manual on the tree. I love the old stuff.

Questions:

1. If I want to use the new engine with my stock 3 speed manual, can I use my old stock flywheel and harmonic balancer? I think the balancer doesn't work?

2. Is there anything else I have to consider besides the transmission linkage?

3. What parts on the Explorer are worth selling? I'm thinking rear end, EFI, serpentine belt setup and scrap the rest.

Any advice is welcome. Please tell me if I'm missing something.

Only if you want to shake the engine to death, 302 is 28 ounce imbalance, 5.0L is 50 ounce imbalance and both the harmonic balancer and flywheel are weighted for this.

 

[Broncobowsher]

The serpentine setup is worth keeping yourself. Not only will the balance be matched to the engine but it has a real good clutched cooling fan and a good alternator.

Don't use the old flywheel. You need a mid/late 80's F150 302 flywheel.

There is a missing hole in the block for the clutch linkage. All the venders have a simple bracket to fix that.

Your old distributor will fit but will have the wrong material. You need the correct distributor gear or you will fill the engine with metal shavings as the distributor and cam both self destruct.

The later P-heads can cause exhaust interference. If you keep the manifolds there is a way to clearance them to work. Headers have limited choices to clear the P-head plug angles.

 

[TTTGOWYO]

If you find a 1996 Explorer it should have the GT40 heads and you wont have to deal with the Exhaust clearance issue.

 

[wantone]

Thanks for the advice. You guys have answered my questions. I think I had seen most of it before, but had trouble piecing it together.

So, what else can I sell from it to help get some cash back?