Getting ready for a new power plant in the Bronco, any recommendations

[DustDevilOffRd]

Okay so after doing a little digging I found out my bronco has the original 302 from 1970, so now im thinking it will be better to keep the originality of the truck by keeping the motor and having it rebuilt with all new internals and fuel injection.

 

[drock]

Okay so after doing a little digging I found out my bronco has the original 302 from 1970, so now im thinking it will be better to keep the originality of the truck by keeping the motor and having it rebuilt with all new internals and fuel injection.

Warm up your original 302 with some new parts and stay away from the headaches of wanting high horsepower. Good choice, and should be a lot cheaper than your 12k budget (that money will quickly go somewhere else on your Bronco).

 

[FlogginHarvey]

Take note.... as mentioned, it is not a matter of bolting in a 400hp motor and go. You *WILL* find weak spots everywhere... axlewrap will be a big deal.. so either 4-link or stiffer springs + anti-wrap device. You WILL break axles and ujoints.. so if you wheel, lan on choromoly everything + CTM style joints for the front.

I have a 393 stroked and bored 351w. I dont have near 400hp. I spin the ears off the chromoly axle shafts once a year. I have eaten up more rear ujoints due to wrap than I can count (no, I am not over torquing them.. yes, I have a wrap trap). I have broken the plug welds on the front axle and spun the tubes inside the housing (fun). I have twisted the splines off the input shaft to the transmission off the torque converter. I am in the process of swapping to RCV axles and putting in an atlas.. I already have 35 splines in the rear with a currie 9+ nodular case and other upgrades... NONE of this would be needed if I had kept with my mildly built explorer motor running MAF EFI.

Not to say this cant be done, but if I were doing it all over again, I wouldnt.

If you are wheeling and/or just want something different... I would do a high compression propane 302. Or a solid 302 with a turbo... depends on why you want the power of a coyote.

Going fast in a lifted, short wheelbase vehicle isnt always fun.

That is very well put! I just went thru the very same thing about a month ago. My budget was about half of what your talking to include R&R. I went with a relatively mild 331 stroker build on a 5.0HO block (to get a roller topend it was all of $150 bucks for a core block). I kept seeing the hp/torque #'s of the aluminum heads but they were just not in the budget. Ended up finding a set of mild gt40 three bar heads and cam. In doing the math is should be a solid 350hp/350tq setup. I pick it up on Monday!!! We shall see...

Here is a fun read I found posted by another CB.com member. I think you can easily get 400/400 for a "reasonable" number and still have some coin left for upgraded axles, joints, etc to handle the power (don't forget about the tranny and transfer case)... Have fun shopping and please report back!!!

http://books.google.com/books?id=T_...ce=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[76Broncofromhell]

Take note.... as mentioned, it is not a matter of bolting in a 400hp motor and go. You *WILL* find weak spots everywhere... axlewrap will be a big deal.. so either 4-link or stiffer springs + anti-wrap device. You WILL break axles and ujoints.. so if you wheel, lan on choromoly everything + CTM style joints for the front.

I have a 393 stroked and bored 351w. I dont have near 400hp. I spin the ears off the chromoly axle shafts once a year. I have eaten up more rear ujoints due to wrap than I can count (no, I am not over torquing them.. yes, I have a wrap trap). I have broken the plug welds on the front axle and spun the tubes inside the housing (fun). I have twisted the splines off the input shaft to the transmission off the torque converter. I am in the process of swapping to RCV axles and putting in an atlas.. I already have 35 splines in the rear with a currie 9+ nodular case and other upgrades... NONE of this would be needed if I had kept with my mildly built explorer motor running MAF EFI.

Not to say this cant be done, but if I were doing it all over again, I wouldnt.

If you are wheeling and/or just want something different... I would do a high compression propane 302. Or a solid 302 with a turbo... depends on why you want the power of a coyote.

Going fast in a lifted, short wheelbase vehicle isnt always fun.

Respectfully, I disagree. That has more to do with driving style than it does with actual component strength. You can break 1 ton axles with a worn out 22R-E if you drive like an idiot. Saying that 3-400 horsepower automatically equals all these upgrades is not really the truth. It's all in its intended use and driving style.

Frankly I don't get the point of all the built up 9" / D44 stuff if you plan on wheeling it anyway. If you're going to flog it off road with big tires, score a set of 1 tons and be done with it. You can typically find the 2005+ Super Duty stuff (which is factory 35 spline) for $1500 or less for an axle set. Upgrading a half ton axle makes as much sense as a fat chick getting a boob job.

 

[67EB_in_619]

Respectfully, I disagree. That has more to do with driving style than it does with actual component strength. You can break 1 ton axles with a worn out 22R-E if you drive like an idiot. Saying that 3-400 horsepower automatically equals all these upgrades is not really the truth. It's all in its intended use and driving style.

Frankly I don't get the point of all the built up 9" / D44 stuff if you plan on wheeling it anyway. If you're going to flog it off road with big tires, score a set of 1 tons and be done with it. You can typically find the 2005+ Super Duty stuff (which is factory 35 spline) for $1500 or less for an axle set. Upgrading a half ton axle makes as much sense as a fat chick getting a boob job.

... And I also respectfully disagree. First.. having a HP motor is kinda stupid if you arent going to get on it from time to time. Having 400HP and never stabbing it... just stick to the lethargic 302 and call it done.

Regarding the 1-tons... well, if you want to give up ground clearance and add a shit ton of weight... and refab most of your suspension and linkage... and if you need tons, you probably need 35 spline outers and slugs or those bad ass yukon hubs to go with it... and might as well put chromoly in them with CTMs... yeah, I dont see the point of upgrading a 9" and D44.

Do I break my shit doing something stupid? Usually.. Do I break my shit having fun? Every.Time.

Where I think we (76BFH) would agree is if you are wanting more HP/T from a big bad motor.. you are probably (like me) the kind of person that likes to FEEL that big bad motor from time to time... so you will need to build the rest of the truck out accordingly... be that tons or whatevers.. plus all the other stuff other than axles that take abuse from big bad motors...

Point being = your 12k budget shouldnt be only for the motor

 

[WheelHorse]

IF you have to do a rebuild, find a yard with a wrecked Explorer and grab the engine, FI, computer right out of it and have it all redone.

 

[76Broncofromhell]

... And I also respectfully disagree. First.. having a HP motor is kinda stupid if you arent going to get on it from time to time. Having 400HP and never stabbing it... just stick to the lethargic 302 and call it done.

Regarding the 1-tons... well, if you want to give up ground clearance and add a shit ton of weight... and refab most of your suspension and linkage... and if you need tons, you probably need 35 spline outers and slugs or those bad ass yukon hubs to go with it... and might as well put chromoly in them with CTMs... yeah, I dont see the point of upgrading a 9" and D44.

Do I break my shit doing something stupid? Usually.. Do I break my shit having fun? Every.Time.

Where I think we (76BFH) would agree is if you are wanting more HP/T from a big bad motor.. you are probably (like me) the kind of person that likes to FEEL that big bad motor from time to time... so you will need to build the rest of the truck out accordingly... be that tons or whatevers.. plus all the other stuff other than axles that take abuse from big bad motors...

Point being = your 12k budget shouldnt be only for the motor

Yes, we agree on most all of it. What I was trying to at least highlight is that a street / mild trail Bronco likely will not spin axle tubes and break flanges off of 9" axles.

If your 1 tons are dragging, you don't have big enough tires!