new engine

[wtkeller1]

I was thinking about buyng a new 302 for my bronco. Where would be the best place to purchase a complete engine?

 

[rjrobin2002]

Get a 5.0 out of a late 90's-2001 Explorer from a junk yard for 3-500 dollars and either use the fuel injection or put an intake and carb on it. Better than any crate motor you are going to buy as far as longevity goes and all of the serpentine would already be there. You would have the 1 piece rear seal also. I hate the older 60's and 70's blocks with the 2 piece rear seals.

 

[broncnaz]

While I tend to agree with the above post with the exception that its still a used engine and you dont know its history and it may be in need of a rebuild or it could run for a few years you wont know for sure unless you get to see /hear it run befroe buying it.
Maybe the biggest question is how much are you willing to spend and what to you want out of the new engine stock performance or something built up? You can order engines from a number of places all varing costs and perfromance levels. biggest issue is that if something goes wrong with the engine you will have to try and deal with any warrentee issues long distance.
In most cases I'd say your best bet is find a machine shop locally they usually offer remanned engines or just have your current engine rebuilt. at least that way any warrentee issues can be dealt with a lot easier and faster. Also most of the big parts stores also sell remanned engines although there quality is usually not that great. I've heard some horror stories about those engines. But I've also seen some that were just fine.

 

[Ratch]

I would say a combination of both. Get an explorer or other 5.0 engine and have it rebuilt. It is worth the hassle to me to have the 1 piece rear oil seal. Plus the added benefit of the roller cam and hardened valve seat in the heads for longevity. There are a lot of 5.0's out there with 200-300k miles on them. Just my opinion.

P/s. I would not be afraid to run a used 5.0l as much as a used 302 of earlier vintage. Especially if the engine was in good running condition when pulled. I would just check the bearings for wear, new timing chain if needed and reseal it if all looked good. You might be get lucky and find a relatively low miles rolled explorer/mountaineer with all the fine weather we are having.

 

[rjrobin2002]

I feel like the newer 5.0's are 250-300,000 mile motors when taken care of. I like to find wrecked vehicles in the junk yard since I know that they were driving before they got there. It is not hard to find a 100-150,000 mile motor in a explorer/mountaineer.