hardship strikes

[biddie_gibbs]

Remember wantin more from the sbf thread? Remember how I wanted the 460? I had all the prices where to get parts from with prices an all. Then hardship strikes. I get involved in a work related accident. Pass my drug test and all other tests and the dealership fires me even when its proven the accident was not caused by me. So I gave up my want to workon cars for others. But anyway that set back all plans luckily I had an interview that was great an I got the job but with a pay difference an not the one we all love. So plans have changed out with the 460 and the 302 stays an its just painful to say it. I have this guru that is just amazing. An older guy that can tune a carb by ear an is just genius with cars. He used to drag race and all, but he really believes that the 302 is a good motor an can be built to out run bbf. Is my 68 f100 stepside that heavy where I need a bbf for torque? I really want a bb but money says otherwise but alsso am awaiting for my first child due the 24th of may. I can save some and slurg. But what should I do engine wise? I want ok mpgs but power as well. I can get a hold of a boss 302 for 200$ what should I do?

[70_F100]

With a baby on the way and a pay cut, you may want to put this project on the back burner for now.

Heaven only knows what the hospital costs will be for the birth of your child , so if you're truck is running ok, I personally think you'd be wise to drive it as-is until some of the uncertainty is gone. You've probably got COBRA coverage available, but that is EXPENSIVE!!!, and it's doubtful you'll get insurance coverage at your new job for at least 90 days (at least that's the way it is in most cases).

You've also got to consider that you'll now have a new mouth to feed, clothes to buy, diapers, etc... Until you have that all figured out and can develop a budget based on your new pay scale, you would be wise to just leave everything status quo.

I've been out of work since November, and the job market looks thin around here in my field . That said, I've been working on some mods to my truck, but I'm using parts I bought some time back. The only reason I'm working on mine right now is because I have a lot of time on my hands, and a lot of parts and pieces already here and paid for, and it gives me a way to stay busy.

[biddie_gibbs]

Well thanks for thank input but diapers clothers toys crib and everything that the baby will an won't use I have. The truck is the only thing that helps me with sanity. My wife and the baby has insurancw I have taken care of as well as bills are upto date. The pay cut isn't to bad just about 50 bucks less per check. My wife wants me to continue workin on the truck in small incrumites. Shes supportive. So........ let the build continue! Is it wise to get the boss 302 or stay with the ol 302. The truck isnt running. Finally I CLOSE to finally starting her up but the person i bought the truck feom had only one bolt holdin the starter on so of course I didn't check somerhing so simple and constantly crankin the truck finally killed the starter. There is doubts that the truck would run but I don't know. So what should I do engine wise? Boss or no boss? Is the truck to heavy where I need a bb for torque? I want decent mpg and amp power to cruise and kill hoe ricers on the quarter? Ofdicial car help plz

[Ranchero50]

Well, if you can pick up a real Boss 302 for $200 I would do that, part it or sell it whole eBay or even CL. Put the proceeds into a new 302 shortblock and some AFR 165 heads, decent torque cam and go have fun...

Jamie

[cdeal28078]

You are talking about a Boss 302 in one sentence and worried about not having to buy springs for a cam change in the other.
A true Boss 302 can be bought for what? $8000- maybe? Sure you can take a 302 block, buy some 361C heads but then you have to pay for machining and aftermarket intake right? Not sure what all has to be done to turn a 302 into a Boss 302 but it is not just changing parts.
Not trying to be mean just trying to get you to realize what it takes to buy or build a Boss 302. Plus a true Boss 302 is not a low RPM type engine. They need RPM's to produce the HP. Not a typical truck engine
For just cruising around and playing a 302 is a fine engine for a truck. Drove my a couple hundred thousand miles with one. I could get 18 on the road but it sure was not a power house. Hauled a lot of loads with it but it was straining to do it for sure.
Say if you have $2000 to play with over a years time. For the same amount of money spent on a 302 or a 460 I still say you will get more HP and torque out of the 460 for the money spent.
To get 375 hp out of a 302 you are looking at all kinds of after market parts like heads and cams. To get 375 hp out of a 460 you are looking at stock heads, cam, 4v intake and carb and headers.
clint

[biddie_gibbs]

Good point this is a true boss came out of a mustang the dude that would less it to me has sooo many motors he drag races works two jobs a wife and three kids he does have time to fool with it. He's about to give up drag racing. I am not goin to be haulin stuff its just a street truck. I am not money mike. I don't use credit cards. Am for a deal. I was just askin questions. My truck doesn't run an am tryin to get it on the road. I want torque and mpg. An honestly its harder and more expensive with ford then swappin motors or parts from chevy to chevy.

[fuzzier1]

Biddie,

I would suggest try finding out what the block number and head numbers are off of the "Boss 302". Post them up here and someone can tell you if it is a real Boss 302. $200 for a Boss is suspect. If it is an every day 302, while $200 isn't much for it, you already have one so why buy another. If it turns out to be a Boss then you could turn around and sell it for a very good profit to fund your rebuild of the 460 the way you want. It might even pay for the entire build. Also as was stated above, a Boss 302 is a high rpm race motor, not the best thing for a truck. Hope things work out for you.

Fuzz

[michael69]

And mpg,torq,hp and a heavy truck don't go together. You have to give up something to get the other. You don't get all in one package.

[Dragon]

He used to drag race and all, but he really believes that the 302 is a good motor an can be built to out run bbf.

Not unless you have a fortune in money. Period. To get 375 ftlb and 335 hp from a small block is a stretch without good parts, a 390 will pull that with a stock cam and 600 holley on a pure stock engine.

[averagef250]

About 10 years ago I was having a few beers over a friends place and this guy starts telling this tall tale about this old closed up wrecking yard (knew it inside and out, but he didn't know I did) and he weaves this tale of jumping the fence at night to grab such and such part for his beater car and stumbles over this complete SBF under a tarp, it looks funny and has D0ZZ cast all over it. I knew the place, never saw anything like he described, but the beers got the best of me and maybe, just maybe I'd missed a spot in 25 acres of old car crap. We all ended up stumbling through that wrecking yard in the pouring rain that night through the wee hours of the morning turning over engine blocks looking for the imfamous "D0ZZ" motor this BS genius said he found out there somewhere. The only thing anyone got out of that night was a hangover.

Boss 302's don't fall from the sky. They didn't make many real ones and anyonebody who'll sell one for $200 is a moron or a lyer.

[Dragon]

I am not sure the number of Street released Boss 302 stngs but the factory only sold 421 total engines and only 122 rolling stock bodies to Drag and Transam. So on the street in 69 and 70 there had to be at least 500 produced each year to qualify for the racing the same parts. There were 6 69s and 11 70s registered in Denver in those two years.

[biddie_gibbs]

Wow the wise ones speak ok the 460 plan I guess stays. I feel like a moron tho with the boss 302. Am still goin to check the numbers tho sorry guys justa noob tryin to learn

[cdeal28078]

Hey I hope he does have an original Boss 302 and you can grab it for $200. Great for you and you can tell your grand kids about it for years and years.
Not so sure I would say A carb 460 get worse milage than my 390 V4. I would think that could be depending on the particular 460 engine and what tuning has been done to each engine. Also have to take into account the differnace in cubic inches with some kind of crazy sliding scale math ratio for the cubic inches.
I can squeeze 14-15 mpg out of my 460 with 3.25 gears and when I get around to putting the 3.0's back in I feel I can better that.
Plus parts for a 460 are all over the place in all kinds of junked out Lincolns and F150's. FE's are getting harder to find at least around here. On a 460 you don't need to worry about after market heads until you are at least over 500Hp and the bottom ends are plenty strong enough for at least 500 I would think. Get crazy with the money you can stroke a 460 with little to no block work for the smaller stroke kits also
clint

[Dragon]

If my memory works still. I remember some numbers from a racing Boss 302, With 2 Factory Autolite inline 4V carbs in full race trim it ran at 9000 rpm for almost 3 hours. The power curve came on at 4800 and started to rise until 6000 then took off. That car was in one of the Trans Am races. Ford retired the engine when done. It was wore out. Ford ran a 429 at Talladega for 4 hours at 9000 rpm and made 3 more races after that with minor rebuilds. A 427 ran the 24 hours of Le Mans at 8000 and was then at Sebring for 12 hours and at Daytona road course for 24 and all that happened to it was replaced bearings and rings before every race.

Boss 302s have their places. As do all Ford engines. Ford was good at designing the basic engine to fit the weight class, the power class and the torque class of each vehicle. I personally believe the 302 was put in the trucks to fill an image gap. Someone that felt a truck had to have a V8 but did not want the power of a 360 or 390 and disdained the image of a 6 in their truck.

[OldRedFord]

I still say a 460. Haha.