What should I do??

Discussion in 'General Maverick/Comet' started by NICK DOMINICK, Jun 12, 2012.

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  1. NICK DOMINICK

    NICK DOMINICK MCCI Virginia State rep.

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    1972 Grabber 302, 1973 Maverick my first car that is under restoration, 1972 Grabber and 1976 Maverick parts cars, 2012 Mustang GT, 2001 Lightning
    Spookie's stock 40 year old 88,000 mile 302 engine is tired and is on its way out. Should I rebuild the original engine stroking it and converting it to a roller motor adding fuel injection or do the same rebuild to a newer roller engine with a one piece rear main seal? Should I just buy a crate engine?
     
    NICK DOMINICK, Jun 12, 2012
    #1
  2. Dave B

    Dave B I like Mavericks!

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    Last edited: Jun 12, 2012
    Dave B, Jun 12, 2012
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  3. don graham

    don graham MCG State Rep

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    With a crate engine you get a nice warranty. If you do it yourself it is warrantied until you start it up.:burnout:
     
    don graham, Jun 12, 2012
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  4. maverick1970

    maverick1970 MCG State Rep

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    Lots of good crate engines out there. What kind of power are you wanting to make?
     
    maverick1970, Jun 12, 2012
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  5. 71gold

    71gold Frank Cooper Supporting Member

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    a nice crate motor would make Spookie...scary-er...:cool:
     
    71gold, Jun 13, 2012
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  6. Craig Selvey

    Craig Selvey Indiana State Rep - MCCI

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    You already have one car tore apart and scattered all over your garage. Do whatever it takes to keep you from doing that to Spookie. Knowing what your plans are for the other car, I would just do a basic stock rebuild of another engine and swap them out. Do you really need two high performance Mavericks? Keep Spookie a basic daily driver.
     
    Craig Selvey, Jun 13, 2012
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  7. darren

    darren Member

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    Id buy a quality roller crate engine with warranty and swap it in.
     
    darren, Jun 13, 2012
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  8. Jsarnold

    Jsarnold Senior Member

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    You might save some money by buying a rebuilt roller long block and swapping all the external parts, except for the distributor (gear), from your old 302. Or save even more by finding a good used 5.0 and doing the same. The right answer depends on your budget. I bought a serviceable 5.0 engine for $250. Didn't have any trouble finding one.
     
    Jsarnold, Jun 13, 2012
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  9. bmcdaniel

    bmcdaniel Senile Member Supporting Member

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    Aluminum block 351 stroked to a 427 w/aluminum heads and intake, same weight as your 302. It's easy for me to spend other people's money...
     
    bmcdaniel, Jun 13, 2012
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  10. Jsarnold

    Jsarnold Senior Member

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    Neglected to mention 50 oz balancer and flexplate/flywheel if you don't buy a used engine with those parts.
     
    Jsarnold, Jun 13, 2012
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  11. olerodder

    olerodder Member

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    Personally I think crate motors are overrated...........but that's just me.
    I'd by another 302, rebuild it yourself (as long as you know a decent machine shop), put it together yourself while you are still driving the car...............then spend a day or two swapping it out for the original.................I'd keep the original.
    I'll bet you could do it for under $2k and have a really nice motor to go another 80k miles...............................................IMHO
     
    olerodder, Jun 13, 2012
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  12. bmcdaniel

    bmcdaniel Senile Member Supporting Member

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    If you do go the crate route you still need to thoroughly check out the supplier's work. Twice I've bought crate short blocks instead of building my own like I usually do because I didn't have decent parts to start with. On both I found clearance issues among other things that I had to straighten out before use. One place even sent a completely different block than what I ordered!
     
    bmcdaniel, Jun 13, 2012
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  13. olerodder

    olerodder Member

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    There is an ole saying that's older than I am.............was true 30 years ago and is certainly true today, "If you want something done right, then do it yourself".
     
    olerodder, Jun 13, 2012
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  14. maverick1970

    maverick1970 MCG State Rep

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    Decent machine shops are getting hard to find
     
    maverick1970, Jun 13, 2012
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  15. olerodder

    olerodder Member

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    You just need to send the parts out West, we've still got quite a few.
     
    olerodder, Jun 13, 2012
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