alright so my old 250 i6 is so tired its fallin apart and my c4 isnt doin much better and im on a budget but i want it good. this is gonna be my first time ever building and engine and first time dealin with a transmission. first things first what would you guys recommend for a 302 with pretty good power mileage and on a 5000 budget for engine and tranny any money left over goes to body work and paint. and what would you recommend for transmission i know the c4s are ok transmissions but it seems like its just not doin enough considerin it always wound up a lot on the freeway, i also heard the T5s fit well and ive heard of people using AODs what are the pros and cons of em and what would probably be best for a daily driver on a budget? thanks for your help
I think as far as the tranny your best bet would be to just get your current c4 rebuilt maybe a shift kit too. I couldnt imagine that being more than $1000. It doesnt sound like your looking for an all out performer, you know there are plenty of good running small blocks out there in the bone yards? a pre smog engine/block will be your best bet since it will have higher compression(more power) 302's came in everything from cargo vans to lincolns so there not hard to find. You will need a front sump oil pan if it doesnt already have one. with some headers, intake, carb you'll be pretty satisfied. you will need v8 frame mounts, if you cant fiind a set in a bone yard or something autokrafters has them for $170 i think. Hope this helped you a little.
T5's and AODs can easily eat up a lot of your budget. Of course that depends on whats available. the c4 can get it done but it has no overdrive. A junkyard 302 with a set of headers and a good intake and carb will make a nice performer/street car. A mild cam would compliment all of that. You could probably have the engine for $1500-$2000 cam and all, the c4 rebuild for $1000, and various parts you need to fit it for less than $500 (hoses, mounts, flywheel, etc). Spend some of whats left on an exhaust system. That would be a nice car that's fun to drive.
i get my c-4's built for $350 -$400. check at a cruise or car show and find out who does some for other ford guys. my guy builds them at home but he also does them during the day for a tranny shop.
yeah i already have a junkyard engine block from a 74 that was even from a maverick so what do you guys recommend for parts like intake, headers, carb, cam, all that fun stuff that the machine shop wont cover. also any specific shift kits you would recommend?
whops, yeah that too. most of my cars never had anything past the headers lol sounded cool as much as the neighbors hated it, especially when I left for school at 6:45 am
as far as intakes, eldabrock makes many different intakes most of them pretty good for street , same as carb eldabrock good for easy bolt on and go , headers you can get from many companies some of which fit better than others , i think on a budget eldabrock is a pretty good choice IMO im not pro just an average joe but good luck with your car keep us posted
taking the block into the machine shop this week hopefully it wont cost me too many limbs lol what do you guys suggest with headers ive heard a lot of people suggest different things and point out different problems since im leaving the c4 in there ill need to change it to floor shift to put the headers on wont i?
some on here have left the column shift, but it takes some fabrication. i have the hooker 6901's on mine. they are $154 i believe unless you get the coated ones. then they jump to $300+.
If you are on a tight budget, seems like I have been all my life, you should look for some deals too. There are a lot of parts that don't wear quickly, so shopping for used is pretty easy. Aluminum intakes and headers come to mind instantly. There are also some things that you (being first time builder) don't want to skimp on. Spend money on new carburator for instance. Also, get your tranny built, that way you can focus on building the engine yourself. Most of us here don't build our own trannys anyway. My best advice: Read voraciously on building the engine and pick a machine shop with lots of good reputation floating around locally. Good luck Dave
