Ford 302 Engine For Sale Craigslist (2024)

FAQs

Is a 302 a reliable engine? ›

Lots of people still prefer the 302 4.9-liter engine to the following single overhead cam 4.6-liter, because the parts are cheaper and the engine is more reliable, despite the fact that there are more parts to fail. The 302 was also made with more nickel in its material, which made it stronger.

A Ford 302 Engine should have no problem lasting over 200,000 miles as long as you take care of it. Keeping up with regular maintenance is very important on all engines. Doing simple things like getting oil changes every 3,000 to 5,000 miles can help keep your engine running well for a long time.

Better yet, Sherman says you can build an engine like the one on these pages for around $2,500. This price assumes you do most of the work yourself, farming out only the necessary machine work and cylinder-head porting; figure $3,500 $4,000 if you farm out everything.

ATK Ford 302 Long-Block Crate Engine

HP99F) long-block crate engine is hard to beat at under $2,900.

As a testament to the Boss 302's high-rpm nature, the peak horsepower numbers differed by just 9 hp, but the torque curve tells the real story. Down at 3,100 rpm, the larger Boss 351 offered an additional 90 lb-ft of torque, and carried a sizable advantage all the way through 6,500 rpm.

The 302 Ford combined a 4.0-inch bore with a 3.0-inch stroke. This compares to a 3.736-inch bore and longer 3.48-inch stroke for the 305. The 305 Chevy is often chastised for its small bore, but under the operating conditions the stock engines were intended to run, the bigger bore is of little benefit.

The design was soon bored to 260 cu in (4.3 L) and again to 289 cu in (4.7 L), then stroked to 302 cu in (4.9 L), settling on the most common displacement offered until the engine's retirement in 2001, nearly 40 years after the basic block design debuted.

While the Z28 DZ302 featured camshaft timing that enabled more power at higher RPMs, along with a large bore and short stroke, it fared less well in terms of airflow. The Boss 302 had a greater airflow rate through the intake and exhaust.

The 302 is also readily found in Ford trucks and vans spanning the entirety of their production. From 1968 to 1979, the 302 came standard with a two-barrel carburetor and produced 210 horsepower at 4,400 rpm and 295 lb. -ft. of torque at 2,400 rpm.

Given the factory tires and 7500 RPM limit in 6th gear you could get to 247 MPH. At 8500 that would be 280 MPH but it all depends on how every piece and part can handle the speed. If you had the factory tires and rev limiter in 5th you would get to 160.68 top speed in fifth.

How much HP can you get out of a 302? ›

That engine could make 375 hp with little effort, which equated to 1.24 hp per cubic inch. In race trim it could make well over 500 hp, or 1.65 hp per cubic inch. How much horsepower can people get out of a Ford 302? Depends on which “people" and how long the engine has to survive.

It was equipped with a standard two-barrel carburetor and was rated at 145 horsepower at 4400 RPMs and 216 lb-ft of torque at 2200 RPMs.

For a 500 hp Ford 302, you'll need all the previously mentioned parts: upgraded hardware and gaskets, headers, intake, aftermarket heads with heavy-duty valve train parts, larger fuel injectors or carburetor, forged pistons and connecting rods, and certainly a power adder, too.

Testing in part one of our Legendary Small-Blocks proved that the original 290hp rating by Chevrolet was somewhat shy of the real power output, as our replica produced 357 hp and 333 lb-ft of torque.

With a new high-flow cylinder head, and increased compression ratio, the engine is capable of delivering 460 horsepower at 7,000 rpm which translates into 420 ft per lb or torque at 4,600 rpm.

Horsepower & Torque:

370 hp / 350 ft. lbs.