The Green Monster

Maybe look into a 1988-1992 Lincoln Mark VII for your 302. It is the same "high output" engine found in Mustang GTs. That's where I got mine combined with an AOD transmission from a 1992 Grand Marquis.

 

Good Luck with your build - looking forward to watching it progress

 

All passenger car 5.0 models had roller cams from '86 up(these are all port fuel injection models)... Includes '86-'88 T-bird/Cougar, these are Lo-Po like '86-91 Crown Vic/Grand Marquis & '86'-'90 Town Car... Also there are the '88-'92 HO LSC Lincolns('86 & '87 LSC were also HO but used the E6SE heads) .. There are also '91-'93 T-Bird/Coug 5.0 HO that are similar to the '94 & '95 Mustang HO... Note '86 HO and all Lo-Po 5.0 have the poor flowing E6SE heads, '87-up HO and E/F series have the E7TE... If you can find a set of GT40 heads, those will out flow about any other stock head(aftermarket fan myself)...

The 5.0 E & F series used flat tappet cams till '94 but blocks are roller, spider hold down may need to be drilled and tapped in earlier versions... Explorers used 5.0 through '00(or was it '01?), later stuff have the modular engines that is useless in a Maverick... The GT-40P heads used on later Explorers require special headers due to spark plug location(though some have gotten by with short(racing) spark plugs...

Not one part interchanges from a modular to a small block Windsor, not even worth mentioning...

 

I thought the non-HO engines in the T-Bird and such were still flat tappet which is why they have the old 302 firing order.

 

Nope, every 5.0 in passenger car from '86 is roller(Lo Po cam is really wimpy)... I've been inside two '87 Bird engines, both roller... Also had a '85.5 F-150 5.0 that was a roller block but spider hold down not machined...

Anytime in doubt measure a push rod, roller engines are 6.25", while flat are 6.80"...

 

I've "heard" that the early 5.0s ('86?) are quite limited on piston-to-valve clearance if a performance cam swap is desired.

 

True but a set of Trick Flow heads are great, no reliefs necessary(What I ran for nine years on a '86 LSC short block with the TF Stage 1 cam)

 

Had an 88 Vic motor with flat tops I swapped E7's on to with a b303 cam, and there was barely enough valve clearance. Swapped out to trick flows, the valves didn't even come close.

 

Project 70 Green Monster update:
Poppa Randy is raring to go on the project and got a jump start on it this week while I was at school. He had both cars on jack stands and all of the brake lines and cables un-hooked and the rear end out of the 4 door when I got there this morning.

We made good progress today. We got the 4 lug rear end out of the 2 door and rolled outside.
I decided to swap the springs because my car was sagging in the rear and it had light duty springs.
The 4 door is a heavier car but it sat pretty level and has the heavy duty springs and shackles that are about 2-3 inches taller.
They don't look different from each other, but have different spring rates. That should get me level or maybe even a little higher in the rear which is good with me.

We got the 5 lug rear and the 4 door leaf springs installed on the 70.



Our goal for this weekend is to complete the rear swap in both cars and install new shocks.
We have to install the 4 lug into the 75 so we can roll it around. (I don't know what I'll do if someone buys the 4 lug rear end)

Differences I have noticed so far between the 2 cars besides the year and number of doors...
75 left rear shock mount is behind axle, 70 both shocks mount in front of axle.
70 4 lug 8"rear end is 2" wider than 75 5 lug 8" rear end but spring perches line up perfectly
wheel back spacing is different
75 drive shaft is 6" longer (expected because it's a 4 door)
75 drive shaft is 2 3/4 wide and 70 drive shaft is 2 1/4wide ( unexpected because they are both originally 6 cyl cars)

Next weekend we start on the front spindles and brakes.
More to come, stay tuned...

 

You might want to convert the shock mount to the later style. It was done that way in an effort to help curb wheel hop.

Thicker driveshaft on the four door .... likely because the added length may create harmonics and vibrations. The longer a driveshaft is, the more rigid it needs to be to prevent it from acting more like a jump rope.

It is common belief here that all of these cars through the entire run had the same width axles. Hearing that the early axle is wider makes me wonder ... perhaps it was swapped in rather than fixing a problem with the original. The spring perch width on Ford axles is very common among different models. Another thing I am wondering .... is it an 8"? or the puny one with the rear cover?

 

If it's the one laying next to the two door it's an 8 but at that angle it's hard to count the studs, could be the donor axle going in.

 

Both axles are 8". The 70 has 4 lug and the 75 has 5 lug. the brakes on the 5 lug have 1/2 inch wider shoes and drums.
After you figure in the added width of the brakes on the 75 the total outside width is very close to the 70 once everything is bolted together. The different back spacing on the wheels means they probably end up having the same wheel track.

 

Why would anyone swap IN a 4 lug axle with 2.75 gears?
When I got my 2 door 70 it had a puked motor from a 77 Bronco

(identified by this block casting #)

a rear from a 77 Bronco would not be 4 lug or 2.75, correct?

From the ID plate in the door jamb, my 70 was originally a 200 automatic.

 

That engine may well be from a Bronco, but it's likely a '77 Maverick/Comet had same casting number... Unless there was some detail that made the blocks specific to a particular model, all are generally same for year model(or maybe two or three years)... My orig 302 has a Fairlane/Torino identifier in casting number...

There isn't much chance a Bronco rear is a direct fit for a Mav/Comet...

 

Plenty of reasons given what these cars were originally intended for. If that car was nothing more than a commuter to a previous owner it would have received the most inexpensive fix possible if the rear gave up. In this case, it could have been a Mustang axle someone had laying around.