Newbies Considering a V8 Swap, Looking for Advice

Chute
That wagon is really nice. Looks to be your pride and joy..

The maverick lives on street and chutewagon live inside the castle.

 

Old V8 Granadas are great parts donors, virtually everything swaps. I dunno if this one has 302.

https://allentown.craigslist.org/ctd/d/allentown-1977-ford-granada-kris-snyder/7042438627.html

 

The Maverick actually sits beside the wagon. The wife's van got kicked to the driveway after the Maverick found it's way home.

 

I definitely want to keep it a 289-302 project. I'd want this project to be strictly bolt-on. No fabrication, no cutting firewalls or transmission tunnels. That's where I'm stuck though. I don't know enough about year to year changes in small block fords to know which are better candidates than others. I really don't want to start off with a motor that might be more work or money to swap in the long run when an easier/cheaper alternative is available.

 

IMHO the V belt setup will be easier to put in your Maverick so.... a earlier 302 is a good candidate because they’re outfitted with V belt pulleys/accessories, the later roller cam 5.0’s have a little more power but are outfitted with serpentine belts and accessories.
I’m putting a 94 5.0 in my Comet and had to search hi and low to find the correct V belt pulleys and accessory brackets.

 

Thank You!

 

Chute????
Is your son following this post? Would love feedback from him now.

 

My car originally came with a 302. It currently has a '68 302 that's 040 over with '66 289 heads and mild cam. Aluminum heads are in its future, but working on another project right now...

 

Yeah, this is Harley, his son. I don't have my own account as we both pretty much share this one. I've been driving it with the 250 for a little over a year. Originally we planned on rebuilding the 250 and enhancing it's performance with add-ons like a turbo, dual headers, stuff like that. We decided rather than rebuilding the 250 we might as well upgrade to a 289 or 302 and add to it's performance as time goes on. I've been interested in swapping the 250 for a 302 for a while and it doesn't seem like too tough of a swap compared to other engines. I don't know everything about engines but one of the big reasons we got this car was to learn. I think we could pull it off. And like my dad said, I don't want to spend a whole bunch of money when we could do it for less, which is why we're trying to do plenty of research before we dive into it. If you have any other questions feel free to ask!

 

Hello Harley and nice to meet you.

You really should get your own account. You write better than 99% on here to include your father. I really like your attitude and spirit.

Go for it!

 

Hey Harley, I don't know how old you are, but my '73 Maverick was my first car, and 38 years later, I still have it. So I'm cheering you on...

 

The V8 swap isn’t all that bad as long as you do plenty of research and collect the needed parts before you do the swap. Many people have been in the process of of swapping engines and get held up because they are lacking one or two things. On average expect to pay around $800-$1500 for the swap depending on part prices, engine options, new vs used parts, etc... it can get very pricey very quickly. I would recommend finding a low (less than 150K) mile 96 explorer for the swap, for the money it is the best engine that you will find with out a lot of upgrades. You can normally buy the whole vehicle for around $600-$800 and then part out/scrap the rest and make most of your money back. Make sure you read up on it but you will need to swap the intake, timing chain cover, flywheel, and oil pan (maybe one or two more things but I can’t remember off the top of my head). You will also need to source V8 pulleys, but those can be found new for a reasonable price. Overall just take your time and ship around and it isn’t too bad. There is plenty of information on this site and everyone is very helpful.

 

TeeEl
Thats awesome! 38 years!

My first car a 70 mustang, bought in 87. 33 years later i still have it also.

Harley
Secret to car longevity is
1. Do Not Loan or let buddies test drive.
2. Keep it running (fix it when it brokes)
3. What else???