I'm going to be attempting a 302 swap for the 250 in my '74 Maverick somewhere down the line, but as part of the process I want to tear down and rebuild an engine from scratch to learn more about it. I have started keeping an eye out for used 302 engines near me that might be candidates for my rebuild project. Since I'm completely tearing it down and am planning to buy an aftermarket top end kit for the rebuild, do I need to be very careful about what year or type of car the 302 came from? Are there any compatibility issues I need to look out for, like motor mount bolt locations or something similar? A Mustang enthusiast friend of mine pointed me toward a certain year range of Ford Explorers that are often sought after as 302 sources because of the GT40P heads and I found one nearby at a salvage yard for a decent price. I'm not too worried about the heads since I would probably be replacing them anyway, but these engines do seem easier to find than ones that were built closer to the year of my Maverick.
As far as blocks, EVERY 302 is compatible(well almost). The boss on lower driver side that served for clutch & column linkage was eliminated in early '80s(there's a aftermarket, bolt on bracket that addresses this issue). Motor mount bolt spacing all same whether '60s or '00s. Blocks after '85 are roller cam compatible. Due to relocated spark plug, GT40P heads require special headers, consider them as door stops. Engine accessory & water pump config do vary, but any setup will bolt up. Parts mostly do not interchange between various config(Explorer brackets are atrocious). You'll need a front sump oil pan, mostly transitioned to rear with introduction of Fox chassis. With front sump, a timing cover with dipstick is required.
Thank you! That clears it up pretty well. Since I've read that headers are already kind of a challenge on Mavericks I'll avoid using GT40P heads.
I have a Blueprint Engines roller cam 347 in my Maverick. As Krazy Comet stated, it did not have the boss for the clutch ball so I ordered the bolt-on bracket that he mentioned. It would not work with my Hooker headers, no how, no way. I tried fabricating my own bracket but that didn't work either. So after measuring my original block three or four times, I made a template and drilled into the location indicated by my measurements/template and threaded the reulting hole. My clutch linkage has been working fine ever since. Bruce