Increase the HP in my 302

[jagsfan811 10]

Hello all,

I am new to the site, this past friday i bought a 69 mustang coupe. runs strong just needs some TLC. I wanted to increase the HP in it as it only has a 4 barrel carb thats not stock. I was looking into headers, but am open to all ideas, what have you guys done?

 

thanks

Nick

[Dro69 11]

Why is it that you want to up your HP? you can do Heads,Cam,Intake, and Gears, since you already have the Carb.

[rwcstang 201]

many will ask you this, but i'll ask it:

 

how much hp/tq do you want?

 

do you want it to be street, strip, or road course?

 

auto or manual?

 

do you care about gas or not?

 

basic mods are usually swapping out the carb, intake, headers thats a good start.

if you want more power, I would recommend doing a rebuild with nice internals along with an edelbrock top end kit.

[82stangracer 10]

Welcome to the site! The limit it the sky depending on your wallet and time. + 1 on the above listed parts. The gears, however will not increase your HP, it will just pull you out of the hole quicker and also make you turn higher RPMs going down the road. What trans do you have? A good set of aluminum heads will flow much better and reduce weight. What carb do you have. a 600 or 650 would be plenty for a 302. Summit sells top end kits that come with Edelbrock air gap intake, heads, cam, lifters, timing chain, bolts and gaskets. But you would still have to buy your rockers. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-2091/

Edited May 13, 2011 by 82stangracer
misspelled rockers

[rwcstang 201]

Jagsfans i think the best "easy mods" would be a nice K&N filter, intake and shorty headers with a nice 2 1/2 exhaust h-pipe. If you want to go the extra mile you can mildly port your Int/Exh on ur cyl heads and intake.

 

also if you have low gears like mine 2:79's i recommend upgrade to a nice LS 3:55's

 

to me thats a nice mild budget for u.

[jagsfan811 10]

The reason i want to increase the HP is because I want to have a powerful car that can back up all the noise lol. Im only 22 so some may have different views than I.

 

to be honest I have no idea anything about this carb it was installed by the previous owner and all i know is it was upgraded from the previous 2 barrel.

 

ideally i would love 400 HP and roughly 450 torque

 

the car will be built for the street. i want it to be driven wherever and not have to be drive on a trailer.

 

it is automatic and i dont care about gas as this is not my daily driver

what is a racker?

[69RavenConv 286]

A 4-barrel and dual exhaust are the logical first steps to increasing horsepower. But to get 400+ hp out of a vintage 302 you need more than add-ons. You'll want to replace the heads, put in a more aggressive cam, and maybe up the compression. It all depends on your goals and budget. Browse the Summit catalog and you'll get some good ideas. They have tons of stuff for 302/5.0L Fords.

 

The original heads are a weak spot on these engines. Modern aluminum heads are light-years better than the stock 1969 versions. A roller cam conversion is a good idea, too. It all costs money though. A high performance rebuild like this will cost well into 4 figures, though, even if you do it yourself.

 

Good luck, keep us posted on your progress.

[jagsfan811 10]

A 4-barrel and dual exhaust are the logical first steps to increasing horsepower. But to get 400+ hp out of a vintage 302 you need more than add-ons. You'll want to replace the heads, put in a more aggressive cam, and maybe up the compression. It all depends on your goals and budget. Browse the Summit catalog and you'll get some good ideas. They have tons of stuff for 302/5.0L Fords.

 

The original heads are a weak spot on these engines. Modern aluminum heads are light-years better than the stock 1969 versions. A roller cam conversion is a good idea, too. It all costs money though. A high performance rebuild like this will cost well into 4 figures, though, even if you do it yourself.

 

Good luck, keep us posted on your progress.

 

Thank you all for your help. it looks like this may have to hold off for a couple months until i can get more money. i will have to use the money i currently have to continue to restore the car as i am lucky the motor already runs nice.

 

on a side note how much hp would a 302 with a 4 barrel and dual exhaust put out?

[Dro69 11]

Welcome to the site! The limit it the sky depending on your wallet and time. + 1 on the above listed parts. The gears, however will not increase your HP, it will just pull you out of the hole quicker and also make you turn higher RPMs going down the road. What trans do you have? A good set of aluminum heads will flow much better and reduce weight. What carb do you have. a 600 or 650 would be plenty for a 302. Summit sells top end kits that come with Edelbrock air gap intake, heads, cam, lifters, timing chain, bolts and gaskets. But you would still have to buy your rackers. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-2091/

 

Yup, i didnt mean that gears would add hp lol.

[DRASTiK 22]

IIRC: A bone stock 69 302 2bbl engine put out around 210 hp.

[jagsfan811 10]

IIRC: A bone stock 69 302 2bbl engine put out around 210 hp.

 

how much would a 302 4bbl engine roughly put out?

[PaleRider 12]

Going to need to stroke it to get those numbers

[crankywanker 10]

how much would a 302 4bbl engine roughly put out?

 

 

230-240. Maybe. A 4bbl might actually be a detriment with a restricted exhaust.

 

For starters try getting some Hooker Long-Tube Headers for your 302.($180) Because the #1 problem for 289/302 engines is a restricted exhaust. Then get some nice Rear end gears. ($950)3.55-3.73; Don't go any higher otherwise you'll blow up your engine. Then replace the springs on your heads with something stronger and port/polish etc. This would be a good start and it is what I wouldve done had I not blown my 302 when I bought 4.11 rear end gears and decided to drive it like a teenager.

Edited May 11, 2011 by crankywanker

[crankywanker 10]

Going to need to stroke it to get those numbers

 

 

either that or make it rev so high that you can launch at 4000rpm.

[crankywanker 10]

take it from me, the best thing to do in your mustang is just fix the body and make it look cool. Sure HP and TQ are great things and fun to have at your disposal. But when my mustang was broken down for over 2 years and I couldnt drive it because I was working on this engine or that transmission, it became really taxing to never get that fun feel to drive and cruise around. So just work on the necessary items first before diving into horsepower. Besides you probably have a suspension you need to put on there. Id drop some money on a Grab-A-Trak suspension and maybe go buy some glass packs for my exhaust and some hooker headers for sound. The suspension and air conditioning and power steering and nice seats for your girlfriend to sit in are all things that are more important than go-fast goodies. especially when your girl's makeup is running off her face because it's so damn hot in the car and the seats are uncomfortable.

 

edit: it looks like you needa start block-sanding and painting first.

[jagsfan811 10]

thanks crankywanker, you and my brother said the same thing get the damn thing on the road. i am lucky though because i could take it on the road now but your right the exterior needs to be finished sanding, primed and painted, the interior on the other hand has new leather and carpet courtesy of the previous owner. i do want to throw some headers on just to help out that carb. other than that ill probably do performance upgrades during the winter or in spurts.

[LindenBruce 27]

I think 82stangracer meant rocker, as in roller rocker arms. "rackers" are something you see in a mens club!!! Hehehehehehe!!

 

Also, with the HP TQ numbers you are looking for you just might want to upgrade to a well built Ford AOD 89-93 transmission. It is a bolt-in gig and don't sweat the throttle valve cable thing. It's fairly easy to adjust with an auto valve body and nothing to adjust with a full manual valve body. Clickclickracing.com is a great source for AOD stuff. Bruce

[jagsfan811 10]

how does something like this look? not to knowleageable about headers so i am just throwing out some ideas:

 

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G9131/All/

[Dro69 11]

Those headers would work. Pretty much anything is better than the stock manifolds :)

[NJ_Bob 10]

Do headers still leak like they used to? Or are they designed better these days?

 

By the way, +1 on the making it comfortable and safe first and tune it with the best parts. Then dual exhaust, then gears.

[Dro69 11]

Do headers still leak like they used to? Or are they designed better these days?

 

By the way, +1 on the making it comfortable and safe first and tune it with the best parts. Then dual exhaust, then gears.

 

i believe its all about the gasket quality whether they leak or not, some people dont use the gasket they get with there headers and buy some aftermarket gasket.

[crankywanker 10]

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HOK-6901HKR/

 

it is about gasket quality but its also about fitment against the bauss or however you say it. anyways. hooker headers eliminated this problem and they have better fitment than any other header out there. try these on for size.

[Pakrat 1,043]

My headers seemed to always be leaking, burning and blowing out a chunk of gasket here or there along the way even with fel-pro copper backed ones. I finally bought a set of percy seal-4-good gaskets and they are bullet proof and pretty much lifetime, well worth a little extra money. I finally decided to add some locking bolts as well just for the extra piece of mind.

 

http://www.percyshp.com/store/seal-4-good/cat_7.html

[jagsfan811 10]

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HOK-6901HKR/

 

it is about gasket quality but its also about fitment against the bauss or however you say it. anyways. hooker headers eliminated this problem and they have better fitment than any other header out there. try these on for size.

 

how would those compare to these?

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G9131/All/

 

the above hooker headers say competition but i feel like the summit racing headers are made of better quality being they are ceramic coated and also they have a silver finish. does anyone have either of these?

 

do you see an increase of sound or HP and whats the fitting like for a 69 mustang coupe?

[82stangracer 10]

what is a racker?

Sorry I'm just getting back, but I goofed. Meant to say rocker.

 

Yup, i didnt mean that gears would add hp lol.

I figured you knew, and hoped he did to, but with some of the stuff you see asked online, I figure its always best to clarify. lol

 

IIRC: A bone stock 69 302 2bbl engine put out around 210 hp.

That was a "gross rating" right. Wonder how low that would've been with the "net ratings" they use now.

 

I think 82stangracer meant rocker, as in roller rocker arms.

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner! Thanks for picking up my slack!