rebuild planning Options

[timburly]

Allright the beast made it to and back from Nevada without to many problems, Ha!. Also this whole time I thought I was driving an E-200 because that's the emblems it has on the fenders, however while shopping for brake parts nothing for the 200 fits. And I'm guessing that a 3/4 ton didn't come with 8 bolt hubs on a full floating axle.

Anywho my point for this topic is that I'm seaking some ideas on rebuilding the engine and tranny. I have been through the board and I'm still with a few questions that I hope people can chime in on.

My use for the van is mostly festivals usually at some distance from home so I want to have the best mpg I gan get. Also I do end up towing around 1500/2000 lbs once a year 800+ miles. I want to remain as stock as possible, I only plan on headers with dual exhaust and some form of electronic ignition. Vehicle has a stock 302 with a holley 2300 2bbl carb. I may swich to a 4bbl.

What kind of heads should I be looking for at the junk yard? From what I've been reading it sounds like 70's era heads are a good choice since they are ready to burn unleaded fuel as well as larger cooling jackets ect. What vehicles should I be looking for to pull these off of? I'll have them completly rebuilt, is there anything else I should have done to them?

Aside frome a complete rebuild and having a RV cam installed is there anything else I should have done to the lower end? I've read that todays oil is lacking in zinc and this can cause some issues, what is the cure for that?

Anything else you guys can think of would be great. I've never had an engine rebuilt so this is all new to me. I'm sure there will be plenty more questions. If anything I've asked has allready been covered please just point me to the tread.

Thanks a bunch!

[JDM_GUY]

welcome aboard .

your econo is something unusual, never seen one like that yet. well, if you wanna save gas milage. i suggest leave it to factory 2 barrel but if you want to upgrade to 4 barrel, get the carb the type that opens all 4 when the pedal to the floor and only 2 opens up when normal driving, i forgot what those type of carbs are called.

as for you rear end ratio, i can suggest a ratio for you for the best gas milage along with the towing capacity combo, the combo is coming from my book. your gonna have to weigh your van first and add 2,000 pounds, then let me know the total weight so i can give you a good rear end ratio to pick.

[timburly]

welcome aboard .

your econo is something unusual, never seen one like that yet. well, if you wanna save gas milage. i suggest leave it to factory 2 barrel but if you want to upgrade to 4 barrel, get the carb the type that opens all 4 when the pedal to the floor and only 2 opens up when normal driving, i forgot what those type of carbs are called.

as for you rear end ratio, i can suggest a ratio for you for the best gas milage along with the towing capacity combo, the combo is coming from my book. your gonna have to weigh your van first and add 2,000 pounds, then let me know the total weight so i can give you a good rear end ratio to pick.

I believe it was a full e-300 that went to a coach works in seattle where they cut the back off with a sawsall and built on the camper. If you look at where the side door would have been you see about 3 inches of the door that they cut and tack welded in place.

As for the weight I am not sure what the final outcome will be since I'm stripping it down to the frame to rebuild. Currently its a 3.?? rearend. I'd need to go look at the tag.

I currently get about 9mpg and I know i'm not gonna be driving a 20+ rig but 12mpg would be nice

[yogreasygramma]

With the 8-lug wheels and floating axle you definitely have an E-300. Check out my recent threads in the literature section of factory brochures and data book. The Econolines were available from the factory with only the cab and floor, ready to be built into campers, which they were from different contractors. Do you have some good pictures of your camper? Thanks!

[timburly]

if supplied from the factory as just frame and cab would ford have ran a sawsall through the barndoor? Just curious.


Reading around would e7te heads be a good choice to pull from the wrecking yard? If so am I only going to find these on 1987 model fords or is the e7 just mean it was cast in 1987 and was used until their stock was depleted.

[timburly]

Haha just answered my own question. Looks like the e7 heads were around for almost a decade. Anyone know what years they were found on?

[Roger]

I have the E7s on my 74s engine.. I also have a set of E7s that I took off an engine that was in a 95 E350 cube van (cutaway chassis)..

FYI,, I bought the heads for my 74 from a guy on ebay for $200. They were completely rebuilt,, but I don't know that I would recommend him as a source (not that I could even remember his name now).
Vic can attest to the trouble I had with mine. I had to use shims under almost all of the rockers to get the lifter pre-load correct.

[timburly]

I have the E7s on my 74s engine.. I also have a set of E7s that I took off an engine that was in a 95 E350 cube van (cutaway chassis)..

FYI,, I bought the heads for my 74 from a guy on ebay for $200. They were completely rebuilt,, but I don't know that I would recommend him as a source (not that I could even remember his name now).
Vic can attest to the trouble I had with mine. I had to use shims under almost all of the rockers to get the lifter pre-load correct.

Thanks for the input, I'm just trying to figure out my junk yard list which is growing. Now would you not recomend the E7's? Or just not the source you got them from. if you have other ideas I am open. I am trying to avoid any aftermarket heads just due to cost. I can have any heads rebuilt locally from a mom and pop joint for around $250 quoted.

I am under the impression that I will be able to bolt up newer heads to my '69 block are there going to be issues besides a few extra emisions ports I'll have to plug?

Also anyone recomend a good rebuild book? I've got a learning curve to climb.

[Roger]

It's the source that I got them from that I wouldn't recommend.. But like I said,, I don't even remember the guy's name on ebay,, so that's not much help I guess.

Also, with the heads I used, I had to rob one of the little threaded inserts from my other set of heads to use on the E7s I put on my 74s engine. It goes in one of the holes for mounting the alternator (if I'm remember right)..
I think you can buy them at hardware stores too, but not sure.

[timburly]

Good to know. Hitting the junk yards this weekend. Looking for 302 heads, disk brakes, valve, and calipers off a f-250, and see if the power steering is still on that 72/73 e-100 maybe pull some trim off if it also. I have a feelin I'm gonna be hunting for those brake parts.

[Vic]

$250 is too cheap for having heads rebuilt. If you get heads form a bone yard, the heads are usually tired. That usually means they will need a valve job, new valve guides, valves (valve guides worn, means valve stems are worn), and if the seats are just the hardened surface (not hardened inserts), you will need exhaust seats, and maybe it might need new springs. This is about $600 in parts and labor. At that price, brand new heads are a better choice. Plus the new heads out flow any stock head.

And for $250, that means they are just Knurling the valve guides. This means the guides will not last that long.

Just something to think about,
Vic

[1TuffClub]

You need to coax as much lower rpm torque out of this short stroke tiny v8 as possible, while maintaining gas mileage, if not improving it.

I'd watch ebay, aftermarket heads are so good now, that everybody is after them for their Ricky Racer wannabe drag racers, that it has made the milder OE casting heads often dirt cheap or real affordable. I'd be looking for some E7 or OE iron casting GT40 heads that have been ported. Not hogged out neccessarily, but focus in the bowls, nice undercut stem valves, and real nice blending, high polished exhaust ports, and then gasket match them to your own intake selection. The OE GT40 head casting number is slipping my mind at the moment, but I have a pair outside in storage I could go scope out if need be. Either of these castings, even really worked over, still are stuck at being a small port, which is why they still hold no candle to the aftermarket stuff. But that is good here, because that is perfect for what your needing for a torque, mileage oriented 302. Super efficient, max flowing high velocity smaller valve heads.

Then, I'd select a cam with probably a max of around 200 degrees duration on the intake, maybe even less. I'd also be looking for a bumpstick that has more duration on the exhaust side, since most OE heads need even more help there. I'd keep the lsa (lobe seperation angle) wide. Like 114, or 116, or even 118 degrees. This keeps the torque curve more flat, but widens it giving more overrun once past peek. IT also lessens valve overlap, maintaining more compression. Then, I'd be going after the cam that has the most valve lift, for the duration. That is as close as your going to come to having what roller cams benefit from. More power under the curve. More rapid airflow from faster valve opening rates, and it gets to max lift sooner, again initiating more flow. To bad this isn't a roller cam block, cuss even real mild rollers still have alot to offer, just because of the benefits of what lobe profiles a roller lifter can follow. But, you can if doing a bit of research with several different cam grinders, likely find a well thought out set of off the shelf specs that will be the next best thing to a custom spec'd cam. In this app., that should net results your looking for.

Then, I'd stick a nice flowing, not to crazy port sized, dual plane intake on it, and probably an adapter to run a spread bore carb. Specifically, a Quadrajet. The Q-jets have really small primary diameters, usually also with double boosters to intensify the vacuum signal. Some even have triple boosters. These once dialed, are capable of giving really awesome levels of two barrel fuel economy when driving around at part throttle on those baby primary's, but then ofcourse you have big air valve adjustable secondaries for when you need it. There are other carbs, that can also be setup pretty well, but through the years I think by and large I've heard more professional carb gurus give the nod to the Q-jets in this kinda area, with a few even saying they can be setup to be the closest thing to mechanical fuel injection. They also hold a tune for a long long time, usually.

[EconoDave]

If you don't have a tag on your rear end most likely it will be 3.73 rear end ratio on E300. Unless you will change out your intake manifold with an eldebrock I would just get your heads rebuilt, instead of trying to find good heads that will go on without work..
Dave

[yogreasygramma]

http://www.dssracing.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=42

Here are some ideas. Actually I'm probably going to go with their base 347 short block for $2000 and get some high performance aluminum heads and very thumpy cam.

But that's not the direction you probably want to go with wanting to haul things.