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Donziweasel
12-04-2007, 09:18 AM
Bronco got here last night. Looks to be in decent shape. It has a 1967 302. I have thought long and hard about the engine in the Bronco and have come up with a pretty good idea of where I am going with it. Of course, alot has to do with what the machine shop has to tell me later in the week.

I have decided to stroke and bore the engine with a PAW 347 stroker kit. I want reliability and longevity, so I am keeping my horsepower expectations and needs realistic. Going to stick with the cast iron crank and hypereutectic pistons.

The biggest proble with the Ford Small block is lack of head developement. While chevy has stock vortec's which will wake up an engine, Ford head technology is way behind. Fortunatly there are some aftermarket affodable options. Currently thinking about the Edelbrock Performer heads. They are over $500.00 a piece, but compared to the stock ones, a huge difference.

Mild cam, stamped steel roller rockers and a Performer dual plane intake will finish off the top end. For a carb, propbably something in the 500-600 cfm range, either Holley or Edelbrock. Distributer- MSD Billet with vacuum advance. Should make a nice reliable engine in the 270-300 hp range, fine for a light vehicle like a Bronco. Mated with the a T-18 four speed or T-19 (all gears synchroed). Came with Dana 30's and will probably stick with them for now.

Other improvements for this summer that are not in the budget right now are disk brakes, power steering and possible A/C down the line. Just want to get a nice engine and body work done. When I have it clean and reliable, I will look into other mods such as above and possible axle and suspension upgrades. Any ideas or comments are welcome.

Rootsy
12-04-2007, 10:26 AM
big inch, 460 based engine, injected, supercharged on methanol.... :smash::D

Donziweasel
12-04-2007, 10:49 AM
Don't think I didn't look Jamie! If I was going to go bigger it would be a 351 W stroked to a 409. You have to remember, this rig is light with a small wheelbase. 500 hp in a BB is probably a little much. Since you build engines, what do you think of my 347 idea?

yeller
12-04-2007, 11:12 AM
500 hp in a BB is probably a little much"A little much"........"too much", no such thing. :wink:
I like your proposed motor. It's hard to beat the pre-packaged stroker kits for an easy hp/tq upgrade.

MOP
12-04-2007, 11:58 AM
You are on the mark keeping the front end light, I have seen just how bad one can be with a big block. Have you been here yet? http://stores.ebay.com/1AAA1-The-Mustang-Depot Worth a look see!

Phil

Donziweasel
12-04-2007, 05:41 PM
Thanks for the support. MOP, I did look through there, some nice stuff. I have heard good things about Performance Automotive Warehouse. There kits seem to be the ticket. Here is an idea of the kit, minus the block and crank. For mild cams, should be a nice package when done. Ford Racing has some nice kits as well, but expensive.

http://www.pawinc.com/302_342_Ford.html

Got to spend a little time in the Bronco today. Getting a little oil from around the distributer. Don't really care as I am going to begin pulling the engine tommorrow.

I have some pics, but lost my card reader for the camera. I will post them tommorrow. Hopefully I am not taking up space on Donzi.net with the project, but it is winter and since boating is over for a while, maybe some of you would like to have updates to this project. I am sure it will be equally satisfying and frustrating for me.

RickyR
12-04-2007, 06:05 PM
A little different, but I have a 1979 CJ-7 that came with the factory 304 and a T-18.
I use the jeep for rock crawling and some driving on the street. The 304 was a little tired, so I built an AMC 401 with the 1970 390 heads. It is putting out in the low 400's for hp. I found out very fast that the stock axles weren't strong enough, so I went straight to Dana 60's.
Your Bronco is a little heavier and probably has a 44 front and a 9" rear (but you said 30's??), so as long as you keep the tires to a minimal size you should be fine with a big hp engine. If they are in fact D30's you will have problems with anything over a 33" tire.
The T-19/18 will take anything you put to it, but the clutch may not hold. It seemed that at low speed I wouldn't get slip, but when I gave it power while going down the road,it wanted to slip. I found out a company in California that built me a HD pressure plate so I wouldn't have any more slipping.
I recently had a TF 727 automatic built for me, and I'd never go back to the T-18. It is great, but we did have to build a 2 piece front driveshaft to go around the width of the tranny. That kinda takes the high speed runs out of the picture for me, but it is a good trade off..
Good luck with the project, and there is no substitute for cubic inches, and too much is never enough..
Ricky

Rootsy
12-05-2007, 08:08 AM
If you are dead set on a windsor motor then go 351... stroke it if you can afford it...

Personally I'd avoid anything that said PAW on the box... but that is just me.

I have a video somewhere, of a fairly mild 351 in a 6600 lb F250 climbing a 100 foot sand dune... It's being replaced by something a bit more "potent" at this time...

tiger lily
12-05-2007, 08:59 AM
the bronco is too small and to light to carry a big block, its been done before with so so results, best bet is to build a small block that really rocks!! just like in jeep cj's the big blocks were too much weight over the front end, 400 small blocks were the way to go for power and performance, a pumped 351 will do more than you need, a 347 will prolly be about perfect once its dialed in, those rigs dont need alot, especially once you start gearing them

Donziweasel
12-05-2007, 07:19 PM
Man, your CJ sounds nice. I hope mine turns out as nice.

Jamie, I pulled the engine today and it is kind of a mess. Thinking about a 351, probably not stroked, but who knows.

Tiger Lilly, I agree after driving it, it is really light and a BB will make it nose heavy as hell.

The vehicle is in ok shape after getting a better look. Some parts are bad, some aren't. Not mushc rust, but where it has rusted, it is pretty bad. Drivetrain looks ok, but brakes are a mess. Electrical is a total loss. Interior, not much rust on floorboards, bed, etc.... but it is going to need some TLC. Seats are bad, dash is surprisingly perfect. All the original guages are there and they look good. It's got a nice roll bar. Hood is ok, one fender will need to be replaced.

Next, get the body off and get both the body and chassis to the media/sand blasters to have it taken down to bare metal. Then we will see what kind of work I have instore to get the body right.

Rootsy
12-06-2007, 10:58 AM
I guess I wasn't thinking SMALL early bronco when I originally posted... my bad... :smash: