I decided to build up my 302 and am in process of gathering up some hi-performance parts. I got a great deal on a blueprint dual-plane and a Holley 600 as well. I am looking at putting in a mild roller cam while I have the top off. Any ideas on a good cam for this project ? I need to stay reasonable on cost. Also, any ideas which header would go with this 302 and fit in the Galaxie ? Thanks, y'all
If it’s a 5.0 block go with a Motorsports E303. That’s my go to street cam for a late model 302, sounds great and works well with a Weiand Stealth dual plane intake (idle to 6500rpm) and you might need to run a small stall converter. I ran a 2800 in my ‘51 Ford with that cam and it was perfect in a C4. Be sure to go ahead and get the late model pedestal mount heads and get a set of factory roller rockers which are made by Crane Cams, the best thing about them is that they fit under the factory valve covers. I ran forged pistons in all of mine but the hyperureric pistons are fine and the factory compression is 10:1 and they will handle up to a 250 shot of nitrous. It’s a very reliable setup and you can’t beat the performance
I like the ideas. I am looking at new heads too so that plus the other things you mention is very good intel. Thanks !
What year is the block? That will make a difference on what you do. The easiest way to tell is where the dipstick is located. The 302 was in the front. The 5.0 was on the side. That change came in about 1983, along with balance weight changes and factory roller cams.
I think the motor is about a 91 from a Ford truck but I will try and look at the block and see what I can find out
^^^^ If the dipstick tube goes into the block on the driver side between the back two cylinders, then it is a late model 5.0 block.
If it's a truck block with standard firing order it's not a roller cam, but it is compatible with a roller cam. Late '93+ truck 302's got roller cams and HO firing order. Call a cam company, they will ask you all the questions and help you with choosing the right cam for your exact set up. While an E-303 works in a 5.0 Foxbody with a big stall or a manual trans, it might not be the ideal profile for your Galaxie.
I agree about calling a cam manufacturer. Give them the make and model of your 5.0. Let them know it’s going in a Galaxie. The Galaxie is a good deal heavier than a fox body or even a 64 Fairlane. Just guessing, a Galaxie is probably pushing 4K in curb weight. The smaller Fairlane was 3100lb in curb weight. A grind that has a lot of low end may be the ticket. That car probably came with Fords standard 3.00 rear axle. Really 3.55 or 3.73 rear gear will give you that seat of the pants punch even with a bone stock 302. It’ll help get that big girl going. SBFs can be real sensitive with lift. Depending on the combo the valve could contact the piston. It’s always a good idea to check piston valve clearance with clay or putty with a high lift cam. That’s why it’s a good idea to talk to a cam maker. That engine uses an electric fuel pump. I believe the casting boss is still there but it would take some work to install a mechanical pump. If you use an electric pump, consider an impact safety switch. If the car was ever in a collision this should cut off the fuel. EFI vehicles used the impact switch just for this reason. Good luck Troy.
Is the car a manual or auto transmission? I believe the equalizer bar fits onto a ball stud on the engine, and possibly the auto trans linkage does as well. The late engine doesn't have the threaded hole for this ball stud.
I agree on the call to the cam people. When I can I will figure out more about the engine. I do know the dipstick is on the passenger side up by the front of the head.
Doesn’t matter what you do if you don’t get rid of those E7 or similar cylinder heads. Find a set of GT40 heads minimum.
Xgrind for me but I have much lighter car . Switch to earlier timing cover , eccentric for pump and good to go
Yeah check your local Pull a Part and look for Explorers and Mountaineers with the 5.0 and snatch the heads off of them. They are all GT40 heads and you can get them for almost nothing!! They have set prices and if you keep up on the intake on the lot you can score a lot of good stuff that you can keep or resell to foot the bill for the hot rod. A buddy scored a complete ProCharger set up for under $200. I got a Jag IRS and all the wire wheels for a tad over $300 a few months later.
@F-ONE gave some good advice. That car weighs about 4500 pounds and probably has a 3.00 gear. It will take more gear especially with an automatic. The SBF is a higher RPM motor and will need to be up in a higher rpm range for the modifications being looked at to be useful. I have had multiple 64s over the years and always opted for the FE motors. I put some large port/valve heads on the 302 in my 53 that also has a 3.00 gear but took them off and put a set of 68 stock heads on with much better throttle response. Opting for a torquey cam would be my choice.
I really wanted the 390 I was considering very badly but money plus the lack of experience and having to depend on others who are seldom available held me back from buying it. That's why I decided to just try and build up this 302. I appreciate the advice sir. The cam plus the few things these other guys have suggested will help me tremendously going forward. Although, if I had my way I would've already had 390 sitting in my garage waiting to be put in !
Some Explorer 5.0's have GT40p heads. 1997.5+ as I recall. Good head. Headers/manifolds can be tricky due to plug angle, but can be overcome. All other mounting, spacing, etc are regular 302 compatible. Stock HO mustang (86-95) cam is a modern "RV" cam. Add 1.7:1 rockers to GT40/GT40p heads and it'll rev out to 5200-ish. The Explorer cam is a low/mid rpm torque cam designed to move a 3800lb SUV. Personally I'd skip it but it would probably work just fine for an automatic 64 Galaxy if you don't have something better already. My go to thoughts for real power in the roller cam 302 is big aluminum cylinder heads with the HO cam and 1.7 rockers. It'd be way into the upper 300 horse range, revbeyond 6000 rpm and pull out of the basement. In the late model mustang world the best budget aluminum head is from ProMAXX. I'd recommend the Project X 210cc head. And no the 210 head is not "too big" as many will claim. While not traditional looking the Edelbrock Victor Jr would work well. It's flow matches the head very well. But the Stealth or Performer RPM Air Gap with porting will also work well if dual plane is desired. Don't fall for the eBay Chinese heads allure. You'll spend a few hundred fixing things to make them decent. 302 likes to spin, so gear accordingly and use an overdrive transmission if possible.
Here’s some thoughts. Some 1963 and ‘64 Galaxies did come from the factory with a 289. I believe most 289 Galaxies came with a 3 speed on the column. Consider the Galaxie a “platform” that can be enhanced as time and money allow. In other words think of the big picture and how it relates to the little picture. When performance improvements begin its like the story “When you give a mouse a cookie.” He’ll want a glass of milk..... A blanket..... A pillow..... A story....... And so on. It’s like that with a car. In a heavy automatic sedan or coupe, there’s the “combination”..... Here you get into Cams.... RPM power band Stall converters Gear ratios Tire size..... How does all this relate? Do you want a top end car? Do you want a low end car? Do you want something in the middle? One way to approach this is start with the base and improve as you go. If this 1991 engine and transmission combo is a runner, personally I would convert it to carburetor with a good intake, carb and distributor. That’s it for now. Throwing it in there stock is the quickest way to get on the road if.....if you have a good used engine and transmission. When the car is running and driving, then you can do the foo-foo stuff. Now, if the engine needs building that changes stuff a little. If it needs an overhaul think about what cam you want. Think ahead. How will the cam choice now relate with the car now and the car in the future? Example...... 1991 engine installed stock and converted to carb and distributor. The car is buttoned up and made roadworthy..... After driving a while...... You decide you want a lower gear. You save up and put in a 9” limited slip center section over the weekend or a couple of weekends. After a while..... You add a cam. After a while.... Maybe a stall. Maybe after a while you decide to throw an FE n there. There’s lots you can do My point is you don’t have to do it all at once. About the mechanical fuel pump...... I was thinking 300 six or SBC on the casting. As said by others you can use a earlier timing cover and cam eccentric for the mechanical pump. As far as electric fuel pumps, there are racing safety switches that shut off when the oil pressure drops. IE , the fuel pump stops when the engine quits. That’s another option besides an impact switch. Good luck.
Thanks for the great suggestions. The 302 in the car is running great. I have already procured a blueprint dual-plane 4v intake and a real nice Holley 600. It has duals and real nice sounding mufflers on it. I will be open getting the heads as I can. Lots of great suggestions have been offered up by you and many others. I am very grateful for this ! I will get a buddy to help me get the intake and carb on and go from there. Thanks again so much
Take the stock short block, throw an appropriate roller like an Anderson N41 or TFS or something from Comp or similar roller in it (don’t forget the valve springs) and some GT40 or 40P (remember the spark plug deal) heads. Put a performer or performer rpm on it and a quality 650 cfm carb with some shorties and go have fun. Should be able to approach 300 RWHP… A simple Google search will turn up days of reading - the 5.0 HO crowd figured it all out for us 35 years ago.
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