would you replace 302 with 352?

Today I went and picked up a bumper for my truck off a fella and while we were talking he offered up a pretty clean 1967 ( we think ) 352 with trans.
it was in a 67 f100 ... not sure if it was the original or not. I asked the usual questions are you sure its a 352 not a 360 or 390. The guy and his whole entire family are soaked in ford knowledge so I didn't question him too much. Not sure which trans is back behind it.. but he thinks it is not a c6 but the predecessor to it.. he never really looked at the trans..he just pulled it an put in a built 428.

anyway. My truck has a rebuilt 302 . 1986 ford crown vic. non roller cam.. but a mild cam is in it. bored out 40 or so. hypereutectic pistons flat top. its no power house but its healthy.. its backed by a c6 rebuilt with a TCI shift kit.

he would sell me the motor and trans for 200 bucks.. Would you take it? or leave it? I am thinking about taking it and putting it in while I do some going through on my 302.. its got a few oil leaks and my fly wheel is out of balance. needs painting again.so on so forth.. then swappem back and either rebuild the 352 or sell it on. My truck had a 390 in it when I bought the truck.. that had come out of a mercury.. but it was busted up ... I was pretty excited about that motor .. was disappointed when I found it was no good. so the 352 sorta appeals to my interest. and here in Arkansas I almost never see FE motors anymore.

 

The transmission behind that '67 352 is more than likely a FMX. Not a bad transmission but the C-6 is tougher. Speaking of that a C-4 might be a better choice behind that 302. It takes about half as much horsepower to spin a C-4 than a C-6.

 

Nope! HRP

 

Yeah, unfortunately I didn't know better when I built the c6.. I actually turned down a AOD even swap that the trans shop had .. would of cost me 200 more to build.. but then my valve body took a dump and we had to order a new valve body so I got the TCI one.. cost of about 200 . . . puts on dunce hat. o well. live and learn. I just had my head wrapped around c6 being the toughest trans ford made.. and wanting that. not caring for the drivability. an AOD would be part of that pull and go through i spoke of that I was going to do.. even before the 352 stepped into the picture.

Seems I remember some where that guys are putting AOD, 5 speeds, and e40d behind these FE motors.. anyone know anything about that?

 

There is no way in hell I would pull a good running 302 for a turd like a 352 - and I like FE's - have a 416" one in my 75 F100

 

agree^^^^^

 

What is it about the 352 you don't like? forgive me .. I really don't have any experience with them.. I always remember people talking up the 352 . . that you either wanted a 352 or a 390. or obviously the larger breeds. school me if you will.

 

I always liked a 352 or 390, but they're heavy and not so good on gas compared to your nice 302. The one you looked at may even have a Cruise-o-matic behind it. I liked them in my old Galaxies, but there are better choices to be had nowadays.

Bob

 

Both the 352 and the 390 are older engines,,nothing really wrong with them but the availability of parts are far more expensive than the 302. HRP

 

Big, heavy, low revving without enough displacement to make the torque to cover for the lack of rpm. Front sump makes it difficult to move the engine back to transfer some weight to the rear. The block makes an excellent boat anchor.

I don't even want to talk about the FMX tranny.

 

Nope. The 352 has a ton of torque but it also is a TON of weight. The 302 you have sounds like a nice motor. If it isn't broke don't fix it.

 

I would NEVER pull a good runner of ANY sort to replace it with a $200 unknown quantity I bought off someone and didnt know its history. A $200 FE is a core, not a runner.

 

My thoughts exactly. No way I'd pull my good 302 for a 352! I'd definately use the C-4 behind it instead of the FMX or C-6.

 

well initially I wasn't thinking long term here.. maybe a few- 6 ish months. I plan on pulling the 302 and going through it. it has a few issues that need to be addressed.. I originally planned on just doing this next winter.. but, I didn't want to wait that long to address the issues. torn . as this is prime weather for getting out and hitting up a few shows and cruises. I thought maybe the 352 would do as a intermediate solution to get me through the season till I get the 302 done up like I want. I know the history of the motor is good and the truck it came out of is pristine and well taken care of. The motor starts and runs fine. and strong the owner just dropped in a built 428. the 352 is an ok motor. as far as condition. longevity. i dunno. I'll get more info on the engine.

weather or not I kept the motor in I didn't know . . . like I said I really don't know a thing about a 352.. I know I still have a 390 crankshaft sitting in my attic though! lol. anyway. I know its kinda ford n chevy you either hate em or like em. just wondering what the consensus was on it. my 302 is good.. and it could benefit from a 3.70 or so gear with an aod.. the current 2.75 is a dog and not at all fun to drive.. but I can go 70 all day long at 2000 rpm

 

If it ain't broke don't try and fix it or it might get broke.

 

thats what im trying to do for the 302, keep it from getting broke! the flywheel is out of balance and vibrating and missing teeth.. this has to be fixed, leaking oil from 3 places- annoying mainly, need to repaint its getting rusty after last paint in 07, want to do some performance upgrades,needs a new oil pan, buy an aod and get that rebuilt, new drive shaft, re gear, rewire and drop the suspension .. either with a clip or drop beams.

this is all stuff Im going to have to do regardless of the 352.

 

What about the driveshaft? Having a driveshaft made will easily cost another 250. Unless you can do it yourself. Exhaust? When swapping motors it's never quite that easy. What does the 302 need?

 

The driveshaft from the other truck will work for mine if I swapped it . same frame basically.. the one in my truck now is from a mid 70s f100. exhaust is something I was going to add to that list as well.. the guy that did my exhaust ran the muffler hanger too close to the drive shaft.. its been rubbing when the suspension flexes enough.. its a L round bar hanger... and its rubbing on the left side of the L not bad.. but enough to remove the paint... its all rubber mounted and flexes. all this live and learn stuff is catching up too me.. lol.. hence the reason im asking you guys.. and its looking like cards are not stacking up in the 352's favor.

 

Different bell patterns so you'd have to change trannys or buy an adaptor. There were some strong running 352HP 352 CID engines once that they solved the valve float problems. The 352 weighs as much as a 390, so for the same weight.... Probably should put a C4 or AOD behind the 302 if you keep it.

 

well if you know the 352 and its trans to be in good shape and you're confident you have all the piece parts then it sounds like it's not too much of a detour.

If you can do all the work on the 302 + AOD yourself and need to buy time while having your truck running, then that's a compelling reason to go with the 352

If you're going to have a shop work on the 302 + AOD I would just tell them you need it done sooner rather than later. See if you can remove it one weekend, bring it to them on monday, have it done within 1-2 weeks and then install it on a second weekend.

 

Stick with the 302. Find another cheap 302 and build it up.

 

Aluminum intake knocks a quick 100 pounds off a FE.
Truck 352 is a low revving but it makes plenty of torque for 352 CID engine.
Rear sump pans are easy to find on a 4X4.
I would think the firewall would be a bigger hindrance to an engine set back than the oil pan anyway....
All 352's can be made into a 390 and if a guy get lucky, a 428.
All that being said....I would not pull a good running 302 to put a 352 in.
The FMX would not be my first choice for a Ford trans.either.

 

I'll be doing the work.. lol. why I think it will take a few months.. with a 2 year old boy running around I'll be doing as much chasing him as I will spinning a wrench.. if not more. + $$$ it will take me a few months to be able to buy the things I want and put them on.. but things like painting, doing the flywheel, and putting on the new oil pan and fixing the gaskets and leaks I can do easily.. things like finding a good aod and getting that rebuilt has been the issue I've been looking for a not crappy or horrible aod for awhile. i've found a few earlier ones. no luck with a truck aod from the later years. what im told would be better for my truck.

 

The truck was a 67 ranger.. I assume it came with a 352.. but we weren't sure its the factory motor in the truck.. He is going to get some numbers and more info for me. I will update you with what I find. should be this weekend some time. The guy also wants to trade my daily driver 99 f150 4x4 for his mid 90s bronco. also cherry condition. I love that era of broncos. if we did that he would throw in the motor and a plethora of other parts. . Im very tempted by this. its black. I love black broncos! lol. im weak. but he wants a truck and I've been wanting a bronco. i'll have to test drive it to see. his has a 5.0 and mine has a 4.6.

 

I would keep the 302, if I changed anything, the C6 would go in favor of a c4 or AOD....

 

A cast iron FE intake weighs 75 lbs

 

what he said!

 

The only thing from a 352 that is worth owning is the crank and that is only if you have a 427 that you want to destroke. A 396 Ford properly built is a screamer a 352 built to the hilt is still an over weight pig.

If a 352 is all you have to work with they are a fine motor but if you have other options they are not even a mediocre motor.

 

I must be the only guy who likes the 352.

 

The FE motor is a good workhorse. They gave excellent service in many Country Squire wagons, big Mercury sedans and Ford pickups. If you want to tow a trailer and don't care about gas mileage, a big old Ford or Merc with a 390 is hard to beat.

This is not a put down, I am trying to assess the motor on its best merits.

A 352 would have little advantage over a good 302 in performance but would burn a lot more gas. If you really need the torque for hauling, consider a 390 or 428. Or even a 460.