Hey fellas (and ladies), I'm going to be either rebuilding a 302 I got for my Ranger or buying a new (used) one. However, I'm not sure about the differences between the Mustang 302's and Explorer/mountaineer ones.

Here's what I already know:
Mustang 302 HO: Has forged pistons (depending on year), roller cam, uses 351 firing order.

Explorer/Mountaineer: Hypereutectic pistons, rolloer cam, 302 firing order, GT40P heads.

Now what I would like to know is, are the main cam journals the same diameter as the HO motors?
I saw in '98 the Explorer 302 had 3 production date breaks, anyone know what those are about?

And if there is anything anyone else can think of, please let me know.

Thanks all.

 

idk if their is anything diff about them or not but i got a 96 explorer motor in mine and i got a trickflow cam in it that has the h.o firing order and i also converted it to carb with no problems at all.

 

Thanks man.So it appears the cams are the same.
Did you use the exploder heads? And if so, did the exhaust bolt right up?

 

yeah i used the gt40's that came with the motor and exhaust bolted right up.

 

the exploder 302's use the 302HO/351W firing order.

biggest difference is the exploders using a crank trigger vs a dist.

and a 289 block is a 302 block is a 351W block. they all have the same cam bearings, the only difference is the 351W using a 3" main bearing vs a 2.248" and (depending on the year) the lifters being able to accept hyd. roller lifters.

 

Is there a spot to put the disty in the exploder blocks?

As for the 289/302/351 thing, the 351 is a slightly different block. Taller deck height, wider intake etc.
But good to know that pretty much everything else is the same. Appreciate the help.


Now.........does anyone have a mild street cam for sale?

EDIT: Awesome, so now I wont have to buy new headers. Thanks again man.

 

yes there is a spot for a dizzy

 

^^^^^
i know...

and it also uses 1/2" head bolts vs 7/16", the dist. has a wider base, the oil pumps are different, and like i stated all but one model are just for hyd. flat cams.

 

I run a 96 Explorer engine with a TrickFlow Stage one cam. The 96 used GT40 heads like the 93 Cobra. The 97-98 used the GT40P heads which require different headers.