Mod Motor Tech Forums - Windsor 302 FAQ

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Windsor 302 FAQ

So you want to modify the Ford small block engine in your Mustang huh? This FAQ will focus on the Windsor 302 5.0liter V8 found in 74-95 Mustangs, 93 being the last year of the fox, and 94-95 marking the beginning of the SN95 body style. Please understand this article is more about the 5.0 than the cars it was in, so don't expect to see a tutorial on replacing window motors, or doing a TKO600 swap.

The 302 is a very strait forward, 16 valve pushrod engine. Iron block, iron heads, cast rods and crank, and either "hyperpathetic" or forged pistons. The 1987-92 had forged pistons, the rest of the years going with the weaker hypereutectic pistons. The 302w redlines, in stock form, at 5900rpms.

Contents

The Limitations of the 302w

It's important to know that the 302w is not the strongest engine ever to grace the ford assembly line. The fallowing are some very basic rules of thumb on when things are going to break, or become a restriction.

The first is the Iron block. The stock block will almost always split right down the lifter valley, sometimes clean in half. Do not expect the stock block to hold more than 500whp for very long. It is my personally opinion that you should be safe as long as you keep it at or below 450whp. It is however a crap shoot. Yes, some one's brother's friend's cousin had one take 700whp for 2 years; and yes, some one's brother's friend's sister's baby daddy had one break with only 390whp. It happens, that’s part of racing, but rule of thumb is under 500 is "safe". When upgrading to a stronger block, make sure you know what they are claiming is "stronger". I wont call anyone out specifically, but if no material has been added to the lifter valley, and it is still a 2 bolt main, it is NOT any stronger than stock. You really need to be aware that you are looking at spending several thousand (yes, that is a hint) on a block worth spending money on.

As far as the bottom end is concerned, the stock rods and crank will outlast the block, so really they are not a concern, because the stock block is almost always going to break first. Should you choose to upgrade the block; the rods will break before the crank. However it would be really dumb to spend $2,000 on a nice block, and put your crappy 100,000 mile stock internals in it. Several companies make great options for internals, so fortunately you can't really go wrong.

The pistons however can come into play on the stock bottom end. If you have the hyperpathetic pistons, be wary of too much boost. With a proper tune, the hypers can also hold more power than the block, but in many forced induction applications things can go wrong and in this case, you may pop a piston due to knock. Forged pistons can meet their demise from this as well, but they will take much more abuse than the hypereutectic. The key here is a REAL tune, with proper supporting mods, and if you have one, a good intercooler.

As far as electronic issues, the stock injectors will generally max out at 300whp, and when you change the injectors it would be a good idea (no actually, you NEED to) to change the maf. The stock mass airflow sensor is a hulking 55mm, smaller than the throttle body and a restriction from the get go. A properly calibrated maf/injector combo will make your and your dyno shops like so much easier. Understand that Fuel Pressure Regulators are band aids, and are not a permanent answer. Running stock injectors at 80psi is not a good idea, and it is not safe.

As far as the computer, there is a big stir over the EEC-IV in the 94-95's. A certain magazine wrote an article that said we couldn't mod our cars because of it. This is bullshit; do not believe it or anyone who says so. The EEC-IV is the same thing as an A9L and is actually 3x faster as far as the processor is concerned. Yes it has its quarks that can screw people up, but this does not mean we cannot mod our cars, and it for damn sure doesn't mean we need to spend $500 on an A9L swap. Essentially this would be like saying LS1 owners can’t mod their cars unless they convert back to the opti-spark LT1 setup and computer.

H/C/I Information
Ever wonder why 5 liters of domestic muscle struggles to put 200 to the wheels? Well the answer is the piece of shit intake, the piece of shit heads, and that piece of shit bumpstick they pass off as a cam. Proper H/C/I combo's, supported with the proper mods and tune, will hit as much as 330whp+ on a stock short block, and generally even more torque. The stock heads flow an astonishing 155 cubic feat per minute at .500" lift. As a comparison, my personal choice in aftermarket heads flow 250cfm's at .500" lift.

The stock intake manifold flows an amazing 136cfm's, and the flow rates between the individual runners can differ as much as 31cfm's. For another comparison, my pick of manifolds averages 210, with only 12cfm's variance.

Here are the flow charts on the popular aftermarket heads, and aftermarket intakes. The last chart is of stock cams.

Heads
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...wscompiled.gif

Intake Manifolds
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...ntakeflows.gif

Production Camshafts
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...afts_specs.jpg

Here are some specs on the popular cam choices. Also note that the BEST option is to have a custom camshaft ground for your needs by a profesional (see sponsors). This cam will fit YOUR combo and YOUR goals better than any off the shelf cam, but they will probobly cost you $250 more than one of the following.

Ford Racing E303 - 220/220 .498"/.498" 110LSA

Ford Racing B303 - 224/224 .480"/.498" 107-117LSA

Trick Flow Stage 1 - 221/225 .499"/.510" 112LSA

Steeda 19 - 220/226 .480"/.480" 115LSA

Crane 2040 - 220/220 .498"/.498" 110LSA

Crane 2030 - 216/220 .533"/.544" 112LSA

Lunati 50017 - 218/226 .500"/.510" 112LSA

For THE best camshaft FAQ I have ever seen, visit Jerami's cam guide. Keep in mind it is for LS1's and all the parts and installation guides are for LS1's, however the explanations of how valvetrain parts work and the different dimensions of a camshaft are great.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=327734

Bottom-End Options

Another option is a stroker or refresher of the bottom end. Keep in mind that stroker setups will need bigger cams, and better flowing heads/intakes than the 302, but they will also make more power with their relative setup. What I am saying is you can't expect a combo that makes 300whp on a 302 to make 400whp on a 331. To get 400whp out of that 331 you will need a H/C/I combo FOR a 331. It does not work the either way either, a combo for a 400whp 331 will not make 300whp on a 302, it will be way to big and you will have to rev the 302 to 9000rpms to take advantage of it, just some things to keep in mind.

There are 3 main displacement setups. The 302 can be simply bored out to a 306 via a machine shop and a refresher kit (usually comes with all the gaskets, new freeze plugs, new pistons and piston rings, things like that), this is a simple thing to do that many chose when their stock blocks begin to show their age. It does not require near the work of a stroker kit, but results in 4 more cubes (woohoo!) and a "new" engine. This is popular among people who go with a forced induction setup who don’t need a 331 or a 347 (because they don’t have a block that can handle anything over 500whp :) ) or people who have H/C/I combos for a 302, and don't want to get a new one. Another thing about this is 302 technically equals like 4.959liters, and 306 = 5.001 or something like that, so its an ego thing I guess.

As far as actual strokers, there is the 331 and the 347. The 331 (5.5 liters) is a very popular setup that has proven itself time and time again. The 347 (5.7 liters) got off to a bad start because all the early kits burned oil and generally sucked. This is not the case anymore and both of them are feasible and reliable. A proper H/C/I 331 with the right bolt ons and tune can see 400whp, but 380-390 is more realistic. The 347 can easily break 400, usually around 410-420. Also understand that even though it is "only" 16 cubic inches between the two, the right combo on a 331 is NOT the right combo on a 347.

You are probably noticing that "combo" is being stressed. That’s because that is the bottom line to it. You can go out and put on heads that flow 300cfm's, an intake that flows 275, and a 240/240 .600" lift cam on your 302, and run 14's. It is about everything working together properly that makes the most usable power.

Forced Induction

Another path towards being fast is forced induction. Forced induction is the use of either a supercharger (roots, centrifugal, or twin screw) or a turbocharger. All of them do the same thing, compress intake air into what is called "boost". Boost represents the psi the incoming air is compressed to as it is forced into the intake, so if your Vortech supercharger is setup to make 8lbs of boost, it is compressing incoming air to 8psi.

Turbochargers are powered by the exhaust, superchargers are belt driven. For a basic run down on how turbochargers work, read this,

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/turbo.htm

for superchargers,

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/supercharger.htm

Supercharger options

There are a lot of options as far as kits go. Fox bodies have a lot more options (and cheaper options) than SN95's, but Vortech, Procharger, Paxton, Powerdyne and Kenne Bell all make supercharger kits for both body styles.

Turbocharger options

Turbo kits are a lot less common, with Pony Down being a very popular choice because of its low price; however it is only available for Foxes. If you can weld, or have a friend who knows a guy who can weld and bend pipe, you can make your own turbo kit yourself, even using junkyard parts to save a lot of money. You will find that the majority of turbocharged mustangs were custom made.

Intercooling

If you paid attention in science class, you know that when pressure is increased but volume is not, the temperature raises. This happens in forced induction applications, as the compressed air comes speeding out of the blower or turbo, it is much hotter than when it went in. In a lot of applications, especially those running high boost, (over 10psi) intercoolers are used to cool the air. Intercoolers are basically radiators that have plumbing from the supercharger or turbo into one end, and another pipe for the now much cooler air going to the intake. Many applications will not need an intercooler, some will absolutely require one. However ANY forced induction setup will benefit from an intercooler.

Forced induction setups can result in an absolute brute of a street machine, others will become the biggest headache of your life. Do your research, do it right the first time, don't try to be overly cheap, and have it professionally dyno tuned. There is a difference between saving money (a DIY turbo kit with junkyard parts) and trying to be a cheap ass. (running stock 19# injectors with the fuel pressure cranked up instead of getting bigger injectors)

More to come

351w Swap Information

:devil:

Member's Results (Dyno/Timeslip)

If you drive anything with a 5.0 in it, even if its not exactly a 302 anymore ( :devil: )pm the information about it along with your results, I'll post it here. Include the year, model, auto or manual, mods, and your results.

Jperran - 1995 Mustang GT Convertable, T5
UPR Offroad Xpipe
15.091@93.7