Getting a new heart for Alesha (info gathering)

[marquis_82_withneons]

planning to get a new heart for her some time in the next 1-2 years. planning to pull the motor at 200k or close to it.

as most of you know. Alesha is my '82 Slicktop base model box merc. under the hood is the somewhat rare 4.2 with a severe lack of cojones. it was original with the CFI setup but the previous owner did a nice job at a carb swap. currently it is a bone stock 4.2 with a stock replacement manifold topped with a 2bbl of a late 80's 351 bronco. full smog system removal inluding cats be totally removed not just gutted and 302 shorty headers.

future plans include a motor swap, 302 or 351 i havent decided. if i go 351 plans will change, but probably 302 because just easier to work with considering they came stock in our cars. it will stay carbed and it will be a stock build with very mild street parts such as a cam to start. i have a used shelby intake that my dad has laying around that i plan to use. i will open the motor a bit to do the cam and heads so ill be doing timing chain as well. i plan to find gt40 heads, port them, mill them and do the valvetrain with a few upgrades in parts. ill stick with my mustang shortys with a revised pipe setup(currently 2" straight with glasspacks the exit in front of rear tires) similar to stock but with an offroad 'H', still no cats and ill be going Borla for the mufflers. trans will stay the same aside from a shift kit, and ill also look into posi for the rear. way down the road this motor will get boost. but cross that bridge when i get there. < that being said, i want to start with a motor that can handle boost on stock bottom end.

now i have never pulled a motor before. never even open one up honestly. when i do the job i will be very VERY meticulous and picky since its a first for me. question here is.. is there any flaw with my plan? what could i do better? what am i doing wrong? if i have a good idea described, what do i need to make it happen? im gathering up info so i can look into bits and pieces here and there before i go balls out and get anything pricey. thanks guys

[Bobcat]

302s and 351s came stock in our cars, either way. If you're going to put a motor in, make sure it's in good shape with low miles otherwise It may be worth it to take it apart and rebuild it. Don't want to put this new motor in and find out it has a nice knock, like many lopos do "If it aint knockin, it aint a lopo". If you're building towards boost, stock internals can handle a daily driver amount of boost, choose your cam wisely when it comes to something that you will use on a boosted application later, if that is the full plan. Plan out what carb you want to do, with what intake.
Didn't shelbys have EFI?

Right off the bat I'd price.
Used engine, preferably a exploder motor (It'd already have GT40p heads most likely, or get one that does. Also has a good cam.)
Water pump, Timing chain, distributor cap, plug wires, plugs, gaskets all around, carb you'd like to use (four barrel or not worth.) (Also keep in mind which carb can later be converted to blow through if you wanna run boost.) Intake (Don't know what your dad has) Cam (Your choice, I'd just use an exploder one for now) Also think what year the engine is, if it has roller lifters or not. That'll narrow a cam choice for Flat Tappet or Roller. Price out heads, valves, valve springs, rocker arms (1.6 - 1.7 aftermarket, believe stock is 1.6 or 1.5??)

Boost application, the lopos stock can handle a good bit of boost. Personally I'd say plenty for anyone looking for a fast daily driver. Depending on what size turbo, depends on how much lbs. will work a 55mm turbo with 20 lbs is different from a 77mm with 10lbs. Gotta choose what application you want the boost for aswell for spool speed and top end. Uhhhh what am I missing... Well I don't know. Best of luck, hope I helped out a bit. From my rambling mess.

[sly]

lopo pistons can't handle much of squat... those cast pistons melt pretty easy... the rest is decent though with a good tuner. stock HO can handle pretty good abuse though.

[marquis_82_withneons]

302s and 351s came stock in our cars, either way. If you're going to put a motor in, make sure it's in good shape with low miles otherwise It may be worth it to take it apart and rebuild it. Don't want to put this new motor in and find out it has a nice knock, like many lopos do "If it aint knockin, it aint a lopo". If you're building towards boost, stock internals can handle a daily driver amount of boost, choose your cam wisely when it comes to something that you will use on a boosted application later, if that is the full plan. Plan out what carb you want to do, with what intake.
Didn't shelbys have EFI?

Right off the bat I'd price.
Used engine, preferably a exploder motor (It'd already have GT40p heads most likely, or get one that does. Also has a good cam.)
Water pump, Timing chain, distributor cap, plug wires, plugs, gaskets all around, carb you'd like to use (four barrel or not worth.) (Also keep in mind which carb can later be converted to blow through if you wanna run boost.) Intake (Don't know what your dad has) Cam (Your choice, I'd just use an exploder one for now) Also think what year the engine is, if it has roller lifters or not. That'll narrow a cam choice for Flat Tappet or Roller. Price out heads, valves, valve springs, rocker arms (1.6 - 1.7 aftermarket, believe stock is 1.6 or 1.5??)

Boost application, the lopos stock can handle a good bit of boost. Personally I'd say plenty for anyone looking for a fast daily driver. Depending on what size turbo, depends on how much lbs. will work a 55mm turbo with 20 lbs is different from a 77mm with 10lbs. Gotta choose what application you want the boost for aswell for spool speed and top end. Uhhhh what am I missing... Well I don't know. Best of luck, hope I helped out a bit. From my rambling mess.

sticking 302 i think, cause ill have to do a bit of mods to my car in particular to stuff that 351 since mine is the smaller 4.2 to begin with. was thinking along the lines of 70s truck block 302. yay or nay? (basically for price any availabilty, most around here have pulled theire 302/351 to drop in 400/460, )
intake is from what i belive to be late 60s to early 70s carb. dad says its a 302 intake, but i dont have any proof on that. 2nd motor option i thought of is if im lucky enough to find an HO stang or lincoln motor, either motor option i go with i was hoping to hear that the truck block would be stronger than lopo then of course HO being the better but harder to find option for me.
gt40 heads are in the mix either way as 5.0 sexplorers are easy to come by in the yards around me.
carb would be holley or edelbrock, dad knows his shit with them, but thats gotta be planned to accomodate the intake which has MUCHO AIRFLOW.
as far as boost is concerned, it will stay carbed with the blow through conversion, relatively low boost. close to what youd find on a newer stock boosted car. however NO turbo involved. going centri supercharger if/when i boost. and as i said it will be low lbs. so nothing super fancy with it and it will be streetable, no intention to tack it to a strip at all unless theres a meet of some sort.

[Lincolnmania]

i would just drop in a stock 5.0 high output out of a mk7. 225 hp is gonna make that car feel like a rocket!