Thread: 302 HO for 56 F100

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I am trying to decide what would be the best engine to drop into my 56 Ford Pickup. I want to stay with a Ford engine. I would like to know if anyone has experience with the 302HO engine in an F100 and if that is a good match for the weight, etc.

Thanks,
Steveo

I Know a guy who has put HO 302s in f-100s. I Don't know many details, but I do know it will work. Ever consider putting an original y-block in it? My dad has a '56 with a nice 312. 3 deuces, cam, headers and a toploader 4 spd. Pretty cool, and very fast believe it or not.

By the way, I know another man who owns a fox body 5.0 HO and a '57 t-bird with a 312 y-block and on the strip, they are side by side! The y-blocks make great torque and although parts are a little pricey, they can be built very strong. Either way, its nice that you want to stay Ford.

I put a 302 HO in my 53 F-100 and it runs fine.It has a carb not efi. I used an AOD trans and 3:50 gears.

Ihave a 92 302 HO in my jeep cj_7 and i love it. Is an easy swap and not to expensive. You get 225 HP and close to 300 pounds of torque. Now on your ford truck you may want to consider a bigger engine like the 351 or bigger(your truck is bigger and heavier that my cj). Now if you have the 302 and have enough funds, then you can make the little 302 pull like a big block.
junior

There is a guy in our club that put a 302 in his 56 Ford Panel truck. But he went a little further and put in the whole subframe from the full size Ford donor car. That way he got modern suspension, power steering and brakes all in one swoop. Plus the motormounts were already there for the engine. It looks like a factory install and runs great

Pat