Bennys 302 powered MK1

[benny]

Per Jewels' request, I'm just posting a bit about my 302-powered Cortina.

My car started life as a '64, Ermine White, 2-door GT. When it was given its "sex change" in '95, it had a genuine 17,000 miles on the clock.....it was actually probably far too nice to "butcher" http://www.cortina-mk1classifieds.com/forum/images/icons/icon9.gif. It was my only form of transportation for 7 years, and over that time clocked up over 100,000 miles. After leaving school and getting a real job, I was able to take her off the road for a while, and give her some love that she desperately needed by that point. Nowadays, she only comes out about once a week, and it's usually for something more fun that the daily commute.

The engine is an all-iron late-model 302 bottom end, with '65 289 heads. A Performer intake manifold, and 600 cfm double-pumper do the fueling, and a set of custom fabbed (by me) tri-Y headers feed into a dual 2.25" exhaust system that converges to a single 3" just after the rear axle. In the next month or two, I'll be adding a set of aluminum heads. The horsepower now is probably an honest 265 hp.

The transmission is a T-5 with a .68 overdrive, and the rear axle is a narrowed 8" with 2.73 gears, which gives a very lazy 1,800-1,900 rpm at 65 mph. On a long highway run, it can average upwards of 25 mpg.

Front suspension is all standard geometry, with Leda coil-over struts (Lotus length), a 1" Leda sway bar, and 225lb/in springs. The front brakes are standard Cortina GT, and yes, they actually do manage to stop the car very well.....including during track sessions. The rear suspension has standard GT leaf springs, with lowering blocks, and custom fabbed radius arms.

The car handles more or less like a standard Cortina....slight understeer going in, which transitions gently to very controlable oversteer as you push harder, and then there is all that wonderful torque which can boot the tail out at a moment's notice when needed. It is totally predictable, and tractable (even in the rain), and I'd have no issue letting my mother drive it.....in fact, she has driven it!

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l157/d38781/Tina/PICT0336.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l157/d38781/Tina/PICT0337.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l157/d38781/Tina/Engine.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l157/d38781/Tina/Enginebay.jpg

[zombie289]

hey Benny, love yer car mate! What brand of heads are you switching too?

[benny]

Not sure yet. I'd like to do an in-situ swap without having to notch pistons or anything silly like that.....I think that cuts my options down pretty far. Got any suggestions?

[zombie289]

Hey Benny, what is the reason for the alloy upgrade, to get weight off the front?? I would say that the only alloy head that fits offhand is the GT40X or Z head, maybe the edelbrock performers.

If you only want a power upgrade, maybe these could suit ya: http://www.powerheads.com/SB50.html , they actually outflow the dart windsor jr heads, for under $1000, and they off course will bolt on the 5.0 w/ no PV clearance issues.

Are you running the stock 5.0 HO roller cam? Changing the cam can create headaches with headswaps in these things too.
Maybe u should look at getting a junkyard 5.0, put in some cheapish pistons that will have valve reliefs big enough for most heads/cam, some bearings and a warmer cam.
(I know, I know, then it all snowballs! )

Im going to use the Canfield 195s, but im gonna build a 347 so its gonna be pretty healhty, maybe 420hp so I can keep up with mike :)

[benny]

I was thinking the Performers were high on my list as a potential direct swap.

My block is a late model block, but is running a hydraulic lifter cam....can't remember why I went that way at this moment, but it must have been the cost. I was just out of college when I had it built, so I had to stretch my money.

The reasons behind the swap to alloy heads? Mainly weight, and the secondary power benefit. If you've riden in Mike's car you know they don't really need to lose weight off the nose, but it's always something I wanted to try out.

Besides that, my fiance wants to buy me a wedding gift, so she asked me to name something that I've always wanted, but could never justify buying myself.....a pair of alloy heads rolled off the tongue really easily.

[jewels]

zombie, benny
i envy you being in the states where all this performance stuff is cheap and plentiful

paul i like the sounds of this new windsor build your planning...

[zombie289]

Cool Benny, I'll do some asking about as I believe that the non HO motors (non roller cam) had different pistons and you may be able to get away with using a head that normally wouldn't work on the roller motor... I'll see what I can find out....
The performers seem to be considered a "kmart" head in the SBF world, the guys seem to go trick flows, canfields or AFR 185's, Im not sure how the edelbrocks compare to the GT40X heads. Maybe Victor jrs would be better as they give you room to grow if you want more cam etc....But im sure the performers with a nice intake and a lil more cam would make great power in your car, I mean what does it weigh like 2300 lbs or so?? :)

[geoff]

hi zombie,good to
hear from you .ihear you are
going to build a 347 strocker,(nice).
use the afr heads 200cc or a bit
bigger.the strocker engine is not
going to breathe with the power
heads. valve size far to small.
the engine will fall on its head
high in the rpm range. the flow
figures look good, but what happens
over 500th lift isnt printed.
rember these heads are cnc ported
to speck, and look good when
compared to something straight out
of a box .

:) geoff

[benny]

....But im sure the performers with a nice intake and a lil more cam would make great power in your car, I mean what does it weigh like 2300 lbs or so?? :)

I think they may even be a bit lighter than that.

[zombie289]

Hi Geoff, Im gonna use Canfield 195's with some port work on my 347. Guys using them over here swear by them, they are much better than the AFR 205's for real world hp numbers.

Im using the ported E7 heads for my Falcon Squire that Im building as a daily driver, as the flow numbers will suit the mild cam that I'm using and will make for good throttle response and bottom end-mid range torque. The same heads are going 12's in 5.0 stangs with otherwise stock (with a cam upgrade) 5.0 motors and 3.73 gears (im running 3.40's in the falcon), so should still be a fun daily driver.

[geoff]

zombie,
just looked
at canfield ohio s site.
all good

are you going to use their intake
manifold? :)

[zombie289]

That or a parker funnel web mate, depending on how much bonnet clearance I'll have, may have to use a victor jr, dunno yet.

Was out at the junkyard measuring 2000 mustang struts today, pretty much the same length from the top to the centerline of the stub as a corty, so looking good for the Mk1 conversion....

[speryer]

Hi Zombie,

My Cortina has the GT40 aluminim heads, but that's because it came that way as a crate motor.

My 1972 Bolwell Nagari has a 347 with AFR heads and makes a genuine 425hp. But it was put together 5 years ago and head technology changes.

Interesting to note that the Nagari has heaps of Mk1 Cortina parts... front indicators, door handles, interior bits etc.

Cheers,
Simon

[zombie289]

Thats one very tasty Nagari there mate, bet its a blast to drive! :) U do track days in it?

[jewels]

simon
what version afr heads did you run?

and as a crate motor i gather it had a lat model 5.0 block

[speryer]

Hi Pauly,
The heads have in/ex 2.02/1.60", but I can't recall the chamber size.
I had the engine built by a guy in Sydney who specialises in race engines and knows all the tricks, so it uses a sportsman block, Scat stroker crank & H-beam rods.
It has Edelbrock Pro-flo multi-point injection sine I had no room for a high rise manifold and carb, without cutting the bonnet. Nowadays the Edelbrock injection isn't so flash, since the programming is fairly basic.
The Mk1 Cortina has a much better injection set-up. MSD throttlebody, Link computer, Edelbrock manifold etc. It's off being wired at the moment for the injection.

Jewels,
The 302 in the Mk1 Cortina is a "GT40" 340 hp crate motor...
I think this is the one:
http://www.gefracing.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?

Cheers,
Simon
Screen=PROD&Store_Code=G&Product_Code=M6007XE3M&Category_Code=CRATES

[benny]

Just a quick update on this one....I put my quarter bumpers back on today after a 4 years absence, and I couldn't be happier. Can't quite remember what prompted me to take them off when I had her painted, but I liked it without them at the time. I've decided I like this look better now.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l157/d38781/Tina/PICT0052.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l157/d38781/Tina/PICT0051.jpg

[jewels]

benny,
the oil pan you used on your car
was it an 'off the shelf' item?

[benny]

No, it started life as a rear sump, but is faily heavily customized.