JOHNA01374 Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Well guys the time has come. Took the car to 3 cruise night on Sat and when leaving the last show I started the car and heard the dreaded Lifter tick.. Already pulled the valve covers and checked the rockers. I'm 99.9% sure one of the lifters is dead or dying as the motor makes the noise when I start it up but it goes away after about 10 mins of idling or driving. I know a cam and lifters is in my future and I've picked out the Comp cams 11-202-3 street cam. I have an Edelbrock Performer intake and a set of 1-3/4 headers waiting to go on. I haven't pulled the motor apart yet but it has always run strong and never used a drop of oil so I'm guessing the rings are still in good shape. I'm thinking of not even pulling the pistons out and just swapping bearing assuming everything looks good etc. Just wanting to talk to anyone that has done a 402 rebuild. Did you bump up the compression or leave it stock at 8.5? anything else done to improve performance? Are you happy with you rebuild. Obviously this is going to be a 100% street car so smooth idle, lots of vacuum and good manners are first on the list. Torque is a close second. I also don't want to spend a fortune as an E-Rod LS conversion is in the future I just can't afford to do it right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Burns Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I'm wondering why you would change the bearings? How many miles are on the motor? If the motor is healthy, and it sounds like it is, I would figure out and fix your cam problem and leave the rest alone. If you end up needing to pull it apart and completely rebuild it, it won't be cheap. (Everyone's definition of a "fortune" is different! ) And at that point, find a 454 and rebuild that- costs the same and will make much more power! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNA01374 Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 Motor has 99K on it. I know it needs a timing chain, cam and lifters. Oil pressure is good but if I'm going to pull the motor it isn't anymore work to put new bearing in the crank and rods. Also plan to do a new oil pump. Just makes sense with everything apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Oh, if you're going to pull the engine... You can change the cam and timing chain without pulling the engine, cylinder heads or oil pan. You'll need to pull out the radiator and remove the waterpump, the intake and the balancer...and the valve covers, but that's about it. Hmmm...I guess that saves you from having to undo the motor mounts and the exhaust and bellhousing bolts. I've heard you can pull the engine without removing the hood, but I've never done it. If nothing else, it's a whole lot easier to clean and paint the engine with it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 That is true Mark, You can pull the 402 motor without unbolting the hood. It is a close fit but you can inch it in/out while adjusting the engine hoist up/down as you go. Radiator must be out of the way is about the only interference as I remember. As far as performance. When I did my 402, not a lot of inexpensive things are available as I had looked into enhancing the performance on mine. I finally settled on a street cam that I believe is the same as the one you selected. Had the block decked & stock heads machined that may have bumped up compression to 9.0 or slightly higher. Other than a Edlebrock Performer Intake, not much else was done in the way of performance enhancements. Not to say you can't, but looking at a bigger chunk of change. A 454 is a much better platform to work with as the availability of performance parts are abundant. Had I to do it over again, the 454 would be my choice. JMO Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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