I have been offered a 302CI yank V8 with auto box, does anyone know if its possible to get an adapter to fit so i could mount a manual box. Not sure what car its out of, just told its in alot of yank motors.

you can get bellhousings for almost any engine/gearbox combo....a good box for the 302 would be the 5 speed celica, it will take the power are reliable and cheap otherwise a T5, bit more expensive but worth the money...

do you think £350 sounds good

that all depends on what engine it is there are 302's and then there are 302's do you know what car the engine came out of? has it got all its ancilaries? you have to bear in mind the engine is all torque in such a light car do you need that kinda torque? they were never realy that powerfull about 250 bhp i think and being all iron its bloody heavy, and the bellhousing is gonna cost the same again, on the other hand with all that torque you will only ever need 2 gears 1 forward and 1 back and it will sound lovely much better than any rover

If it's a 302ci then realistically it's got to be a ford or a chevy, in this country it's likely to be a ford as chevy only a 302 as a full race engine but they are pretty scarce.
Build a yank v8 is as cheap as build a 4 pot, cause there are always cheap spares for example forged pistons for a small block chevy are about £350 thats about the same as pinto but you get 8.
Chevys are cheaper than fords because they're more common but fords aren't that expensive anyway.
As far as gearbox goes the tremec t5 originally sat behind the mustang engines so internally its strong enough however I'm not to sure about the bellhousing bolt pattern, if it was a chevy you can bolt any chevy gearbox regardless if it's small block or big block. The T5 is a strong box and can be got from a scraped cosworth as they use the box also.
There is a locost with a 350ci chevy that runs the 1/4 mile in about 10 secs i think which would give you a 0-60 of about 2-2.5 seconds.
The only problem I forsee using a yank engine is the torque, depending on the year your looking at 200-350 hp and about 280-300ftlbs of torque thats a lot of power for 13" tyres.
Don't be confused with the later ford engines that are known as 5.0ltr engines althought the same displacement they are not the same engine. the 5.0ltr is a fuel injected lightweight modern engine that can be tuned a lot but at a price where as the 302 is a bit of an old dog but can be yuned relatively cheap and gives you good solid performance.
But you really want a chevy if you looking for a yank v8 that is good and reliable that can be tuned on a shoe string.
£350 is about the right money for a 302 as long as it's assembled and is a good runner.
The worst years for yank engines were the 70's it's only been sincw thmid 80's that have started being produced as high hp motors again. Gm's top sports car the corvette only had 210hp from a 454 big block chevy in 76. Ideal engines are those from 66-72 as they were in the muscle car boom.
If I can help anymore email me. but it's a good strong engine that's gonna give you a lot of fun but be crap on fuel.

thanks guys, hopefully get to see the engine soon then i can get more details. any idea what the C4 auto box is like

which would give you a 0-60 of about 2-2.5 seconds.

R U sure about this?

"There is a locost with a 350ci chevy that runs the 1/4 mile in about 10 secs i think which would give you a 0-60 of about 2-2.5 seconds. "

Rather unlikley without F1 type slicks and a suitable road surface. The problem is to get the traction. Power to weight isn't the only factor

Auto boxes are excellent for fast accelerating cars and are frequently used in drag racing. No good for the road unless you get a modern 4speed type where the top speed is an overdrive. Earlier types are direct top and NFG for Locost type cars

John

In drag racing terms a 10 sec car will be 0-60 in around 2-3 secs it is hard to measure as there is no information given but 60ft is a good indication of traction.and a 10 sec slick equipt car will have a 60foot time of about 1.4 secs average.
how ever on street tyres its another story altogether.

If you want to determine what the engine is look at the dizzy location:

straight up at the front of the inlet = ford
straight up at the back of the inlet = chevy

this is the easiest way to determine what it is and I'm pretty sure that it will be one or the other.