[crazypete]

Well, I know the 83 302 only made like 175 hp from the factory so I dont think the 79 would fare that much better. I think once you drop some decent heads on there, that figure will rise dramatically. $300 is a mighty lean budget. Is that just for the rebuild? You could still squeeze by.

Summit sells hyperutectic piston rebuild kits for $270 or so but I didnt see the 79 listed. Getting the cam bearings out is a chore to say the least. Years ago, I rebuilt my 87 5.0 engine in my basement and basically just cleaned everything off and replaced bearings, gaskets and piston rings and cleaned the existing pistons. I used a cylinder hone to remove the groove at the top of each cylinder, put standard rings back on the now sparkly used pistons (I used steel wool to buff them. It removes grime but doesnt remove material). I'm gonna get crazy flamed for saying dont replace the pistons but it worked for me and the engine got 25 mpg and didnt burn oil even with 127K in it. It took me almost 3 months to clean everything meticulously though. It's labor intensive, but you can get the non piston equipped kits for under $100 I think (PAW has them I think). Now that engine doesnt have a roller cam in it so I think the cam gets ground down over the years or so I've heard so that might have to get replaced too. Valvesprings should probably get replaced.

Maybe a good bet is to grab a 302 HO from a 85+ vehicle and put the $100 of rings and seals into that. I think it's a much better starting point. Like I said, the 79 isnt even listed on summit.

Good luck dude!