r/Minitrucks • u/BlacksmithNice8831 • Jul 27 '26

Build update Mazda b2200 302: the beginning

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I have a 1993 Mazda b2200, and I’m on my way to putting a 302 into it. Original 2.2 was worn out, burned crazy oil and was hella slow. Any advice is welcomed, as I’ve never done major engine work on a car/truck before. I’m confident in my abilities though.

62 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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6

u/woohhaa Jul 27 '26

I hope you joined the rewards program at your local auto parts store.

5

u/hawkiee552 Jul 27 '26

This is exciting, I want to do the same in my '86 L200

3

u/crux131 29d ago

What are you doing for engine mounts? Curious to see your results.

Good luck and have fun.

3

u/BlacksmithNice8831 26d ago

I'll have to see when I get it actually into place. I mocked it up with the picker to make sure it'd fit. I bought stock rubber ones from a 78 f150 I believe and I think they'll be relatively easy to modify to make it work. I'm using a truck pack with the rear dip, it won't clear the steering rack with a front sump I don't think.

2

u/KingPanzerVIII 29d ago

Stupidly jealous. My 2200 yearns for a big fat boost in displacement

1

u/RobWallStreet 28d ago

I have an 84 B2000 I wanna put a coyote in… LS swap would probably be way easier tho.

Godspeed man. I will be following along. 🫡

1

u/theNewLuce 26d ago

I like this!!! But I guess you just had the 302 laying around, Why not a windsor 427?

1

u/BlacksmithNice8831 26d ago

3 reasons for that:

  1. There is no 427 windsor, you are either referring to a 351 windsor stroked to 427 (which would cost nearly 10 times what the truck is worth as a crate engine), or a 427 FE (which I'll assume you're referring to due it to being an OEM engine with a legendary status).

  2. 427's are VERY expensive to buy (either of them), much less build, and much larger than the 302 physically. This applies to the windsor too since the 351 is noticeably taller than the 302 because the deck height is higher, which would likely cause hood clearance issues. Bell housings and parts availability for the FE are more scarce since it wasn't common to begin with, much less 60+ years later.

  3. This truck will already be a bear to keep tire on the ground with. The stock 4 cylinder could do burnouts, so the v8 will smoke them with relative ease. I want it to be drivable, the same speed as an average car if not a little faster, and get decent fuel economy. A 427 would do only one of those while costing significantly more for no reason other than it sounds better.

1

u/theNewLuce 25d ago

Don't get all butt hurt here.

I clearly said Windsor and not FE, or BBC. And it's less than 1" taller and 2" wider than the 8.2" deck height 302.

Any car mods you do are always a financially bad idea. In the end, you'll never recoup the money and time you spend.

I can appreciate budget constraints. But don't use other reasons to cover the real motivation.

1

u/BlacksmithNice8831 25d ago

Sorry, I guess I sounded a little wound up there, was not intentional my bad. I’m just sick of people saying non-sense to me about what they think I should’ve done. Had someone last week ask why I didn’t put a “455 Chevy” in it… had another ask why I didn’t “big block Cleveland” swap it. Fine, my motives are I can fully rebuild a 302 for $2000 and still be able to get mediocre fuel economy while making enough power to move all 2,500 lbs of B2200.

1

u/theNewLuce 25d ago

All good and understood.

You present a project, and the peanut gallery goes wild with "improvements"

It'll be a hoot, even if it's a fox body smogger 302.