Blue VS Red 202

[Acarzia]

Hi there,
I'm restoring a 1978 Bedford CF van and I have 2 engine options, a red or a blue 202.

Either way I go I'm going to rebuild the engine ground up, I'm also going to put a new 330 Holley Carb on it with an electric choke. If I go with the red engine I will put an electric distributor on it.

Which engine would you guys choose? This car is going to be a daily driver as well

 

[the_boozer]

I'd pick the blue motor . A bit more guts maybe a little stronger bottom end. probably more left easier to find parts for water pumps ect.

 

[harrop.senator]

Blue motor has the better head , crank n rods but the flywheels can rattle loose with a hiding and no dowels. Never had the issue on a red.

Blue motor with non air pumpa mnifold and the Holley would be the go , but I'd probably put a Weber on it instead if it were me.

 

[gd81]

You could also go the Injected Black. with aftermarket ECU they do go well enough.

 

[vc commodore]

I have fitted both the blue and red to my VC....Both have their good and bad points...

The red was a mild 202 with a 186 head and 350 holley....It revved to 7,000RPM when prompted, but ran out of pull after 5,800....

I currently have a blue, with minor head work, roller rockers and small cam....I have found the blue is torquier than the red.....I only rev that to 6,000 RPM

Red motor parts are easier to find compared to blues....Whilst they share the same water pumps, providing you get the corresponding water pump pulley and other accessories, the manifold for the 2 barrel holleys are extremely difficult to find...Brand new 4 barrel ones are readily available upwards of $400....The cheaper option for a 2 barrel holley with a blue is an adaptor on the standard manifold

2 barrel holley manifold for reds are every where...Nothing unusual to find them around the $100 mark every day of the week...

Extractors for a blue...Careful looking for 2nd hand ones....They have ones to suit blue/black into Torana and commodore...They are different....Also you have to be wary getting commodore extractors too....You have EFI ones and non-EFI....You can't fit EFI ones to a non EFI set up......Red motor extractors 2nd hand are again, everywhere....

So honestly at the end of the day, the cheapest option would be a red...Parts are readily available brand new and 2nd hand...Blues there are a few more issues getting parts....

 

[vc commodore]

Blue motor has the better head , crank n rods but the flywheels can rattle loose with a hiding and no dowels. Never had the issue on a red.

Blue motor with non air pumpa mnifold and the Holley would be the go , but I'd probably put a Weber on it instead if it were me.

Blue and red motor flywheels interchange...Blacks have their own flywheel...You can put the blue crank into black motor

 

[Smitty]

Blue motor has the better head , crank n rods but the flywheels can rattle loose with a hiding and no dowels. Never had the issue on a red.

............................

bwahahaha.. try turning a red 202 to7500 and see what happens

flywheels (steel and lightened) even with dowels and retainers get shooken off at 6500 upwards (makes a hell of a mess btw)
and once you solve that .. then the balancers come off (easy fix is adapt a Massey Ferguson tractor one) but then...?
the blocks split behind the starter motor..... come apart from the up/down forces. Nothing a full set of VERY long high tensile
bolts .. from deck to sump face cannot fix

I say all the above from personal experience

 

[J_D 2.0]

Blue motor has the better head , crank n rods but the flywheels can rattle loose with a hiding and no dowels. Never had the issue on a red.

Blue motor with non air pumpa mnifold and the Holley would be the go , but I'd probably put a Weber on it instead if it were me.

Triple 45DCOEs for the win!

 

[J_D 2.0]

Triple 45DCOEs for the win!

Weber’s are better than Holleys IMO. Had a VH with a blue motor and a Holley. Went through 25L per 100kms. Could have just been tuned incorrectly too.

 

[lmoengnr]

bwahahaha.. try turning a red 202 to7500 and see what happens

Broken compression rings?