Well wouldn't ya know it, wrecked the damn thing. Some guy who was speeding T-Boned me. Smashed in the driver's door and half of the rear wheel well, missed the rear tire completely, rather bizarre. Wouldn't be so much of a problem if it hadn't crumpled the side post and messed the up the rear body alignment. Not sure what I'm going to do with it now, hate to get rid of it due to the amount of time and work put into it, not to mention money and love. The engine and everything runs, I was able to drive it home from the accident but it no longer looks pretty. So I will probably take the engine and all the stuff I put into it and transfer it to another car, probably my fathers Ranchero since the 400M in it sucks and the transmission needs to be rebuilt anyway.

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1978 Mercury Zephyr Z7
302cid V8
3-speed C4 automatic transmission

Only 3000 miles on the engine since the last overhaul.

Engine rebuilt once - bored out 0.030,
.474 lift cam shaft,
hydraulic lifters,
Edelbrock performer 289 intake manifold,
Edelbrock 4-barrel 500 cfm carb,
Hedman full length headers,
custom dual exhaust exiting in front of rear tires,
Edelbrock stamped aluminium valve covers with chrome finish, stock heads milled 0.010,
custom spark plug wire set,
14" air cleaner system,
valve cover breather.
Created custom shifter (stock shift linkage could not be fit with headers)
Replaced 8-track radio with AM/FM Cassette radio,
replaced front and rear speakers.
Repainted white with dark green below the chrome side trim and dark green center caps on rims,
Kumho tires (had clearance issues with exhaust with the low profile tires)

Engine overhauled - due to seizure of oil pump and twisting and breaking of oil pump rod.
Replaced oil pump and rod

Engine overhauled - due to loss of coolant through lower radiator hose.
Heads warped, blown head gasket, loss of valve spring tension.
Heads milled another 0.010,
replaced springs and retouched valves and seats,
replaced oil pump and rod,
replaced piston rings with chromoly rings,
cylinders honed,
broke main cap bolt (drilled and tapped),
replaced main and connecting rod bearings,
full gasket replacement,
replaced water temp and oil pressure sensors with mechanical gauges,
tach added

UPDATE
Planning an engine transplant this spring...
Getting a 1992 302 and upgrading with:
Bore increase,
possilby stroke,
Edelbrock aluminium heads,
new head bolts,
Holley 4 barrel carb,
forged pistons and connecting rods,
all new bearings, gaskets, and rings,
pulling the intake manifold,
possibly pulling cam if still in good shape,
pulling double roller timing chain,
pulling headers,
pulling valve covers and air cleaner,
and anything else worth keeping from old engine