67fstback

right now my 67 fastback has got the stock 289 sitting in it, with just about 65,000 miles. i want ti rebuild the engine and get it to about 300 hp, i know its not impossible, but just starting out in the muscle car building scene i really dont know where to start. i know ill need to upgrade the camshafts, intake manifold, carbuerator, headers, exhaust. what i want to know is what is the best combination of parts to get my 289 to 300 hp. also what else can be done to get to my goal. i have been searching around for parts and i see that holly would be the best choice for a carb, im thinking 4 barrel 600cfm? then some hooker headers, what i want to know is what is the difference between the shorty headers and long tube? and for exhaust ive got planned 2.5" piping, to flow master 40 series mufflers with an x-pipe connecting the two pipes.
thanks

Mustangdemon67

edelbrock makes a nice kit for small block fords, it comes with rpm air gap intake, cylinder heads, performance cam, and the timing chain. i have it on my 302, im happy with it. also you can get power pulleys, and ease up tension on the belt, i.e, pull out the power sterring and a/c, getting a lighter mechanical fan or just getting an electric fan. aside from motor work, get a 9in rearend w/ some good gears (which you want depends on your setup) and you could beef up the tranny or just sawp it out all together, many options you can explore

67mustang302

A basic rebuild with a good cam and a set of heads and intake/exhaust will easily get you 300hp. The Edelbrock kits are good, even the basic Performer package(not the RPM) with a better cam can get you that kinda power. If it's gonna be a street car that you drive regularly you'll just wanna pick parts that keep the rpm range lower, like 2,000-5,500 or so. Something that makes power out past 6k rpm is a pia to drive without a whole mess of other supporting mods(transmission, gears, suspension etc etc). Just make sure you have good suspension and brakes before you start putting a bunch of power in it. A 600cfm carb is fine, I'm only running 570 on mine and it's putting out around 360hp give or take, and the stock 8" rear will handle quite a bit of power, you don't really need to work about it until you start getting past 450hp

jlg2002

Buy the hotrodding small block fords (or steal a copy) to get an idea. Somehow, more than 1 HP per CU Inch seems to be a lofty goal for a street car engine.

dodgestang

Well it depends on if it is flywheel or rearwheel.

1 HP to 1 CU rear wheel HP is difficult for a street car...I know because my motor put it out.

Flywheel is signifcantly easier.

67fstback

if i go with the edelbrock performer package, should i go with the basic one or the rpm package? also should i go with dual 2.5" piping for the exhaust or 2 1/4" piping?

67fstback

you say use a different camshaft for the edelbrock kit, which do you recommend to get to 300 hp?

Norm Peterson

2 1/4" is big enough for most 302 engines that see much of any street driving. Pay attention to that 2000 - 5500 rpm range. Never mind how glamorous it sounds to have an engine with big numbers at 6000 and beyond, you have to running up there to use them, and that simply doesn't happen for more than a few seconds at a time. So unless you need to be running there at the strip, open-track, or perhaps at a really fast auto-X you'll end up being happier with an engine that has a 'fat' midrange. Choose your parts/kit accordingly. When the choice ends up being between two cams, you'll usually be better off overall with the milder one. About here I'll strongly suggest going to a hydraulic roller of duration about equal to the milder of two flat-tappet cams, as it'll behave like the mild cam but with more power up top.


Norm

67mustang302

Yeah, I totally agree. You will be WAY happier with a strong midrange than a big power number on the street. Hydraulic roller is the better way to go, it's easier to achieve good performance in a streetable package. I'd go with the smaller of the 2 Edelbrock kits but pick a better cam, the RPM cam is too big (I think) for most daily drivers, and the Performer cam is a bit on the wimpy side. Again, something in the 2,000-5,500rpm range is good(since you don't have to dump a chunk of change into a bunch of supporting mods). The Edelbrock heads are good, and the Performer manifold is ok, but I'd go with like a Comp/Crane/Isky etc etc hydraulic roller cam. You could also pick a better manifold, like the one I have is Weiand's new Action Plus(pn 8124), or save some money and look for a factory aluminum 4bbl from a donor motor in a junkyard(that will be hard to find though). The Edelbrock kit and others are good, but you can get better performance if you select parts individually based on what you want/need. Either way will work fine, just stick to the plan of building an engine that runs in a streetable rpm range with parts that are matched to one another and you'll be fine. And make sure you have good suspension and brakes.

fastbackford351

Stay with the 2.25" exhaust. I went to a larger 2.5" exhaust when I got some new headers and I noticed a signifigant drop in low end torque as a result of less backpressure.