hey guys, i have been considering a 351 swap for a few years now. i have been back and forth on the idea about stroking my 302 to 347 or going right to a 408ish right off the bat? i have a full 351 shortblock, i pulled it from a 74 pickup. my goal would not be to get max hp as much as it would be to get good drivability and extra cubes for power. could i piece together a short block and keep costs down by using what i already have? or am i better off starting with a stroked shortblock? i know a lot of the parts from my 302 would limit power but will have to do either way i go. i def do not want to go cheap on the cam though. anyone actually done a similar build? thanks mike

 

if i am not mistaken you would have to get your block machined to fit a roller cam, i would just go with the 408 and build it right just save the money and do it.

 

you can run the Hdy. roller cam with the retro fit lifters they have out or retro fit roller kit that uses a small base cam I would do the retro fit lifters with the link bars much better set up. Your heads & rockers will work for what you are asking you may have to drill the bolt hole to 1/2 due to 302 being 7/16. your headers may work may not other then that, That is about all you can use ..

 

It really depends on your goals. If you want a fun street car that you can drive every day and still get decent mileage, use a healthy 302/306 with a blower. If you're going to be racing, go big. There is no replacement for displacement.

There are very few parts that interchange between the 351 and 302. So you'll spend a lot of money on oil pans, intakes, etc. You can use the 302 distributer on the 351, as long as you also use the 302 oil pump and drive shaft.

 

none of the engine parts you currently have, will do you any good on a 351w or larger

 

I got a 98 or 97 (don't remember the year of the van off the top of my head) e-250 351w roller cam motor for sale if you are interested so you don't have to retrofit anything. I'm on my phone so it doesn't tell me where you're at so you might not be able to buy it during to distance but thought I would throw it out there. LOL. Motor runs great. Only 90k on it. LOL.

 

i have decided to stick with my 302 for now and eventually go to a 347. thanks for the tips guys. mike

 

If you can come up with the money, we may be able to work a deal... Im having hard time selling my car with the 347 in it, but I'd bet that it would sell easier with a 302 (people are weird like that).