Hey guys, first timer here, but heres a little history about my car right now. its a 1965 coupe, 289 w/ few mods.
-performer intake
-street avenger carb
-msd ignition system
-flowmaster exhaust
Well now with that being said, i have a 351w block thats been sitting in the garage for about 4 months now. My plan was to drop that in and stroke it out, and all that fun stuff. BUT! after doing some research i understand that i will have to do lots of other mods. like tranny, rear end, shock towers.
NOW! im thinking about just getting a 302 and stroking it out to a 347 for about 350-400hp.

So my question is, with that kind of power, would i still have to get a stronger tranny and rear end??
-What would you guys do?
I need opinions. thanks

 

i just bought a 351 block

 

If you go 351w, later you will want more. Stroke the 351! A stroker kit for a 351w costs just as much as a 302 stroker kit.

 

As the saying goes - there's no replacement for displacement.

Stroking either will provide the Hp you're looking for. The 351 is capable of more Torque and has options up to and including 427 kits.

However, there's nothing wrong with Stroking a 302 and making gobs of power and torque. It's really preferene at this point. I'm looking for a 93'-96' 5.8 block to build now. I want a 408 Stroker as my next motor.

I own a 95 F250 w/ the 5.8 in it now. I reached 150k miles this week and it's still a very strong motor. I do notice a lifter bleeding down over night. It's not real bad, but I can hear it on first start up and it takes a few secs to pressure back up. Other than that, the truck pulls my 20' boat 150 miles round trip fishing every other weekend in the summer months and see's a ton of "truck" duty other wise.

 

yeah id go 351w and if your talking about notching the shock towers you can do it down to the upper contorl arm bolt holes but dont go to deep in the towers. but http://www.rrs-online.com/ sells a shock tower notching kit but you have to use there coilovers and brakes

 

actually they have kits larger than 427 now i think one is a 460 or 450 something

 

The stock 8" can handle the power you're looking for, as long as you're not into shocking the drive train (6k rpm launches with drag radials). You didn't mention your tranny, but I'll guess it's a C4. You'll want a rebuild with better clutches and enhanced shift timing. If it's a manual, it'll depend on the type. Any of the toploaders from that era would be strong enough, though the sideloaders may not be.

 

iv got a 393 and i loveeeeee it, go with at least a 351w, but the strokers are fuuuuuunnn

 

Get ready to spend some bucks$$$$$ on the tires that you burnout with!!!!!

 

The 289 you already havecan make just as much power as a 302.
So you won't need to buy a 302. The 351 will fit in the engine bay, but will be tight. You won't have to do anything with your shock towers.
I would bore and stroke that 289 if it was mine. Some AFR heads, Weiand intake, Holley 650 cfm carb, Ceramic coated long tube headers, loapy cam, dual exhaust with an X pipe, and you will have more power than you will need for a street car. If you have a built C4 or a toploader then the tranny you already have will be sufficient. You can run the 8" rear with some 355 gears and posi until it breaks, then stick a 9" posi in there.
Dig deep in your pockets though.,.....power costs......