Right now im running a pretty much stock 302 with a pair of headman long tubes on it. I just got my performer air gap rpm intake manifold with a carb (600cfm) ready to go on. Any ideas on what should be next? I really dont have crazy ammounts of cash sitting around, especially with the holidays comming up but i was thinking gears (3.73?... its a daily driver?) but im not quite sure if thats the best option. I have a buddy who really wants to do N2O but im not really crazy about putting the car on the bottle... the motor is really a pretty tired 302 and i have the original motor sitting on the stand in my garage, so its probably worth the money to rebuild the original in the long run. I was also thinking about electronic ignition because mine is a rigged nightmare right now... Gears? Rebuilt Original? N2O? Electronic ignition?... im just considering the options right now, any input is appreciated, thanks guys.

-Tony
1972 Sprint 302

 

How much bang do you want and how much buck do you have?

 

what kinda tranny do you have in it? the c4? if its an auto c4 then 3.73s are too big for the highway.i wouldnt go any higher then 3.50 with no OD. and electronic ignition is a good idea, they sell kits with the coil and distributor etc. i wouldnt recomend the spray, but that one is on you, iwould sayuse the money for something you can get more use from.

and about the original motors, yeah they are worth rebuilding. with the proper care it would be a good DD for a long time

 

small increase in the cam dept. flat tappet SBF's really wake up with just the slightest increase from the bumpstick dept.

 

If your ignition is a "nightmare", that should be your priority. Even the best engine isn't going to perform well without good spark.

 

agreed

 

Ignition will give you a little but comes in as gold when it comes to consistency and reliability.

N2O will thrash on your engine faster due to the sudden increases in power and will not be there 24/7 where as any of the other upgrades mentioned will give you an increase 24/7.

Gears will work depending on what your ratio is now... and Mustangdemon67 is right, without OD anything bigger then the 3.5 gears will kill your ability to drive on the highway.

Cam is the road I would go down if your looking for the cheapest bang for your buck, your overall performance will go up and its relatively cheep (you can get a summit brand cam and lifter kit for $90) but if you go this rout, just know your going to have to replace a few gaskets and you should check (and replace if necessary) the condition of your timing chain since you will have it apart.

Rebuilding the engine is probably not a wise thing to do if you are looking for the cheapest rout... a modest rebuild could easily turn in to a black hole sucking all of your money away (that's whats happening to me right now) so unless you have the money to do a quality rebuild then I would hold off on that until a later time.

 

This
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...1&autoview=sku

plus a mean 600cfm carb

equals a nice engine, go fast

 

Save your money for when you can rebuild it or get some sort of crate motor. Short of a big nitrous kit nothing will make a huge difference on a tired motor. Besides, if you decide on a cam it will take more than just a cam and lifters. Always does. Gaskets, push rods, rockers,timing gears etc the list can spiral fast plus it is a labor intensive job. Just do a tune up on the ignition system, save your money until you can do an engine right. Otherwise you will just be spending dollars on stuff that probably won't help that much. The carb, headers, and intake you just bought could just about rebuild a 302 to stock or get a reman 302 from parts store. Just something to consider.

 

i gotta second the electronic ignitions. I have pertronix's baisc model, and its helped a ton with smoothness, gas milege, power, and I put it in in about 20 minutes, pretty much in the dark lol