Im switching from a I6 to a v8 and i already have a 289 block. Its a 1965 block and ive been wanting to build it up a little more than stock. I want some more power out of the small block. I was thinking of boring it to a 302 but i dont know what would be a good choice of crank, cam and heads. Anybody have any ideas?

 

you can't bore it to a 302, you wont have cylinders left

the 289 and the 302 have the same bore, the 302 just had a little bit longer stroke.

you are thinking about this all wrong, boring and changing cranks isn't where you are going to pick up most of your power. If i were you I would use the stock crank, and not bore the cylinders anymore than I just absolutely had too.

the best thing you could do would be to buy a different set of heads (there are TONS to choose from), get a cam, and get an intake. That would get you the power you are looking for.


also, what part of NC are you from?

 

Oh ok i thought the 302s were 289s but the cylinders were bored. Sorry. Ive been looking for a cam and heads just dont know which ones would be best and i dont wanna spend too much. Im in hickory right now why do you ask?

 

What else are you planning on doing to the car during the conversion? I ask because you can't simply drop in a V8 and expect everything to be ok. You need to change: springs and brakes all the way around (5 lug), rear end, steering linkage, driveshaft, engine wiring harness, and probably a couple things I'm not thinking about right now.

 

... motor mounts, alternator brackets and many odds and ends, tires and rims to match the 5 lug axle, probably radiator and fan and ...

 

According to Ford, the stroke from 289 to 302 was only good for about 11 hp, so it's not really cost effective.

 

I am in Salisbury NC

there are lots of good engine shops around NC

Heintz performance built my 289, they are in Statesville

 

289s and 302s had the same 4" bore, the 289 had a shorter stroke than the 302. Stuffing a 302 crank, rods, and pistons in is no big deal if you have them laying around. No real need to go out and buy them if your crank can still be turned. Going to a bigger stroker is at least $1000 and you arent looking for that much power anyway right?

If you are looking for a bit more than stock, I would go with a cam, intake, and headers. Its a cruiser not a race car right? So you want a nice sounding idle and enough power to squeal the tires and impress the kids. No need to go crazy and build a monument to the aftermarket to do that.

A cam about the same size as this one.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-K3600/

And the intake I am running on my F150 4x4:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-226030/

Followed with some inexpensive headers, a 2.25" dual exhaust system, and turbo mufflers. Drop a 600 vacuum secondary Holley on it, have the distributor recurved so the advance is all in by 3000 rpm and it should be a fun ride without having to buy a bunch of stuff. Your stock heads will work fine with a rebuild, or you could go with some Explorer heads if you find them cheap.

 

i found a 1965 289 its rebuilt, bored 40 over, crank turned 30 under, new main and rod bearings along with all the gaskets. The only thing it needs is a water pump, intake and carb. I dont know how much power it would make but it sounds like a good deal.

 

A 289 at 40 over is near the end of its useful life. Granted, some will say you can go 60 over, but that is playing with fire. I don't know that I would be to comfortable with a crank turned 30 under as well.

For a mild 289, start with cam, lifters, 4bbl intake and carb, headers.
good luck.