Looks like its time for me to rebuild the engine in my 71. I got a quote on what it will run me to put everything back to stock. I was thinking of doing some upgrades while I have the engine apart. I don't plan on doing anything crazy with her just want a few small performance boosts. I know I can add a bigger carb and get a better intake (stock 2bb for the 302 currently) but I figured that could wait till I have a bit more cash to spend and that doesn't require the engine to be pulled apart again. So I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or ideas on what they would build. The cars in pretty good shape for its age and miles 200k+. A friend of mine told me he would get it sleeved, change out the cam and get forged pistons dropped into it but I am not even really sure where to start.
Anyway thanks for any ideas.

 

Here's an inexpensive upgrade that will enhance anything you do:

289/302 Cylinder Head Port Matching

 

While it is possible to sleeve all 8 cylinders, it can be costly when done correctly. If you don't need to have a matching numbers block, it would likely be more cost effective to buy a standard bore block and have it sonic checked and bored. Any block should be sonic checked before boring as it is impossible to say how much solid metal is between the cylinder and the water jackets. I had a 1 sleeve done on another block and it was about $130, multiply that time 8. Also, for a mild build, no need for forged pistons. Just my opinion on what i wouldnt do.

 

I figured sleeving was a little over kill. I just want something with a little more power then stock but I am sure even stock will feel nice once its all working good. Most of the people I know over do it and mostly work on imports so I figured I would come here and ask. I will keep the sonic check in mind. I am not sure if it had a rebuild once before or if it was just a valve job it happened about 15 years before I got my hands on it.

 

Sleeving cylinders is generally only done to repair a crack or cylinders that are worn too far to be rebored....Only worth while in a rare/expensive block..Your engine will probably only need a rebore to bring it back within specs...As for upgrades it really depends on how much power you are looking for..Ported heads,4V intake,carb and headers will give it a healthy increase..Especially with a well matched camshaft...You will also need good dual exhaust to go along with it...A rear gear change can make a huge difference in how much "jump" the car has as well..

 

Everybody has already given you some golden advice for what your goals are. The only thing i will add is to take what the import guys say with a grain of salt if they are telling you to sleeve the motor. I doubt they truly understand what is needed for a domestic V-8.

 

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Short and simple: Bore .030 over (likely needed with 200k miles) for a 306, hypereutectic pistons are cheap for a mild build, rebuild kit once it's determined if the crankshaft needs resizing or not, oil pump, water pump, belts, hoses... Comp Cams has a hotline to talk about what kind of cam upgrade you may be interested in - mileage, low-end torque, rough idle, etc. NO sleeving unless damage warrants it and even then, another block is likely cheaper. There are some cheap polished intakes online (I own one, works great) and top if off with a decent carb in the 550-650 range - my 570 Street Avenger works great but needs a bit more tuning than an Edlebrock might.

 

Ratfink please keep that sort of comment confined to the other thread so this one can stay on topic.

 

1 sleeve is one cylinder dumb ***. You wanna pick **** again? Go look at your grill post and see where that got you.