Jetter

I have a 302 and an AOD that I took out of a 86 T-Bird with about 35,000 miles on it. My grandma owned the car since it was new. The AOD is going to be built also but I'll save that for another thread.
I'm shooting for about 400hp with the 302. In an effort to save money and shoot for what I think to be somewhat reasonable numbers I would like to leave the bottom end alone. The engine had no issues before removal and
It will be going in my 68 Fastback that currently has a tired 289. The car see's light use and is mainly driven to cruises and shows. Wouldn't mind being able to roast the tires every once in a while. Since I will be installing the AOD I plan on upgrading the gears to about 3:55. I would like to use a roller cam and have moderate to rough idle. I hope that's enough info to get some input. Thanks

67mustang302

I wouldn't trust the stock bottom end for 400hp. Living on borrowed time, and you might not be able to get the compression where you need it.

But a nice custom cam and some AFR or TFS heads can you get 300-350 easily.

Either way, at least invest in some better rod bolts.

bluebeastsrt

300whp is all you need for a very lively car. If I was you I'd go with trick flows 360hp kit. All the parts are already matched so you know they'll play well together. For less than 3 grand you get everything from pushrods to roller rockers. Cam and heads. Timing chain you name it.

barnett468

hello;


good info above. my guess is you are possibly on a budget or you would build a stronger bottom end.

if this is the case i would buy some afr 165 heads. if they are too much than rhs or comp cams heads bare and buy good parts fir them.

mill your heads to 56 cc's or .032", which ever comes first.,

put in a comp xr268hr cam,

edelbrock std intake for bottom end or an rpm or air gap or stealth intake for less bottom end and more top end.

holley vacuum secondary 4 barrel 650 cfm carb.

scorpion roller rockers.

a 2400 - 2600 stall converter

it will roast the tires just fine.

if you do very little freeway driving, put 3.73 gears in it if you want quick acceleration.

you will also need a posi and traction master traction bars.

of your rear shocks or springs are weak you should install stiffer ones.
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groho

Read! Read! Read! you can't do enough reading regarding building the motor, and tranny. There's some good points above regarding parts and setups. Summit Racing has an excellent compression calculator to help you. You'd be surprised how much a small change can do to compression like a head gasket thickness. I believe Summit has a shop out of Ohio so that's helpful. I order on Tues before 2, and its on my porch the next day. You need to do some very SERIOUS soul searching to determine what your plans are; driver, gas mileage, reliable, weekend cruiser, weekend racer, dedicated racer with runs to the store, etc, etc. Each of those has a unique build. I highly encourage you to take the time to build the tranny properly, professionally, so budget for it. It would suck to build motor and toast the tranny shortly there after.

Jetter

Okay that's why I asked for advice. I was hoping the bottom end would be strong enough for this build but by your responses I guess not. Just trying to save where I can but I want to do it right also. This is my first build so bear with me please I may need to be spoon fed, lol. You guys have seen a lot so I value your input. As far as building the bottom end to what extent do I need to go? I haven't measured anything yet but with only 35,000 miles on it I'm thinking minimal to no wear.
Barnett468 the setup you recommended was very close to what I was thinking. The heads I was thinking are TFS Twisted Wedge (2.02 & 1.60) which will require new pistons and would go along with rebuilding the bottom end. Edelbrock Performer RPM Air Gap, 650 carburetor, MSD ignition, 1.6 ratio roller rockers and Comp Cams Xtreme Energy XE266HR. The XR268HR you recommend seems to be for a Mopar?

67mustang302

Stock 302 cranks are pretty strong, about as strong as the block. But the rods leave something to be desired, they're not terribly robust and are rather weak in regards to rod bolts/shoulders. A decent set of rods runs $200-300 for basic forged stuff. Assuming the crank is good, you can just use better rods and pistons.

barnett468

hello;

hey that mopar cam will work just fine, but maybe the 266 will fit better, lol.

i hate twisted wedge. no real reason other than the valve arrangement and occasional need for special pistons.

if you lower your goals to around 270 at the crank, yous stock bottom end "should" survive.

if you build it, buy cheap flat top hyper pistons with 2 valve reliefs not 4.

have the bore measured. if it is good buy std size pistons.

cheap cast iron rings or plasma moly.

non forged rods with arp bolts

cloyes 2 degree timing chain

afr 165 heads

balance the bottom end.

if the rubber in the damper looks old buy a new one. pioneer makes cheap oem ones and 180.00 sfi rated high perf ones.

you can also buy a stroker kit. see them below

http://www.summitracing.com/search/d...6%2B4294880902

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