302 HO Roller block vs 289

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Red66GT

New Member

Jul 14, 2003

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Simi Valley, CA

Jul 7, 2004

#1

• Jul 7, 2004

• #1

I'll be shortly doing 1 of 3 things soon.
Getting my '66 289 rebuilt (w/ ported heads and stronger cam)
Getting a remanufactured 289
or Getting a remanufactured 302 HO Roller block.

Along w/ one of these options I plan on getting tri-y or shorty headers and possibly an edelbrock rpm or weiand stealth intake .

Now, a few questions for you fellow Mustang guys.
How much better stock is a 302 HO Roller over an old ('66) 289? anyone have hp/torque stats?

also, if I get a 302 HO Roller short block can I use my old ('66) 289 (possibly soon to be ported) heads on them?

Any advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

A few more things, my budget is roughly $2000. And the car is a daily driver so I would be willing to sacrifice some hp for real good throttle response. My goal is 300-350hp at the flywheel. Is this even possible w/ just ported heads and different cam on my 289?

 

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Ronstang

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Apr 4, 2004

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Houston Texas

Jul 7, 2004

#2

• Jul 7, 2004

• #2

I don't have any specs for you but the 5.0 HO is the way to go. The roller cam that came stock in these engines is far superior to the outdated flat tappet cam in the 289. You can reuse your heads but your compression will be over 10:1 as 58 cc heads yield 10:1 IIRC. You really should look for a set of used aftermarket heads to top off the 302. Cast iron GT-40 are pretty decent and cheap these days. You can even find older aluminum heads for good deals used these days. Shop around.

 

T

TT670

Founding Member

Jul 10, 2001

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Jul 7, 2004

#3

• Jul 7, 2004

• #3

I agree, the cam profiles available for a roller block are far superior to the flat tappets in the 289.

 

latamud

Founding Member

Oct 22, 2002

791

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Tampa, FL

Jul 7, 2004

#4

• Jul 7, 2004

• #4

You can add a roller cam to your 289 by drilling 2 small holes in the oil valley. Do a search for roller cam swaps. It isn't hard. Some H.O. motors cam factory with forged pistons though. I blew up my supercharged 289. I will never go back to flat tappet 289 again though. If I did, it would be built with a roller cam.

 

1995cobraR

Member

Jan 15, 2004

161

10

19

Sandy Springs, GA

Jul 7, 2004

#5

• Jul 7, 2004

• #5

I'd store the 289 in the garage (or sell it to someone is is going to restore to original).

Go with the 5.0 roller. You'll get more HP and the engine will last longer with the roller system.

 

66 BLAKE 96

Native Texican

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Feb 16, 2001

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Cowtown

Jul 7, 2004

#6

• Jul 7, 2004

• #6

Just chiming in to agree on the 5.0 roller. I'd get a set of stock 5.0 E7 heads and port the crap out of them. That'd be the cheap way out, and with just a cam and a 4bbl, it ought to be faster than it has ever been in 40 years.

EDIT: This should be handy for all the little differences in the roller motor.
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=431935&highlight=roller

 

LMan

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Aug 10, 2002

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Mom's basement

Jul 7, 2004

#7

• Jul 7, 2004

• #7

Roller. No contest.

 

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Red66GT

New Member

Jul 14, 2003

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Simi Valley, CA

Jul 7, 2004

#8

• Jul 7, 2004

• #8

Wow, sounds like the Roller wins without a doubt. In order to do the swap will I have to change my distributor, bell housing, flywheel, etc...? what can and can't I use?

 

WRXracer

New Member

Feb 28, 2003

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Jul 7, 2004

#9

• Jul 7, 2004

• #9

oh

im about ready to do the swap too.. what qaurter mile can you see on a 66 with this engine with stock everything..

 

67coupe351w

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Jan 31, 2004

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Portland, OR

Jul 7, 2004

#10

• Jul 7, 2004

• #10

The bell housing you can keep. You will need to get 50 oz imbalance flywheel and harmonic balancer from a 302 HO

 

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RustyFox

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Jun 29, 2004

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Media, PA

Jul 7, 2004

#11

• Jul 7, 2004

• #11

Red66GT,

I have a slightly used set of iron GT-40 heads.(about 5000 miles)They are complete with springs, valves, etc. PM me if you are interested. I will sell them cheap. The only problem will be shipping.