Thnking about going with this top end kit for my 302..

Its not a bad kit, but i have never been a huge fan of edelbrocks heads, not that they arent good heads, they are usually just expensive and with 170cc runners in these, thats all good, but you can get a set that flows a lot better for that price or less, but then again, it all depends on what you want to do with the car. The camshaft is agressive for this low of flow (I had purchased this setup once for chevy about 10 yrs ago) With that kind of lift and duration your bottom end power will suffer, but it will pull really nice on up to 6200 or so, so if you have an automatic, then a stall converter will be needed to properly utilize the cam. Ultimately it depends on what you want out of the car, but for 1800 bucks i think you can get more horsepower exploring other options...

Do you have any suspension/brakes/transmission/rear end gear mods planned to go with the improved engine?

Is it just a street car? Stop light drag racer? Honda slayer? It all depends on how deep your pockets are, and what you really want out of the car....

don't buy the flat-tappet cam.

Mr. Din said:

Will be a street car. Will up grade to AOD transmission later on and upgrade rear end later on. Car will have front disc brakes. I am just not trying to break the bank on engine mods. Since i am already spending alot of money on restoring the car.

I would like to get a good carb, set of heads, intake, cam that would work with my pretty much stock 302. THe stuff i would like to get would have to work when i decide to stroke it to 347 later.

Click to expand...

this is almost exactly where/what I'm wanting to do with my car he's right with the torque converter, i wish i would have done that with my AOD, it would make things ALOT easier.

personally though I'm going with a 351C when i get the money for it

anyway....

don't be afraid to work out your own top end kit....I'm surprised that none of the old fellas have chimed in yet.....something like an RV cam, or a street/strip thats a bit meaner, 185-190 heads and something like a RPM air gap should get you a nice setup. if you go with 190 ish CC heads i think your 347 will like you a bit more. Also something like a 650 street demon (or something similar) would be a good fit.

the real kicker is in the heads though.....I'm in agreement here also with a previous post, you can find better heads for less...do some more homework and come back with something

That is the same cam that I am running in my 1968 Cougar with a 289.
I like the cam, but I had a HUGE learning curve about valve train geometry!
I have a set of 3.50 gears, and am now running 16 inch wheels and tires. ( I think the cam would really, really like a set of 3.70's, but I don't want to change the gears again...)

If you aren't really ready for the other end of the engine though, and you can drive the car, I would suggest holding off on the engine until you are ready.
The cam makes good power, but with out the gears in the rear, it will feel slower than it does stock. If you are planning a stroker kit down the road, I would drive the car as it is until you get the other stuff done. There isn't anything to be gained by doing the work to change the cam, and dial in the valve train and then pull the motor, to do it all over again.
Have you got a plan for your ignition yet? What about exhaust? If you can drive the car right now, I'd continue to save up, until you can get the complete package together.

Im going to agree with woodsnake about doing the engine later...its going to be a totally different animal when you stroke that bad boy. And earlier someone mentioned a 180-190 cc head, that is a great street cc. If i was to build a good 347 for the street it would be like this:
Heads somewhere around 200cc, 62-64cc combustion chambers with some flat top pistons making around 9.5:1.
The camshaft (if flat tappet) would be around 295 dur with 520 lift. (If hyd roller) around 290 dur with 540 lift.
THen top it off with a performer RPM intake and a holley 650-750.
If automatic you will need at least a 2500 stall and some 355 gears and you will have a bad little street car.

well you can build a 306 that can hang with a 347, but if i was building a strong 306 it would probably have some good 185 heads with 2.02/160 valves. And then the cam I would go for a 285 dur 495 lift cam....that will give you enough low end torque and mid range...i would estimate a 1500-5500 rpm range, perhaps still go with the 2500 stall. Car will still be a tire smoker with that setup, then later you could get those heads ported and polished and upgrade to a higher lift cam to feed the bigger cubic inches...Stay with the performer rpm intake and a 650 carb.

Do you know anybody in your local area that has a hotrod like what you are building? Or is there a local Mustang/Ford club near by? I would try and meet some guys that have built engines, and you can talk to them directly. Doing business in person can answer a lot of questions that you just won't think of online.
If you have a fresh .040 over block, then I would just think about H/C/I and leave it at that.
Again, if you just want a fun car to drive, that's easy. If you want to get into the hundred mile an hour club, that isn't so easy. When you start adding cubic camshaft, you have to add cubic rear end gears to go with it. A 4.11 gear in a three speed auto trans is great fun, for about a month. Then, you get tired of seeing/hearing the engine all day long in trffic, at 40 miles an hour, at 3K rpms....
If you are going to build an open track the car, then go all out, but if it's just a cruiser or weekend car, then keep it streetable enough that you can enjoy it.
Like I said, I have that cam in my 68, and it gets around fine with a 3.50 gear, but I believe it would be happier with a 3.70 gear in the rear. An overdrive transmission is an absolute must if you are going to drive any distance in a classic with a built engine.
So I guess the short answer to your original question is yes, I like that kit. You will have to measure for correct pushrod length, and spend some decent money on some roller rocker arms. Also, plan on at least a 3.50 gear rear end, if not taller, like a 3.73. Get some good headers, and plan om 2 1/2 inch exhaust. If anybody tells you anything like "you need the back pressure" immediately tune them out. A full MSD ignition is nice, but not necessary. An MSD 6A or 6AL is fine, but I would stick with a Ford duraspark distributor and Ford wires. 650 Holley, with vacuum secondaries for an auto trans, or mechanical for a manual transmission.
Drive that around town for a year, and if you aren't happy, rather than mess with a 302 block, pony up to a 351W with a 393 kit.
Free advice, worth what it cost.....