what choices will you make?

[chrismillion]

i'm debating on a vortech s trim on a stock block(302), and i'm planing to put some AFR 185 head and cam combo in the near future, but will this be too much for the stock block with 184,000 miles on it. the other choice i have is to do a 302 to 351 swap. i want be able to get the fast goodies for a while then, because i have to get another intake or something. what will you do? speed & power now with a risk or bigger block capable of of handling everything that i plan on doing to my stock at present?

 

[drgn5.0]

you might need to get some rings and bearings later on but its not too old to run it.

 

[chrismillion]

anymore advice?

 

[WhiteDevil]

Im pretty sure you cant run AFR 185s on a stock block because of a little Piston to valve clearance issues

 

[chrismillion]

ok then 165 then, anymore?

 

[SuperDust22]

I think you can run the AFR 185s. I think you have to get a flycut pistons. The AFR 185 swill run better with the blower. Killer or someone will know more about this than me.

Dustin

 

[yellow5.0cobra]

2.02 valves are not a problem.

I had a set of holley heads with 2.02 intake 1.90 exhaust and it was more than enough, even with a .544 lift cam!!!

 

[SlowGT]

You can check out the links in my sig to see what choice I made

 

[mackey]

I would recommend getting a DSS Block. If you are spending so much money on the car already. What is a decent block going to set you back. I would just do it incase so nothing goes wrong and destroys your new parts. If you do end up cracking the block you are going to be wishing you did by a new short block. DSS 331 would be a good choice.

 

[mstangfrk95GTS!]

all i can say is a 185k miles shortblock plus a blower is a ticking bomb waiting to happen.

you can just do a summit rebuild for pretty cheap.

 

[SlowGT]

What makes a DSS block better than anybody else's? They're just using factory Ford blocks. It doesn't sound like he's looking to spring for an R or Dart or WP block.

 

[95WhiteVenom]

It ain't your normal block check the info. on the level 10 and level 20 race prepped blocks. Dart and "R" block are too expensive for what they are (even thought they are great blocks). The D.S.S. block is very reliable. Just look at Rick Anderson's red coupe from AFM its in the latest 5.0mag and he has put everything in gods name on there at one time or another. It once has a vortech with the vortech mondo box intake. Now its sporting 250 shot of the giggle gas via NOS direct port kit.

 

[SlowGT]

Best I can tell, they're still using production blocks. Yeah, they're doing a lot of fancy machine work to it, but I fail to see how that does anything for the strength of the material. Possibly makes it more efficient, as they advertise. Here's there sheet for Level 10/20 machine work. At best, maybe all that machine work on the 20 provides for less stress on the block. I'd be wiling to bet that a filled & girdled stock block would handle just as much power. Might not be efficient as their claims, but it would still get the job done. I haven't compared any prices, so maybe buying their block all ready to go is worth the $$ over tearing down a stock block and hauling it back & forth to a local machine shop. Plus, they've probably got these blocks on standby, packaged and ready to ship.

Well, in the time it's taken me to read all of DSS's pages and write this, I've come to the conclusion that I would probably consider purchasing their block for a street buildup...Except a very good friend of mine has his own machine/engine/performance ship, so I'll probably stick with him until it comes time to step up to a Dart or other high end block