building a 302

[deve]

hi im building a 302 to put into my 1989 f150. im hoping a 350-400 hp build i do a lot of street racing. i plan on pushing 6500rpms this is my plan so far bored 0.030 performer rpm cam and valve train hooker long tube headers Racing head service 180cc intake runner Keith black pistons +6.50cc performer rpm intake im not sure if i need to buy connecting rods and a 650 carb im building this motor on a small budget i have the block work done. header i had before tear down i have the cam and lifters. has anybody used the rhs heads before? and if a connecting rod on summit says advertised at 6000rpms would it be safe to use them for 6500rpms

[Country705]

90% of your replies are going to say you got the wrong engine for that kind of hp in a f150. as sure as the sun will rise in the morning someone will say to get a 351w. I heard somewhere that gettin a high horsepowered 302 that it lives on borrowed time due to some kind of structurial flaw. However for the specifics just wait for consaki to respond he knows alot about these trucks and the engines.

[Conanski]

Originally Posted by deve

hi im building a 302 to put into my 1989 f150. im hoping a 350-400 hp build i do a lot of street racing.

I hope that's not the unsanctioned racing on public roads we keep hearing about in the news where somebody loses control and kills themselves or some innocent bystander. There's nothing wrong with racing but keep it off the streets.

As for the engine.. if you want it to be reliable get H beam rods and forged pistons and have the whole works balanced because sooner or later you're gonna add a nitros kit... it's just way too easy.

[lew52]

X 2 on the rods & pistons . The 302 makes a good drag racing motor as long as its in a light truck , rear gears like 410-456 . If you race it on the street i hope you do it in a safe place..... Lew

[hotrod60f100]

If you are going to buy new rods and pistons and get it balanced stroke it to 347 they go heaps harder and it will be easier to make the horsepower that you want.

[deve]

i have a 3/4 mile strait road by my house that no one drives on thats way i do alot of my racing. I don't ever plan on using nos i see nos as putting a ticking time bomb under the hood. With the performer rpm cam how big of a stall converter will i need. a set of H rods are like $400 at least, could i use these and be fine? http://www.summitracing.com/search/M...?Ns=Price|Desc

[lew52]

If your not going to use nitrous or supercharger you won't need forged pistons . The stock rods should be ok with apr bolt kit , thats up to you, i have stock rods & shift my 302 at 6000 rpm with no problems . The converter depends on where you start making your power ??? I like to drive it first then decide on the converter... What trany are you useing ??? Lew

[deve]

well i plan on going 6500rpms and i want a little extra insurance. AOD with 3.55 rear gears that i plan on putting a 4:10 gears in

[deve]

what does Extra-thick deck faces mean?

[fordeverpower]

rods, just buy a set of eagle or scat 5.09 i beams, they lighter, very strong and use 3/8 rod bolts instead of 5/16. And i love the value of rhs heads.

[deve]

what is the difference in wrist pin style press-fit or floating the piston im looking at says you can use either style. I plan on buying the rhs heads bare and i don't know what length of valve to buy and i cant find the information anywhere

[Mustang6147]

It sounds like you are all over the place on your planning... If you have Keith Black Pistons, then go with good rods... Eagle, with ARP bolts are fine and affordable. Bolster the block. There is a valley girdle that would be a wise investment. 302 tend to crack front to back between the lifters, and under the water jackets. Are you stroking it? SFI balancer or flexplate?? tranny sheild?? Drive shaft loop??

Your cam and your TQ converter need to be matched. Buy the cam, ask the cam MFG. what converter they recomend, unless you have a coverter builder locally. You can simply give him your cam card, tell him about the engine, tranny teeth on flywheel if applicable. Weight of the vehicle, and anything else he asks.

Just because you have big flowing heads, or large runners, you have to fill them with planty of fuel, (Atomization) I would simply start by building a solid rotating assembly, then match the heads and intake to that. If you build an engine, with only 9.5 or 10 to 1 compression. The cam, and runners may need to be matched, go to big, the thing will fall on its face.

With a 302, you will need to turn it pretty fast, to make up for small cubes. 6500's shouldnt be a problem, I would think more like 7200 rpm''s is what you should shoot for...

PS, if you are around here, and only have 350 or 400 HP. ????

[fordeverpower]

Originally Posted by deve

what is the difference in wrist pin style press-fit or floating the piston im looking at says you can use either style. I plan on buying the rhs heads bare and i don't know what length of valve to buy and i cant find the information anywhere

The difference is the rod, the valves are sbc size.

[doug1222556]

I believe you'll find that the RHS heads use SBC valves that are +.100" longer than stock.
Extra thick deck faces means the surface of the head that bolts to the block is cast thicker than stock. This helps stabilize the head in high compression conditions like boost or nitrous. It also provides extra material so you can mill them down to increase the compression ratio.( I think this is the reason they use .100" longer valves, so if you mill the crap out of them you can use standard length, but IDK 4 sure).
The Eddy performer RPM is right on the edge being the biggest cam you can run with a stock stall converter, IIRC. You may want to run a slightly higher stall such as a Street Fighter.

[fordeverpower]

the .100 longer allows for bigger cams like .600 lift and have the proper seat and spring pressure.