well i need some advice because i have a 62 ford f100 and it had a 302 in it from a mustang and make a long story short i need a new engine and the problem is, i dont know what to put in it and whatever i decide to put in i want it to be high performance and i need to spend less than 4000... so here is the deal i still have my 302 block and i was thinking about getting it vatted and bored over 30 and put the edelbrock RPM performer package in (edelbrock aluminum heads, cam, intake, carb.,) but the thing is.. is that my truck is a little heavy. but im not sure how well it would do? because i had a stock 302 in it before and it did pretty fine but not good enough..... but if i got a big block i would need to change my engine mounts and transmissionand that would be a real hassle. but the main reason i need this truck a fast as possable is because i need to be able to beat the **** out of a 67 el caminio with a 350 and extra performance parts (a little bet) ... and i know a 302 can kick a 350's *** with the right parts but.. im not sure about in my truck?.. so if anyone has and suggestions i would like to hear them

 

351W with the aluminum heads and similar build-up you had in mind for the 302 would do you just fine! The extra torque of the 351W along with the bolt in reinstall is just right. Mounts and trans are straight bolt ins. Check your balance as you did not say what year 302 you had. 80 and prior 302s have the 351W 28 oz. balance but 81 and later 302s have 50oz. Flywheel swap will handle that. Exhaust will be close and might work off your 302 depending on what you have, same goes for front accesory drives. Some mods may allow you to use the 302 stuff on the 351W. Distrbutor is different on a 351W and 302, oil pans are different too. A 351W is a little taller, wider and heavier than a 302 but in a truck that won't pose any problems.
Now go kick some chevy butt!

 

In my opinion, I would get a 351 windsor because there are lots of aftermarket parts available for them. It seems like the best choice for a 1/2 ton pickup, because it can be built up well to have lots of torque and horsepower.

 

I had to agree on the 351w it has so much more potential than a 302, partly because alot of the 302 performance parts are direct bolt ons for a 351w.

 

I would also agree that a 351 windsor would be the best bet, BUT, if your looking at srtictly using your 302 block than you better look real hard at parts that will last forever as well as being affordable. Four grand isn't a huge amount to spend on a performance build so look more at using what you can from your block. Depending on which year it is, you might just want to stick with the stock pistons, they can take a fair amount of power. If your block is worn out, than go with the overbore, its not really worth it otherwise, but while you have it apart, put new rings in. For torque, you might want to take the route of a stroker crank, for example, oft times you'll see cranks for a 347 stroker which gives you more torque, closer to that of a windsor. CLEVITE 77 TRIMETAL BEARINGS!!! These are VERY important for any powerplant. A new camshaft and lifter kit would also help considerably, and if you have an automatic, be sure to get the right cam because they make different ones for autos and manuals. ARP hardware is a good call also. If you are a close friend of a machinist, you might want to try to get him to plane the heads for a case of beer or something. but for every .010 that you take off from the face that mates with the block, .0123 must be removed from the intake manifold seating on the heads. If you can afford them, GT-40 heads are amazing and flow like crazy and are well matched with an edelbrock intake. These are just a few suggestions but there are more out there for more torque like headers, more cam, lighten the pistons and rods, and porting and polishing the heads.

 

So far good advice. But I'd take the 351 over a 347 build up. I've heard a lot of people complain about stroked 302s. Start with more stroke, start with more torque.