Ok, just a quick question. Why is it that many people tend to jump from a 302 to a 400 when it comes to 70's trucks? I've read over and over how the 400 will make much more torque and power but I do have a story to trust the 302 in a 70's truck. A friend of mine had a 72 short bed back in the early 90's and it had a 302 in it. The truck ran on 295/50/15 tires and aluminum wheels. It had a c4. Anyway, this truck could out run even 5.0 mustangs with no problems. That thing could chirp the 12 inch tires in all 3 gears. And believe it or not it only had a 2 barrel carb. I can attest to how quick and powerful the truck was since I actually got to race with him once. That time we raced a 65 short bed as well with a 360 set up with a hollye and the hole works. The 65 was indeed a beautiful truck but just could not hang with my friend's truck. Unfortunately one day the oil pump gave up and seized the engine. He then got it repaired and brought it back to life. I actually got to ask the mechanic why that truck was so strong compared to others with similar or bigger engines and all he said was that it was one of few that was actually well matched in parts from the factory and my friend was the proud owner of an amazing engine. That is the very reason I have learned to respect the 302's.................

What do you guys think..........

 

Go with the 400 if you want 8mpg. Personally I like the 302. I stroked my 302 to 347 and it is dyno rated at 380 h.p. with 420 ft lbs of torque at 2000 rpm. Plus there is just a ton of performance parts and replacement parts available for the 302, thanks to the Mustang.

 

Let me correct the above statement. It is rated at 420 ft lbs of torque at 2,000, and a maximum of 380 hp, which is higher up the rpm scale.

 

The mechanic is right. Mass produced products can vary wildly in quality and performance, no sector more clearly demonstrates this than the domestic auto manufacturing. Not only did your friend have a motor that was very happy with itself, but it was paired up with a solid transmission and the correct gear ratio for the weight of the vehicle. To get all 3 of these is indeed a rare stroke of luck, but I'll bet there were some tuner parts on this rig as well.

 

Most things being equal, low end tourqe (below 2500 rpm) is a function of cubic inches. A 302 can be built into a strong performer, as you point out. Nonetheless, in a heavy weight truck, such as a 3/4 ton, with 4x4, a 400 with it's 100 extra cubes, would make a better starting point.

In terms of tourqe and HP output potential per cubic inch, the 302 isn't matched by many. 370 HP and 380 ft-lb's of tourqe is readily obtainable with the right combonation of parts, but it will be shifted higher up the RPM scale. In that case you need to run lower gears in a heavy vehicle.

Gears, either in the tranny, or in the differentials, make a big difference. If the gearing is right for the power band of the engine, then even a relatively small motor, with a mild combonation, can be surprizingly stout.

 

Well said elder P51D Mustang....not to mention the weight savings of the 302, combined with surprisingly stout motor.

 

how bout using a 429 ?

 

No tuner parts in the engine itself. The only thing he had was a shift kit in the tranny. Everything was stock up until the lockup where the engine was bored 30 over and that was it. As I mentioned before it even had a 2 barrel carb (very good mileage, don't remember the numbers but it was WAY better than my dad's '78 with a 351m). Don't know about the rear except it would burn both tires at the same time and I got to witness that many times. It still amazes me it could do that to those huge 12 inch wide tires. Beautiful truck especially since I got to paint it LOL...........