I want to make my 302 small block mechanicly sound but perform well too, what are some good ideas ??

 

Go to the forums list, click on the correct engine forum and check there. I'm sure you'll find many ideas and/or suggestions to help you.

 

Hi and Welcome to the site!

As it happens I'm the moderator of the engine forum for the 302 as well as this one.

The question you've asked is very wide open...you can do as much as your wallet (and common sense) will allow. First you need to come up with a budget, and then see what you have to work with. Some years of 302s were not too good for performance as they were a low-compression smog motor, Is yours the original engine in the truck, or was it swapped in or replaced? That will help to determine what you have. If you don't know, get under and look up above the starter with the a strong light to see the casting number and date code. You may need to remove the starter to read it clearly. With this info in hand, get back to us and we'll go from there.

They key to performance is making an engine breathe. You may want to do a head swap to either good-performing factory heads or aftermarket heads in either cast iron or aluminum. A cam change, manifold and carb swap, headers/exhaust and ignition upgrade are the most common basics and can really wake up your engine without totally draining your bank account...unless you go hog-wild and opt for the highest-dollar stuff you can find...

Feel free to ask any other questions that come to mind...we're here to help!