At this point I am only dreaming, but have a couple questions. If I had a non roller 351short block stroked to 408 with forged crank, rods, and pistons, what would, or would not be reusable from my 302.' I imagine the cam and lifters, pushrods would be need to be replaced but my Edellbrock heads should fit with a little difference in the header angle cause of the higher deck height, water pump, and intake along with the bell housing, drive shaft, flex plate will be reusable??? Like I said IM only dreaming at this point but if anyone knows what fits and what does not would be very helpful. I know I would need to box some frame, at the very least ,but rite now I'm just thinking about what could be used off the 302 and C4. If I could use enough off the 302 this may be a possible project in the not to t future. I realize there are so many variables with a build that's why I'm keeping it simple at this point. When I stop thinking about stuff like this, please bury me b4 I stink up the place. Thanks and Rock On , the new music just don't do it for me.

 

I don't think any internals can be used .
302 intake can't be used on 351
Water pump , flex plate , heads , timing cover , distributor can be used .
Trans is the same 302 or 351 so no problems there
Your exhaust might need some tweaking as it will be slightly higher and wider .

 

Hey Jimmy,
You can go with an Edelbrock Top End Kit for your current 302 & get 321HP.
That would be a fun upgrade.....I've got the 400HP Edelbrock Top End kit in our 351W
not real sure you'd feel much difference between a mild cam 302 & 351W.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/e...saAv50EALw_wcB

Never hurts to dream over there Jimmy. (The kit above is for a non roller 302 - $1,500. This engine performance stuff can get expensive).

Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

There would be quite a difference between a 302 and a 408 power wise . Everyone so far is mostly correct except for distributor ( longer on 351 ) and flex plate ( different balance ) oil pan will not fit and accessory brackets . In reality very little will fit . If you are sourcing a complete engine you should get alot of it . I would think if you have a good 302 you would be best to sell it complete and start from scratch . That being said if a reasonable increase in power is what you're after a stoker kit for the 302 would be by far easier and cheaper if you already have a 302 installed . I have gone the roller 408 route and found that most pieces are specific to 351 .

 

I contemplated something similar when I was researching rebuilding my 302 block ( .040 over) to stroke it to 331 if bore measurements were in tolerance.
I found that with machining costs, rotating assembly and good flowing heads would put my cost higher than what I could purchase a built 331 with 381 HP.
What concerned me was the rod -ratio of stroked engines. Longer stroke means higher stroke angle which in turn leads to increased skirt and ring wear. Ideally the rod ratio should be kept around 1.7 to 1.8 for the longevity of the engine but of course all of us gear heads want that extra horse.
In any case whether a 302/331 or 351/408 stroked engine , the rotating assemble will all change and as mentioned above some parts are interchangeable.
Here's a link to some statistics that may help in your decision. Notice that on the 408 engine your rod ration is around 1.53.
Stroker Motors Basics and Theory - FordMuscle
Good luck on your decision.

 

Heah Guys, Thanks for chiming in with all the good information.. I love my 302 the way it sits, the reason for the research is that it has been bored 60 over which I didn't know until I changed the heads last year.. 60 over is a lot to say the least,. so I'm trying to be prepared with what would fit off my 302 if I were to end up in the market for a short block. I got caught up web surfing last night, drooling over the possibilities of what can be done with a 351 vs a 302 . I have calmed down a little bit now, but I still want to learn all that I can on the subject, not knowing the quality and care taken when my 302 was rebuilt a couple owners back..Hopefully it will out live me but ya never really know without tearing it all apart which I have no desire to do. OK now that you know the story, I am still interested in learning, and very much appreciate every ones input as always." ROCKIN ON" the best I can.

 

A 302 is probably a more capable an engine than most per ci . Nobody EVER touted the capabilities of a 305 chevy . A replacement block to use you existing hardware would be the cheapest .

 

Hi Ben, I already have the Edelbrock kit on my 68 302.. It was bought separately but its the Performer heads, Performer intake, Performer cam & lifters 600 carb.,timing chain etc. made for low end torque I think up to 5k rpm. That's what I was hoping I could transfer to a 351 block. Its not a rocket but good for my stock suspension. $1500 sounds cheap, I paid more than that for the heads.

 

EBEAR You are probably a lot closer to reality than the fantasies floating around in my head. Ill post the link to what got me all in dream land if you guys promiss not to laugh to hard, of course I was going to add the forged crank, wy not since IM in dream land but hear it is. https://treperformance.com/i-1706566...ort-block.html OK Are you all through laughing? Now for your input , let me have it, please

 

I can completely understand and I DID go down the rabbit hole and is is very expensive ( roller cam much more so ) although you do have some of the more costly parts ( heads and valve train ) a stroker kit here was really only marginally more than a rebore -rebuild + getting new crank and rods and 50 ci it was easy to talk myself into .

 

It's always fun to dream. Realistically though, the only thing that would be directly transferable would be your heads. The C4 would likely need to be totally gone through and beefed up for the additional hp and torque of the stroker. All of the bottom end parts would be unique. Your camshaft and related parts you would want to match the new cu. in. vs the 302. Same with an intake and carb. But while you're dreaming, lets take this the rest of the way and go EFI. Funny how fast we can spend 10K of other people's money. LOL

 

I'm still laughing at Wayne's last post, I think my bubble just got popped, but it was fun while it lasted. Like every FTE thread, this one has been an education, which is what I was looking for, no information is ever wasted. I'm sure I'm not the only member that is interested in the information that has been discussed so far. I have learned a lot, including that with my budget and situation a fresh, or fresher 302 block would be the way to go when the time comes, and go from there. Thanks to everyone who has contributed there input. Rock On And if anyone else still has any questions on the subject go for it and ask away, just because I have had my questions answered doesn't mean the thread needs to end.