Quote Originally Posted by Seminole_Wind
Ohh yeah and matt i never said anything about him putting nitrous on it in the 60's bub. Go to youtube and type in 283 drag theres a 283 with 250 shot of nitrous running 10.40.
Yes, as everyone on here has told you, you can do it. I didn't look at the 283 you refer to, but chances are it's running an aftermarket steel crank, aftermarket 4-bolt main caps, aftermarket rods and the block is filled to the top with 'crete, negating the water jackets. So, it's not able to be operated on the street. I further suspect that he has to pull the pan often to change out the bearings.

It's simply a matter of moving air through the motor. The more air you move, the more horsepower you make. For instance, a 400 small block spinning 6,000 r's will move an ideal 699 CFM using an efficiency figure of 100%. A 302 will have to be revved to 8,000 r's to move the same amount of air. A 350 would move the same amount of air at 6,900 r's.

As you buzz the smaller motor faster to move the same amount of air as a larger motor, the requirements change in respect to the camshaft, cylinder heads and static compression ratio, moving further and further away from streetability. Any cam you bolt into a motor will have an operating range of about 3,500 r's. In other words, it will make power from 1,000 to 4,500 or 2,000 to 5,500 or 3,000 to 6,500 or in the case of a 302, to make the same power as a 400, 4,500 to 8,000 r's. So, the motor will not pull the hat off your head at revs lower than 4,500. Doesn't sound much like a street motor does it? This is way past a hydraulics camshaft's capability, so a solid or roller mechanical cam will have to be used. Here's an example of the cam I might choose in such a motor.....
http://www.cranecams.com/?show=brows...tType=camshaft
Please read the characteristics of this cam in the upper right corner of the spec sheet. You'll need race gas to operate it at minimum 12.5:1 static compression ratio. And check out the valve lift. Do you think you'll be changing out valve springs often?

Now, with all that having been said, yes you can build a nice 302 that will rev to less than the example and be streetable. Just be aware that you can make more power for less money with a larger motor to start with.