Thread: I need to know some things about a 302

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Since your budget is tight you might want to check out www.hotrodders.com classifieds there is a set of '66 289 Heads freshly surfaced with a fresh valve job,these will increase your compression and give you adjustable rockers all for $135.You need a cam and intake that will produce low and midrange torque check out this combo at www.summitracing.com put part# 09-0001 in search.This cam has increased duration in the exhaust which is a plus on SBF's for improved breathing.

I found a set of pro-comps on ebay for 650 bucks.

A buddy of mine told me to check out some tri y headers, are they any good?

Originally Posted by hudsonj94

I found a set of pro-comps on ebay for 650 bucks.

Haven't heard any good reports on these heads.... Only a suggestion, but price should not be your only criteria in selecting heads....

Tri-y's work good on Windsor's, there again depends on what you buy... A set of cheapies with too small of a tube and collector aren't going to perform well....

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Haven't heard any good reports on these heads.... Only a suggestion, but price should not be your only criteria in selecting heads....

Tri-y's work good on Windsor's, there again depends on what you buy... A set of cheapies with too small of a tube and collector aren't going to perform well....

The heads I was looking at had:

Combustion Chamber: 60cc
Intake Runner: 210cc
Intake Valve: 2.02"
Exhaust Valve: 1.60"
Closed Spring Pressure: 140 lbs. @ 1.800"
Open Spring Pressure: 370 lbs. @ 1.100"
Retainer Material: Steel
Valve Seal Material: Viton

I don't know much about heads tho,

what if I ran shorty headers with 1-5/8" Primary Tubes?

Well that '81 302 is essentially a turd and it will need alot of internal improvements to really be a good performer. Heads and a cam are a good start. And be careful, alot of 302s were mixed up with Ford greatest brainchild, the ever-so-cruddy 255ci. So be sure 100% that you DO NOT have a 255! Otherwise you might as well toss it in the trash.

The 255 was used in cars and such (just as the Thunderbird) from '80-'83 essentially a smaller bore 302 (3.68 vs. 4.00) and had a set of poorly designed heads and one-off open runner intake manifold with seperate metal valley pan attached to the bottom of the intake.

Also- if you play with post- '80 302s you need to beware of crankshaft balancing changes. Ford changed the balancing of the crank from internal to external in '80. So you need to make sure you can get the proper flywheel that will work with your trans/bellhousing setup or at least know where the stuff you got came from to know if it will work for your engine.

As far as the head department, are you against going aftermarket cast iron rather than aluminum? There are a few really good cast aftermarket heads out there that can be had for as low as $600-800 a pair.
A couple of examples would be RHS's Pro Action #35305-01 or World Products' Windsor Jr #053030-1 or Windsor Sr #053040-1. Other part numbers available for different combution chambers sizes as well as assembled or non assembled. All available via Summit Racing.

I considered the ProComp heads when I started putting my 331 together, but did some on line research and one comment that convinced me to not buy them was "the only thing they are good for is if you want to say you have aluminum heads on your car." I spent a few bucks extra and went with Edelbrock Performer RPM heads, and feel they were worth the extra.

I agree that a good set of iron heads in the price range you are talking about might be a better choice.

Don