Thread: I need to know some things about a 302

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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.