Boss or stroker 302

I took my car to a local shop today to see if i can get new mounts for my engine..well we talked and they tore my engine down some and found out that i need to heads,rockers,cam,pistons, water pump,maybe a block, so i was pricing everything and i dont want to go to a 351w becuse its hard enogh trying to work on my 302w...and i want to know what is a boss 302 exactly? how do i make my 302 to a boss 302 or is a stroker 302 better?

 

boss looks impressive! cool too! but perosnally not very streetable, i think the ports are way to big unless your road racing the sucker.. i mean thats what they made that thing for. you putting a stick behind it too? i mean anything you can drive on the street but.... a 347.. cheaper in the long run i think! just my 2cents.

 

no i want to keep a 302 under the hood but i want a good one not just a plane one with a cam and polished heads and all that crap i want a name like the boss 302 or a stroker 302 and i want to know what kinda parts i might need to make one, my car is going to be street/strip..and want a good engine

 

The 347 is a stroked 302 and is a very nice engine.... Go for either the 347 or the 331 - both stroked 302s.... You can get a crate engine or a kit to put in your own block. It sounds like you may just want to go with the crate engine if your block is questionable....
-Corbin

 

why not just keep the stock-stroke of the 302? A blower or turbo would easily make just as much power as a mild 351w. Just guessing, but my old turbo 302 made around 600 HP max, but I normally had it toned down via wastegate. Just don't expect a 302 block to last long at that kind of power level.

 

well i was just thinking on getting a crate engine but how much do they cost i got an edelbrock mag the other day and locking in there becuse edelbrock is a household name in my family for all of our car's,so i want to stick with edelbrock but i was just watching horsepower tv..and they were puting on blowers and super chargers on ther chev i think but that souns pretty good puting a supercharger on a 302? but still dont know and i need to do somthing with in my budget..

 

So....


what's your budget?

 

thats my main problem right now i am going to start setting aside some money every pay check but most of it is going in to finding me a transmission a 5 speed but i was told to get the engine i want first...

 

aside from the fact that finding and affording the different block, forged crank, shorter rods and matching pistons to go with the hard to find heads would be tricky, the motor has no power under 6, 000 rpm. with valves that big (2.19 intake and 1.76 exhaust) all the power starts to come in about 5500 even with just the factory cam. then you need to try to fit a 1 7/8 to 2 inch set of headers into a maverick engine bay. i did it years ago in a '65 mustang which has the same engine compartment as a maverick. not fun, and fairly costly even when doing most of the fabrication myself. try a stroker 302, or if you really want to fry the tires try a stroked 351W. more affordable and easier to fit.

 

I am going to stick with a 302 but dont know what kind yet: EFI, Carborated. There is just a lot of stuff i can do for a 302. I know i want a 5 speed tran manual. I think i am going to stick with carborated add in some high proformance cam and heads and manifold and all that stuff to do with it..

 

I've allways thought a nice engine setup would be a stroked 351Cleavland... i don't know how well it would fit into the engine bay with out having to modify things a whole lot.
But lets remember having 500hp doesn't allways make you go faster, traction is a huge obstical to over come befor you can harness the power. With out the proper suspession and chassi mods all that power goes up in smoke litterally.

A friend of mine built a 331stroker awhile ago, the thing revs from like 2 grand quickly right up to 9, with out any midrange torque, has tons of hp on the top end though....but with out the mid range it wouldn't be good as a daily driver.

 

ok, so you've decided on a 302, if your not in a hurry you can build it as money allows, you can even build your motor, crate motors can be expensive 2000 upto 10000. all at once, you build it you can do things as money allows, for the 5spd if you have alot of power you'll have to go with a beefy 5spd, moderate power you could go for the earlier mustang gt's tranny's andwhile your at it if you could find a doner stang you could get the efi and so forth...the blessing of the 302 is alot of aftermarket parts at a resonible price vs. the 351w(ok its not that more expensive) they offer alot more for the302... and if you happen to find a boss 302 in good shape... stroke it out... it would be a strokin' boss. the point is take a step back, figure the pros and cons(crate motor or building your own) figure how much cash and start from there.

 

for a crate engine all i would have to do is change the cam and pistons for it to be a stroker?
I am looking for a place that can do all this for me

 

a stroker usually means it has been bored and stroked. cylinder boring is done before assembly at a machine shop. the block is specifically bored to fit your chosen pistons. stroking means the crank stroke is increased, which means you need shorter rods, different height pistons, or both to fit properly. this is usually all done as a package since bore and compression height of the pistons must work with the stroke of the crank. crank, rods, pistons & block must all be compatible with each other.

 

Experience

Take this for what it's worth... the boss motor is not the way to go!
Corbin has it right!

You can by a crate 347 already setup, long block or short block with the heads. Go find a magzine call Race Pages (local speed shop and it's free) this is a NMRA magzine and is full of ads of places that build complete 347 stroker motors or you could just do a search on the web

This is the voice of experience talking.
If you want a car for show then the bogus boss is the way to go, but don't pull up beside a honda and think you'll all that and a bag of chips because your about to get your doors welded shut.

On the other hand a sweet little 347 with the right gear ratio and tranny with stall will show the riceboys that a muscle car is still a force to be reckoned with.
As always just my 02 but I'm right on this one.

Terry Gates
AKA Bossmav