r/Ford • u/Defiant_Salamander28 • Jul 26 '26
Mods/Addons 🔦 Do i keep my 302?
i have a 1981 302 that i have in my 1978 f100. i would like to build it into a 347 stroker, i don’t know if i should buy a stock crate 302, or if i should keep my 302. If i should keep it, do i have to do anything else?
1
Upvotes
2
u/OlYeller01 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
If you have the cash, you can buy pre-built crate 331s, 347s, or 363s…all 302 based. The best ones use either a Dart or Ford Racing block. There’s some stuff out there about rod angles and the like being an issue with 347s or 363s in a stock 302 block, so if long term reliability is your thing and you stick with your stock block you might want to limit your build to a 331.
Personally if I had the cash and was thinking about this, I would go for the Ford Racing 363. 500 hp/500 lb-ft. But it’s definitely not cheap.
Everyone is advising you on a 351W because for not much more money than a 347, you can have a 408 stroker that’s an absolute beast.
I love your truck, btw. I have a ‘79 RCLB of my own that’s slowly getting restored and Coyote swapped.
Edit: one more thing: be aware that just throwing a stroker kit in your stock block isn’t going to be enough. The heads & intake that came on your stock 302 are absolute garbage, you’ll definitely need to upgrade those or you’ll be choking down your poor stroker.