Is it possible to make 400hp out of 302 with just heads?

[70mustanguy]

I was talking to my Dad about the restoration of my 70 coupe and he mentions that he read a article from custom hot rods or modifield mustang or something(he doesnt remember what place he read the article from). That they took a bone stock 302, changed the heads and got 400hp out of it.
Im little weary if thats true and im looking for the article but cant seem to find it. So im wondering if anyone here with a bone stock 302 changed the heads and got 400hp without anything else done to the motor.

sorry in advance for any spelling or punctuation errors.

 

[gregski]

YOU'RE WELCOME, lol...

400 HP With A Stock Cam!
Totally Naturally Aspirated, And The Only Things We'll Change Are The Heads, Headers, And Rocker Arms
From the June, 2009 issue of Car Craft
By Matthew King

Ford 302 V8 Engine Buildup- Car Craft Magazine

 

[blown65]

Only thing is the hydraulic roller is going to give a fair gain over a older hyd flat tappet setup.

 

[D.Hearne]

The 302 they used was a late 80's to 95 HO 302 from a Mustang. The key here is the combination of the HO roller cam and the AFR185 heads they used. The intake and carb had a role here too. You can also get close to this by using a short block from a 94-97 pickup or van and also with the shortblock from a 96-2001 5.0 Explorer or Mountaineer. The cam in these applications has just a little less lift and duration on the intake side vs the HO roller.

 

[grainboy]

Actually they used AFR 165 heads. I just bolted a set of the same heads on my roller block, and though it does feel stronger, I doubt I am anywhere near 400 at the crank.

 

[htwheelz67]

it does make 400hp on the westec magic dyno.........

 

[phutch11]

Go over to sbf dot com and look up that article, apparently that dyno reads notoriously high.

That said, some Trick Flow heads and a custom cam should get you 400hp at the crank all day long.

Good luck...

 

[blown65]

Go over to sbf dot com and look up that article, apparently that dyno reads notoriously high.

That said, some Trick Flow heads and a custom cam should get you 400hp at the crank all day long.

Good luck...

prob 300 rpm sec pulls too. I've seen a few magazine articles with slow pulls that will help inflate hp numbers.

 

[gregski]

I doubt it too, 400 horse power is a lot. I want my daily driver 302 to be eventually 300 horse at the rear wheels, I don't give a crap about "estimated horse power" or gross horse power at the crank, the true test is where the rubber meets the road. And even to get to 300 hp I am looking at flat top pistons, some magical rings, an Edelbrock Performer like intake, four barrel carb of sorts, long tube headers, larger exhaust pipes, some fancy crank which I know nothing about yet, maybe some porting and polishing my 76 heads (which I hear are decent / better than the 5.0 heads of the 80's) or maybe putting on a GT 40 kit of sorts. Bottom line no single part can bump your horse power by that much without having to modify other things.

 

[htwheelz67]

I would think the said combo could make about 360 hp on a perfect day and perfectly tuned, the afr 165 heads and the stock cam and rest of the combo seems like a good match of parts to work together but I never believed the 400 hp result, that combo with say an xe274hr cam could make 400.

 

[D.Hearne]

I doubt it too, 400 horse power is a lot. Bottom line no single part can bump your horse power by that much without having to modify other things.

The heads CAN though. Maybe not to 400 hp, but the heads an a SBF can make the difference by a far larger margin than any other single part.

 

[Max Power]

I doubt it too, 400 horse power is a lot. I want my daily driver 302 to be eventually 300 horse at the rear wheels, I don't give a crap about "estimated horse power" or gross horse power at the crank, the true test is where the rubber meets the road. And even to get to 300 hp I am looking at flat top pistons, some magical rings, an Edelbrock Performer like intake, four barrel carb of sorts, long tube headers, larger exhaust pipes, some fancy crank which I know nothing about yet, maybe some porting and polishing my 76 heads (which I hear are decent / better than the 5.0 heads of the 80's) or maybe putting on a GT 40 kit of sorts. Bottom line no single part can bump your horse power by that much without having to modify other things.

I wouldn't waste a penny on those cast heads.

Yes, as stated, the 400hp is optimistic, but the dawn of aftermarket heads are when small block Fords started making real power.

 

[Hack]

The heads are only one part of the equation as some have said above. An engine is an air pump - if there are restrictions to the intake or exhaust it will limit how much air can get into the engine. The stock carb, intake, exhaust manifolds, mufflers, etc. will all limit you.