Buying Short Block

IMO, I don't think the combo to bad. The 302 heads are for certain a closed chambered head. While I think they can certainly benefit from a set of larger valves and porting. The overall comp ratio should be OK with a .028 thick gasket.

Reading the chamber cc of the OP's head, and the possible depth of the cylinders, perhaps milling the head before installation (?) as an easy fix for the combo. A set of Rhoades lifters could also be a soulution.

The slugs deck height is a unknown. And a problem to this mathematical equation.

I also like to yield @ [email protected] for a low compression 318.