302 heads

Just to make it clear, I'm not bashing the 302 heads. I think they're a good option for mild to moderate 318's. They're a great way to raise compression on a 318 with the earlier open chamber heads, and that will definitely help power. If you have a good bottom end they can be a nice little upgrade without doing a ton of work.

All I'm saying is you can't compare the 302 head flow numbers to 340/360 head flow numbers. And like ANY stock head, if you're planning on a lot of machine work- bigger valves, porting etc it's worth taking a long hard look at all the aftermarket heads on the market now. Because unless you do the head work yourself you'll end up paying as much as it would cost to buy a set of EQ's or similar.

The other thing is that a set of stock magnum heads would work better than the stock 302's if you're willing to change over to oil through lifters and pushrods and other magnum gear (intake, valve covers, rocker gear, etc). Not as easy as a 302 swap on an LA engine because of the magnum gear, but better compression, flow, bigger valves.