318 power!
IF, and only if, you already had some 302 heads
I did and threw them away.
that were done and ready to rock or found some at bargain basement prices
They were free to me.
and the rest of your build was budget oriented and designed around them,
I would never do that.
then sure, i'd run them with the caveats that:
That’s you!
I rarely… what a bummer…. Even so, on a driver, absolutely an everyday car like any other car on the road today, the 302 head would not make it on top of my engine. If it does yours, OK fine, whatever, IDGAF. Your car your way.
b. i'm not expecting world beating power
Who would?!
and III. i didn't have another option that was basically free.
Great! IMO, free door stops. But if they work for you, then by all means, rock’em!
there's just so many other options that are objectively better that require basically zero specialist work and have the potential to make gobs more power.
I don’t really get that paragraph. But….
OK-whatever, my post was to Dan. Not you. You do you and whatever floats your boat. I’ll not **** on it. Basically, IDGAF what you do with your money, how you build your engine/car. Your car your way, again, IDGAF. It’s all good.
Why you read me a minor riot act is beyond me when I’m speaking to Dan & giving him MY F’n opinion is beyond me. But that’s OK as well. You go have a great ******* day and enjoy it to its maximum potential.
302 is a great head. And with bigger valves can make serious power.
Not sure why anybody is poo- pooing them, they have more potential than x or J heads.
“Chrysler's small-block cylinder head design changed very little until 1987 when the 302 casting (last three digits of the casting number), commonly known as the swirl port, was introduced. While the 302 casting, as well as the later 308 casting, were most commonly found on low-performance 318s, they shouldn't be overlooked for a performance build. Even with small 1.75-inch intake and 1.50-inch exhaust valves, the design of this head's heart-shaped quench-style combustion chamber makes it a good choice for mild to moderate performance. An engine with these heads in stock form will outperform an engine with stock X or J castings simply due to the improved combustion chamber design. Additionally, these heads have hardened valve seats, which make them compatible with unleaded fuel. The swirl port heads were utilized through 1991 (302 casting) and 1992 (308 casting) and respond well to port and bowl work, offering better power potential than all of the earlier small-block heads. Another nice feature of these heads is they utilize valvetrain and intake manifolds common to early small-blocks, so parts are readily available. Simply bolt these heads to your small-block and enjoy the extra power they provide”
Now since you said that…. How much to rebuild them, then port them? Remember, most are laying to have that done. Is it worth it over a Edelbrock head? I don’t think so. But I’m not pooping on the 302/308, I’d rather have the 308. I just see an easier path with an aluminum head for performance at a reasonable price next to rebuilding a stock head and then porting them.
If you want to run them, that’s OK and fine.
If you’re not porting them, building just a driver, same thing, OK fine. I’m d just start with a better head myself. To each their own. I just don’t see porting a 302 head to out flow a X/J, etc. worth it at all. The same work I to a letter head yields far superior results.