Australian Ford 302 Cleveland V8

[dinosoar]

I have a an Aussie Cleveland 302 engine and toploader gearbox sitting in my workshop that will require a rebuildbefore use in my next cobra project.

My queation is what is the best course of action;
Rebuild as is with a good cam, dizzy, inlet and carb etc?
Or go up to 351cu by sourcing crank and rods?
Or go for a stroker kit up to 383cu which comes with a crank.

I think Myles may be the man with some good info.
Aussie 302 clevelands are a destroked 351 so the bore is the same.
The Aussie 2v heads are quite good I believe.
So does anyone have experience of this?

[adricar2]

the 302 c is a good engine , but all c,s when rebored over 30 thou seem to be thin on the cylinder walls. by stroking the 302 to 383 this will put more stress on the block , and enevitably may fail , depends on your final build bhp etc.
if your after more torque then the 351c will produce more than a 302.
i have rods cranks etc for 351c if you have not found any if this is the route that you want to go

[miller]

Hi
I bought what I thought was a 351c but turned out to be a 302 with open chamber heads. I then went and bought a 351 crank, rods etc. At the time if I had known about the stroker kits I would have went for one then. Apparently the 393 gives 30% more torque than the 351. As it stands I'm going to use my current engine but prob build another with a 393 stroker and either afd or chi heads. So if I was in your shoes I'd stroke it and +030". Prob go roller cam with a weiand accelerator and fms roller rockers, standard oil pump. With the extra cubes prob a 700 cfm carb. You will need to match the parts to suit your desired power band. The 2v aussies are the best for street use unless you go for the alloy aftermarket heads.
Remember that too much power is just right!!

[dinosoar]

Thank you both for that info.
I have read that the aussie blocks have a bit more meat to them and are therefore more suited to skroker kits.
Does anybody out there run a 302c?

[adricar2]

i think that the aussie blocks are stronger is a myth, i run a 351c with boss 302c heads high port conversions and flow 320cfm at 550 thou lift. the best block to stroke would be a 351w as the block is much stronger.i investigated stroking the 351c and was advised against it , and told to get a windsor. however the c heads are much better than the w heads. after all its all about money. the only problem i have with a stroked 351 c is the availability of the blocks should it self destuct.
the 302c supercharged is a very stout engine and more suited than the 351c.

[mylesdw]

Sorry, don't know too much about Ford engines. I believe they do make some that might be suitable for a Cobra if a Chevy is unavailable.

Seriously though, in terms of value for money, stroking is definitely the way to go, you get an increase in torque from tickover to max, no other tuning technique apart from perhaps supercharging can give you this. In your case the 351 conversion would be the best value because it uses all standard parts.

[miller]

Some of the aussie blocks had increased wall thickness but they are supposedly quite rare. They also did suffer from core shifting but I think that you would have to be fairly unlucky to end up with a dodgy block. As for fitting a 351 crank rods etc its not much different in price to buy a fully balanced stroker kit from the states. Lots of advice on various cleveland forums. Just do a search for cleveland engine forums. Network54 has quite a good one.

[Purple AK]

Here you go.

http://www.fordaustraliaforums.com/forum/

http://www.network54.com/Forum/119419

http://www.mustangsandmore.com/ubb/Archives.html

Just a few to be going on with :thumb:

[dinosoar]

Thanks again for the info.
I had suspected that a fully balanced stroker would be the best option.
I am watching the exchange rate drop!!
Will investigate the forums and report back
Many thanks,
Andy

[dinosoar]

A friend has emailed this to me.
I’ve just lifted this text from a piece I found on an Aussie Cleveland site



“….we In Aust have been buildin Clevos for decades! They came out here in 1970 with the XW Falcon and finished in 1982 with the XE Falcon. A dinosour of a motor but still worth popular with ol skoolers. The Clevo 302/351 shares the same block, only the crank & rods are different. Apaerently in standard form, the 302 heads have slighlty more comp. The 2v heads, even in stock form are a good thing, 4v head ports are huge, and only come into thier own at high rpms & I think they only came with the GTHO Falcons & are quite expensive. The 'Aust' clevo has thicker cylinder walls and i think they can 'only' be stroked to about 383 cubes. Parts for the clevo are plentiful here. There is a 400 Clevo( taller block), but being in the US i guess you already know this & no they didnt come out in Aust)…..”





So the 302 and 351 share a common block – the 302 is a destroked 351. Manifolds and odds and sods for a 351C should suit a 302C.