I have the original 302 engine and I havou think?e a 351W engine also. Would swapping heads, putting the 351 heads on the 302 make a diff? I had the original 302 heads mildly ported. Or would it be better to go with the 302 heads. I was going to put flat top pistons and a mild cam along with a alum intake w/4bbl carb and headers. I heard the 351w heads were better. what do you think?

 

just in case you didn't know i believe you need a manifold designed for this swap. the 351w heads are a little taller than the 289/302 heads so if you use a regular 302 manifold it won't work. as far as better performance i am not sure. but if you put the bigger intake and exhuast valves in the 302 heads they will work wonderfully for the hop up you want to do.

 

I would agree that swapping parts from one block to another can end up giving you more hassle than you need. The deck height is different. Boring and stroking the 302 will give you more HP with a lighter block if you can spare the expense. Plus it fits under the hood of more cars more easily. Or you can get away with the slight increase in performance by dropping weight (adding an aluminum intake instead). Always remember bigger exhaust valves means the engine breathes better. Also you could switch to a bigger carb like a 4100 4-barrel. You may want to couple that with adding a main cap girdle (unless you have a Boss 302 with 4-bolt mains caps). Don't do the flat top pistons unless the valves clear or you'll have a disaster. A mild cam sounds good. Go with something that has a little better range than stock.