So, I'm at another x-road in my project. I'm wondering, should I go for higher revving, or higher compresssion?

After seeing what happened to my cousin's black Stang (it went boom), I've decided that no matter what I do, I'm doing it right, no half-assed shit. Forged everything, hardened pushrods, aftermarket lifters, rockers, the works. So whatever the case, the motor will be bulit to ride.

What I'm undecided on is what is overall better, a low-revving, high compression engine, or a lower compression, higher revving engine? I'll be using a 302, so I know its capable of both, and I've heard mixed opinions on both, so I'm confused on which is overall better.

I'll be mating it to a C-4 trannie, using somewhere between 3.73 and 4.10 gears, and there will definatly be a healthy spray on it for emergencies. It'll mostly be a track car, but I might want to take it out on the occassional Saturday night to make some trouble - 1/4 mile is more important than top end, although I know its wishful thinking but I'd liek to somehow have a top end of near 130.

Any help is appriciated, thanks.

 

Build a high compression, high revving engine. Problem solved.

 

+1

why can't it be both?

 

I see, so build a beast of an engine with high compression pistons/heads/cam, and build it and rev the piss out of it? I didn't think you could have the best of both worlds that easily. Aside from making sure everything is forged/hardened and making sure I have stiff ass valve springs, is there anything else necessary to make the motor high revving while still safely preserving the high compression?

 

i wouldnt rev too high with a stock block.

 

Oh? Its a Y block. Even after being cleaned up and bored, you don't think the block will take the abuse of high RPMs? What kind of RPMs are we talking before I have a 2-peice block here?

 

If you're NA I think you'll really fuck the car up and ruin every bit of fun by forging the entire motor.. but its your choice.

If I did my cobra NA I'd port the shit out of the heads, cams, intake manifold, hardened pistons not hypers, hardened rods, 9lb flywheel and a GT crank because its not forged like mine. The motor would rev so damn fast it'd feel like a 6cyl roadster and be fun as shit to drive.

Forged NA..bleh. Tune it right and detonation wont happen.

Make sure all the rods, bearings, etc are upgrade. Federal mogul/arp

 

Tow truck, to pull the rest of the busted ass broken down Fords off the side of the road

Actually, I believe its out of a Lincoln...1986...Probably a towncar. ITs a 302 just like the Mustang engines, and everything will be upgraded. I'm throwing on a girdle and the works, but whats so bad about forged parts? I thought they were good, espically for spray?

As long as by 'fun', he doesn't mean ripping apart my blown up engine every few hundred miles, I'm curious to know why forged is bad for NA? Are forged parts much heavier than other types of parts that could stand up to the abuse of what I'll be throwing at them?

And yeah, I'll have a good set of heads. Looking into AFR 185s. One of the Victor intakes to top it off with, depends on the RPMs I want to turn which one I get.

I'd love to see my car rev up like a damn Civic, I really would, but I don't want to be one of those guys on the side of the road with the imprint of a piston from under my hood - thats why I'm feeling like forged everything is a smart choice; but I'm still new at the whole engine building game, so I coudl very well be wrong.