General 302 questions

[curtis73]

Howdy all. I'm a new guy to the list and have some questions. I am a big fan of modifying. I usually have very odd ideas when it comes to mods, especially with engines. I have a 66 Bonneville with a Caddy 500 in it, and an 85 El Camino that will soon be a convertible with a Hemi 528.

I have an 87 Cutlass Salon and I have some wierd ideas for it as well. On the Olds G-body list there is a "fad" of a few guys modding the heck out of their 307 olds engines. They've been very successful, but they are dealing with very non-performance oriented dimensions. Small bores, wasteful heads, and lack of aftermarket parts that work with the small displacement are a problem. I've always loved the ford 5.0 and I want my Cutlass to have a 307...a Windsor, that is.

My main obstacle is going to be the oil pan. Was there a Windsor with a rear-sump pan? Trucks? I can modify an existing pan to fit my chassis, but if I start with a rear sump it will be easier. Who knows, it may fit like it is.

When did 302s start using roller hyd lifters? Are the blocks the same, just different lifters...or were the lifter bores taller/different diameter? I want rollers, so should I worry about what year core I get, or will any one be easy to modify?

What are the 302s big handicaps? For instance, Olds engines have weak main webs, stock buicks had weak oiling, stock pontiacs had weak valvetrains. What is Ford's weakness?

What's the bore and stroke?

Looking forward to making people sick with my five-oh Cutlass...

Thanks
Curtis Mittong

PS. Yes, I am mentally sick