It can be done. A big part of it is maintenance, along with proper setup and tuning of the engine. I have seen a couple of Mustangs that run stock bottom 302's that run in the 9's. This is done with ported aftermarket heads, an aggresive cam, single plane intake + carburetor, and a rather large dose of nitrous oxide. Total flywheel horsepower is somewhere over 600.
When I say 'stock' shortblock, I mean factory block, crank, and connecting rods. The shortblock has been disassembled, balanced, blueprinted, deburred, and the block has been bored .030-.040" over, align-honed, etc., for very precise clearances. The pistons have been upgraded, along with better rings, bearings, and bolts/studs.
In addition, the engine is disassembled after 30-40 passes, and the entire shortblock is checked for wear, bearing and rings are replaced, tolerances are checked, etc.
It can be done, however, don't think you can assemble such an engine and just drive it on the street year after year.
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