BLOWN 302 VS. STROKED 396
 

Thinkin about a new combo in my 91gt. So far I've come up with Pro charger on a 302 or buying a 351 Sportsman block & building a naturaly aspirated 396ci. Is anyone running a 396 on the street? If so, what is the best way to set one up for street use? Any HP or ET info would be helpful too.

If the price is somewhat even, I would definately build the bigger motor. (I'm not sure of your mechanical knowledge so excuse me if I sound too simplistic). A larger engine naturally puts out more torque without having to exert itself as much as the smaller one. A 502 c.i. big block can easily make 500 horsepower without a whole hell of a lot of trick parts. A 350 on the other hand can as well, but with more parts that lead to a shorter life, i.e: a larger, much less streetable cam, higher compression, etc. A 396 can make a hell of a lot of power and if you can do it naturally aspirated, then it will be under less strain than a smaller motor under the load of supercharger boost. I wish I was in your situation. I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that my 95GT runs like a turd. I just might have to supercharge it to get the level of performance I want. It doesn't take much to be an effective street killer; my '71 small block powered Chevelle was running high 11's. In street trims on BFG Drag Radials, I ran a 12.34 @ 111.5 mph spinning through first gear and grabbing in the middle of second. I never lost a street race. Goes to show, if you can just run 12's in street trim, you've got a great street car.

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Todd
1995GT Cobra look-alike
pulleys; Flowmaster cat-back; 65mm TB; Cobra R's, front, and wing; FMS aluminum driveshaft, Mac off-road H pipe
e-mail: todd5874@bellsouth.net

build the sportsman block you can always supercharge it later.

as far as set up its what you want

HP ET how fast do you want to spend ?



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89 with 395 single stage n2o .garret t3. 373's Suspention worked out finnaly . need cage .

Go with the cubes. Either way, you'd have a fast car......but nothing feels like natural "ballsout" HP. Get the 396 in and add te blower to that later....that would be KILLER!

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'90 LX 5.0;12K original miles (no sh*&);3.55 gears; March pulleys;Edelbrock Performer Heads;BBK 1 5/8" equal length shorties;MSD 6AL ignition w/ blaster 2 coil;FMS E303 cam;Pro-M 75mm MAF;BBK 70mm TB; Eibach drag-launch spring kit;Southside welded subs;9" K&N cone filter charger;Hurst shifter;Cervini's 3" turbo hood;A/C delete; gutted cats;2 chamber Flomasters;Corbeau racing seats;FMS 30# injectors;JMS chip; Holley 190lb fp;TFS track heat Intake (12.299 @ 113 - 1.78 60')

I've got a 93 LX with 12 to 1 396 stroker in my garage. Too bad it belongs to my buddy.


I don't consider it very streetable.

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1988 Mustang GT
11.8 @ 123 (7/14/01)
1992 BadAzz Wrangler
1993 Explorer

See my car at: www.mustangworks.com/cgi-bin/moi-display.cgi?179

Heh, I'm not sure that's an entirely fair comparison to tell you the truth.

I think the 396 is going to cost a crapload more than the Pro Charger by the time you're done.

I wouldn't want a 396 just cause it's a Chev engine size. Always having people walk up talking about halfbreed, hehe. If it's any help to you, they'll probably run the same times on street tires. Getting out of the 12's without serious traction is hard to do.