How much power will a stock 302 block hold

[buddha]

I wouldn't push one much past 550 with a girdle. I had mine making about 500 and didn't have a problem with it. Of course it was never shifted above 6500 (usually, lol) and only ran about 15psi.

The problem the way I see it is there isn't an in-between block out there......something rated around 800hp. It's either a stock block (the sportsman aren't much better in my opinion) or a full bore race block.

I opted for the Dart piece. It's a killer piece and the integrity is awesome, but they need a lot more machine work than they claim. The Ford R block is good too, but needs even more machine work than the Dart.