[DAVID GAGNARD]

I've been following this thread since day one and now would like to add my 2 cents for what it's worth,real world expirence....
The very first engine I every modded was a 302 in my truck in the mid 70s, I wanted a "hot rod" engine and at the time Ford had a small booklet out,called From mild to wild,outlining how to go about it, gave all the cam specs/intake/carb/everything.... I followed their recommendations to the letter and build a "hotrod" 302. It would scream from 3000 to 6500 rpms and run like a scalded dog.
Now this was my daily driver,I raced every chevy pickup in town with a 350 and beat them all, I was a happy camper.....then comes the daily driving part,from idle to 3000 rpms, it was a dog, no torque,no bottom end, but I still drove the truck for 5 or 6 years adding 70,000+ miles on it.....
Fast forward to the mid 90's, I'm restoring a 65 Mustang Fastback for myself and have decided on a 351-W for the car, it's going to be a street cruiser/show car/sunday driver, but I would like for it to have some "pep" and go if I need to step on the gas pedal...but still get decent gas mileage..

While planning the engine a buddy comes by and we're discussing the engine and he reminds me of the 302 I had in my truck years before and how it was a dog to drive around town,he was right.
The 351-W came out of a 1972 LTD in the junkyard,50 bucks bought, had to bore it 40 over to clean up the cylinder walls, did a ton of port/polish work on the stock heads myself and had larger chevy valves installed to replace the puny little Ford valves. Settled on an Edlebrock alum., dual plane intake and a Holley 600 double pumper (used), now it's time for the cam..
My buddy kept reminding me of my truck engine, it was way overcammed for it's intended use, so I settled on a hydraulic flat tappit cam with all of .484 lift and 272 duration, mild by anyone's standards.......
It idles at 800 rpms smoothly,while pulling 17 inches of vacum and has a ton of torque from idle on, makes execellent power to 5500+ rpms and coupled with a Tremec 5 speed, I get 23mpg cruising the interstate at 75 mph.......with drag radials on the rear, I break into the 12's in the quarter mile running thru the 2 gaint mufflers I have on the car.....
This engine has 100+ quarter mile passes on it and at least double that in "stoplight" passes, 2000 miles on 3 different road courses and 30,000 highway miles on it and I just recently took it out and sold it to a relative and now it's living a hard life in a 1983 Bronco 4x4.....

With the trans/rear gear combo you want to use, I think a nice 300 to 350hp/302 with about 10 to 1 compression and a camshaft in the low 500 lift range and 280 duration range would make a really nice engine with good low end torque and still run up in the 6500rpm range when you want to put your foot in it,all the while doing it on pump gas.....
High revving screamers have little bottom end and poor idle/street manners,which is where your spend 90% of your time driving....
Again, just my 2 cents for what it's worth........
David