which is better

[wing2bchun]

can anyone tell me is the 390 better than the 302

[BigScott]

Believe you're asking us to compare apples and oranges, my friend.

We really need more info before we can answer the question, however. Why don't you let us know what kind of car it's going in, will it be a daily driver, will you race it a the dragstrip, autocross, what transmission, what's your budget, etc. Depending on the intended use, one or the other may make more sense.

One engine that you should probably consider is the 351 Windsor. You'll find a lot of folks with a bored and stroked 351 Windsors (you can get at least 427 cubic inches this way) in their cars b/c it's a lot of hp and cubic inches without a whole lot of weight on the front end.

[Pete Munroe]

Which blocks are you referring to, for what style car, and are you ultimately interested in a car biased to good handling or outright dragster acceleration?

Are you referring to 351", stroked to ~390...or a FE 390?

A few months there was string about block weights with data from the Ford Motorsports catalogue comparing aluminum, stock block, SVO iron blocks, tall and low decks...good place to look.

My opinion, if you are doing a 427" replica, do the 390"...it LOOKS right...just like a 427" or 428" from the topside.

If you are doing a 289" car go for the 302"... about 30 lbs lighter than the 351"...the 351 is about 90? pounds lighter the the FE...the small blocks, 302 or 351 look correct for a 289 car and should handle better than an FE due to less wieght on the front end.

My 289 FIA car has a 289" stroked to 347"...I wanted to skew the car to handling rather than all out power, and I still can't use all the power on a road course anyway...much to learn if you aren't a racer already!

A lot of the guys do opt for the stroked 351's, LOTS of power, less weight than an FE...but for a "purist"...hey, 427" cars came with FE big blocks, not small blocks.

It gonna be your car...figure out what you want it to "be", get the engine you decide YOU want/need, and have fun.

Keep reading and asking till you are comfortable with your own answer to the question.

Check out the FE topic for FE 390 info.

Pete