Ford 302 vs. Chevy 350, who's the winner?

[zs_v8s13]

Hey guys! Figured I'd come over here and have a little debate since apparently SilviaV8's forum account was suspended today. I've been doing a little research into the pros and cons of 302 vs. 350. I'm a fan of both motors, but I can't really decide which one to get. The pros and cons I have so far are:

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350
Pros:
- Old school
- Aftermarket parts are cheap and plentiful
- Able to make a decent amount of power for a fun weekend car
- Torque!
- Comes carb'd, easy to wire in and tune

Cons:
- Swap kit (Engine Mounts/Trans Mounts/Oil Pan) runs about $1k+shipping
- No clear resolution for headers other than custom route
- Still need to modify firewall to seat engine and trans bellhousing

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302
- Can be found in almost any junkyard for cheap
- Lots of inexpensive ways to make power
- Can come with either carb or FI, which isn't terribly hard to wire
- Sound :naughty:
- Can be bolted to the S13 crossmember using Explorer mounts, T5 just needs an extra hole drilled in trans crossmember to work

Cons:
- It's a Ford motor
- Issues using Nissan Clutch assembly
- Most headers, including custom, won't clear steering shaft

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Before someone says "LS is love, LS is life", I'm against throwing an LS in my S13. It's too expensive ($1500 for a T56 LOL), and a PITA to tune/work on in general. Same with the CA/SR/RB, wiring can be hell and I'm not looking to get in over my head with it. I'm an old school type of guy, and I know carbs and such pretty well. So, which one would you guys go with?

Flame me up, Scotty

[Green Arrow]

Blow a hdgasket on both, downtime for the 350 is lower. No overhead cams to muck with. Back on the strip in no time....

[hanzbrady]

Fords sound better, the distributor isn't shoved into the firewall, and that's about all I got. Kudos on not having your first thread being a shit show!

[lunchmeat]

Between the two, I prefer the 302. But I'm a bit biased since I own these.
94614
94615

[Croustibat]

I wanted to stopped reading at "Pros: Old school", but i kept going.

Then i read "cons: swapkit is 1k$ + shipping" And i stopped. You want to swap a V8, but the swapkit pricetag is a problem ? And the gearbox price ? And wiring / tuning ? Are you serious ? Why are you even asking about which should be better, since you clearly do not want to swap the LS in ?

Stick to the stock engine then. A durable, well done swap usually has a 5 figures cost, and the reason people shove an LS in there is because it is the "easy V8" route.

BTW you might want to check / understand why you got suspended, too. Might happen for the same reasons here.

[krampus]

what trans would you use for the 350?

[Bnr32gtr]

They guy clearly says he dose not want lsx! Gm all day!!! the sound is the only good about a 302 in my book

[Bnr32gtr]

T4,t5,turbo350, 4l80e

[1988montecarloss]

Blow a hdgasket on both, downtime for the 350 is lower. No overhead cams to muck with. Back on the strip in no time....

umm neither are overhead cam lol

but

350 if youre dead set on either of those

302 is less cubic inches, weaker block and more expensive parts for less power

but just get a cheap 5.3 if you really want a v8

[rover_in_an_s13]

I'd go with the Windsor, man.
Reasoning:
Reasons you already mentioned
-The SBC requires you to modify your trans tunnel.
-The SBC is quite a bit heavier than the SBF (~150lbs).
-SBC parts aren't as ubiquitous or interchangeable as SBC fans would have you believe.
-You have to hunt for a front sump oil pan for the SBC. SBF has that stock.
-the excellent autolite/motorcraft 2100 are a tried and true setup on SBF. It doesn't get any more simple/reliable than that for carbs. There's also the OEM/Holley 4bbl carb that you can get for dirt cheap if you know where to look. It's the same thing as much more expensive 4150/60 Holley part.
-no core shift problems like on SBC.