>Stroking a 289 is basically the equivalent to stroking a 302. Many prefer
>the earlier 289 blocks, especially Mexican castings, because of their
>greater lower end strength. The later 302 castings are nowhere near as
>beefy, unless you start with an A4 block, in which case you definitely
>would rather spend money than waste time.
Dave's weighed various 302 blocks and I don't think he's seen
much variation. They did lighten the crank quite a bit when they
changed from 28.2 oz-in balance factor to 50.0 oz-in and the
crank is weaker. Crank breakage is a problem for the guys who
run 5.0's in the American Sedan series. Of course, if you are
stroking, you're starting with a Cleveland crank or an aftermarket
crank. When you start pumping out serious power, the block
becomes the weak point (flexes under load) and it becomes
difficult to get the head gaskets to stay sealed. The fix is to go
with an A4 or 351W block.
Later,
Dan Jones
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