how to build a 301, Chevy

Giving away all of our secrets to the Ford guys

 

Ummm..... OOPS! Sorry..

 

I'd still like to build me up a 302...
L-99 crank in a Gen II LT1 block maybe???

 

i had one in a 40 ford back in 70"s id , aluminuim rods 202 studed heads and the old square tunnel ram 5.57 gears , id leave the lights at 11 grand and shift at 10.5 , it was killer , shouldnt have ever sold that car either

 

Powerful little bastards, ain't they??
Can you imagine grenading one of those @ that RPM???

 

So 302 pistons have a higher compression ....thats all ?

 

.... And they're forged aluminium..

 

TRW was the original supplier for those pistons...
I took apart a 5.0L HO motor that came in a pony that I bought new from Ford and it came with TRW pistons also...

 

In the days of the homemade "301", most of the aftermarket 4 inch sbc pistons were styled after the factory HP Corvette piston with an 1/8 inch popup. The factory Z/28 pistons had a more substantial dome, which was great in the late '60s, when 100+ octane fuel was as close as the nearest Sunoco station, but no so convenient today.

 

Nope,
Different pin location too. The major difference in 302, 327, and 350 pistons is the piston pin location.
Larry T

 

Back to the top!!

 

Hello: I too have a 55 with 302 chevy. i love it even with all the issues of old style motor. Best small block ever built pound for pound. They are week on the bottom end and thats what made most of them a pain to drive around. But years ago when we had 302 and 301 motors we had 2.20 muncie behind them or if we were lucky maybe a 2.54 B/W. All the 302 fords with same bore and stroke in Mustangs have 2.95 or 3.25 first gear. Put a 5 speed with that type gearing behind the 302 chevy and it will be a lot more streetable. You have to crank them to make them go but what sounds cooler than a good 302? Especially at 7500 -8000.

I would love to destroke an LS with a 3 x 4 combo.

Parkman

 

That's what I mentioned on another thread about bolting a T-5 trans with a 3.35 first gear ratio to a 301/302 chevy...... And all I heard after that was crickets! Now go do an intro before the dogs start barkin'!

 

OK.....I speak with all the authority of a 65 year old man who loves nostalgia. My first ride in a real Hot Rod was at the invitation of a Texan named Derrick, who I was stationed with at Sheppard AFB, Texas,in 1965 who ran a for real '56 Chevy Tudor Sedan with a 283 to 301. I frankly have no interest in truth, facts, or technology. Derrick was the Man and I am eternally grateful for the "ride". Whatever Derrick would tell us today....stands. Centurion9

 

It been along time since we built any of those engine. But I do remember when we were going with a big bore .060 or more we would look for the TO blocks because they that the thick cylinder walls. The TO was the beginning of the number stamp on the left side of the block on the pad right in from of the head.

 

I ran across these the other day when looking for some 283 pistons. No idea on price or quality, but they do go up to 4.00 inch bore with a pop-up, so would work for a 301 build.


Egge EP2148

CHEV / CORVETTE Cast Aluminum- T-6 Heat Treated 1957-1967 - 283 V-8 - STD to 125 oversize. For ALL Chevy’s with Fuel Injection & Factory High Performance.

Pop-up design with 190 Dome.

Bore 3.875-4.000

Ring Set-up: 2) 5/64; 1) 3/16

 

The 265/283's faced maxed out flatheads that were about the same size so every extra cube was important.

Add to that the ability to rev to twice what the flatties could handle and you start to understand why the 301's got a big rep.

And why the conversion from flat to OHV was rather sudden

 

There's no sound that can compare to a 301 at 7000 rpm unless it's a 301 at 8500 R's..
I've been collecting 301 parts for years. Got the correct TRW's, 3 different 283 long blocks with steel cranks and a killer set of Oliver small journal steel rods.an old dual quad intake with a pair of '68 Z-28, 302 heads and a collection of T-5s and one lonely close ratio saginaw 4 speed.
When I was 13-14 I'd lie in bed listening to the small block 55-57 chevys bustin off out on I-84..what a sound!
I'll build my 301 for my 34 five window if my 370 Pontiac engine doesn't work out.
Nice to have a back-up plan that includes a 301 chevy...they rule.

 

Yep.......the REV @ 8500 RPM is the sound that brings back memories......missing a gearat 8500 RPM is even more exciting........you do not want to look at the tach....and you hope the $80 valve springs are doing their job...........292" below 0.060" over 283......Aluminum Super Rods.......Jahns 5/8 deflector pistons...1970 AHRA motor......2BBL pulls the wheels......I believe when I get a full pass the MPH will not be that impressive.....lacks torque in the upper gears.........

 

Thats the way I have always looked at it. The only engines we called 301's were 1/8 over 283's. 327's with a 283 crank were called 302's even when they were actually 305's. thats the way it was around here in the early '70s anyway. And yes, I realize both engines are 3x4(or 3x4.03).

 

Tiny Cube SBC running good numbers .........always impresses more than a Big Block......right..... Below is a Typical Small Cube Vintage Set Up...Big Domes, Alum Rods, steel crank.....2 bolt mains, windage tray etc. This ran low 12's in a 55 Chevy back in the day. F/HR. Note the color onthe domes.....indicates good flame travel when it ran.

Only the True......SBC Guru's will notice the notch in the SJ crank.......different from a std 283/265 Steel......Hint: $800 for this one typically.....

 

Bore a 261 Stovebolt 6 0.155" and stroke it by offset grinding the crank to suit late 292 rods, and guess what - 301 C.I.

Oh now I see you were doing the *8 thing ...... sulk sulk

 

302 Z/28 crank

 

Quick Reference, Check my numbers.......Also if you got a good small journal (SJ) crank you can get spacers to build a 302 in a 350 LJ block. So you can build a poor mans 302 in a Large Journal (LJ) block probably easier than finding 327 blocks today. 283 cranks in 327 block is a drop in, but they are 2 bolt mains, thou you can add stud girdles or 4 bolt after market caps......but short stroke engines would be easy on the bottom end.
The most expensive parts are the Pistons and Cranks...everything else is common and plentiful.

265" = 3.750" Bore X 3.0" Stroke (SJ) < Std Bore
283" = 3.875" Bore X 3.0" Stroke (SJ) < Std Bore
287" = 3.905" Bore X 3.0" Stroke (SJ) < 0.030 over bore 283 cu in
292" = 3.935" Bore X 3.0" Stroke (SJ) < 0.060 over bore 283 cu in
301" = 4.00" Bore X 3.0" Stroke (SJ) < 0.125 over bore 283 cu in
302" = 4.00" Bore X 3.0" Stroke (SJ & LJ) Std Bore 302
305" = 4.030" Bore X 3.0" Stroke (SJ & LJ) < 0.030 over bore
307" = 3.875" Bore X 3.25" Stroke (SJ and LJ) (327 stroke with 283 bore is a 307) That is why 307's ran so nice, smooth.....basically an updated 283 with a pinch more torque.
327" = 4.00" Bore x 3.25" Stroke (SJ & LJ)
331" = 4.030" Bore X 3.25" Stroke (SJ & LJ)

 

Good Job.........rare...nitrided unit...I have 2 SJ's and 1 LJ 302 cranks.....the 292 revs, also guess what flywheel is in my car.....gets it out of the hole @ 6500 RPM wheels up...

Last count, I had 24 or so original 302 GM pistons......set of pink rods, and a set of green rods, LJ and SJ....floated type.

 

Inline 6's areneat too.......saw a bunch in I/Gas and H/Gas......one was 292" out of Medina Ohio......was record holder, he owned Standard Welding in Medina Ohio.

 

Nice Chevy......4.56 sounds like fun.

 

Use a small journal 327 block to build one....

 

Question for the sbc guys were there any small bearing 350s I'm pretty sure even the 67 motor had big bearing the only sb that year that did. Then with 283 no big bearing motors from the factory you could build one 307 block and a 302 crank. Has anyone built a 312 sb a 4 inch block with a 3.1 crank from a 262

 

I've thought of that combo with the 3.100" stroke crank...
Not many of the 262's were made...