Ive always been a fan of the fox body. so i finally way able to purchase one. now im not a big fan for being stock. i got the asc merclaren coupe mercury capri. Being the 84 carburated 5.0 high out put it was pretty quick at first but like i said if its not fast i dont want to give it a second glance. so i recently bought a new 302 block that i got Edelbrock vitor junoir heads for. the 210cc intake which what i can see are the best i can find, so naturally im putting the matching victor intake on it.the only thing im been puzzled about is going with the 347 or the 331 stroker kit. now im always been a fan of bigger cubes. but i have heard alot about the 302 side wall being thin enough that when the 347 is installed that u actually lose power from the stress. now im just curious if those are just rummers or facts. being the ford fans u guys are i figured u could give me a hand with that question. im building this for the strip with road capabiltys. im hoping to get 500hp out of the car. which is hoping to bring me 11.90, and i would be happy beings im a younger driver. maybe later on i thought about a little happy gas but for now i want to be able to pull the quickest times possible from pure motor so any advise u guys got im open for it
       thanx  

ANytime you can ude cubich inches, it's a good thing. However, I suggest calling engine shops such as Coast High performance and others and see what they think. They are the experts, so it's better to go straight to the source.

If it was me, I say ditch the 302 and throw in a 522 big-block Ford with a 150 hit of the sauce, but then again, I might have to do that for a project car!  

Frank H. Cicerale
Associate Editor
Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords  

the diff in the 331 and the 347 is in the stroke.the 331 is 3.25 and the 347 is 3.4.all this being said,the small block ford is thin in the cyl.walls..030 over is about all you want to go.  

Heu thanxs for the reply its really helpful i never thought about the different stroke lengths i figured the 331 had a smaller bore  

The victors need either big inches or high rpm to work well.  If it were me, I'd go 331 fully forged and turn 7500-8000rpm.  That brings major valvetrain issues up too.  Remember to start with a plan and make sure your budget is up to it.  Go to the experts for your cam, Comp, Crane, Anderson Ford, ect...  Those guys can really help you out.