This is a Ford 331 cubic inch stroker V8 based on a Ford 302, it’s been completely rebuilt and it’s now topped with an eight-stack Jim Inglese Weber 40 IDF carburetor setup.
During the build the engine was fitted with a COMP Cams/Inglese camshaft, an Eagle cast-steel crankshaft, 10:1 compression-ratio forged pistons, steel-beam connecting rods, and ARP rod retaining bolts.
During the rebuild the engine was fitted with an eight-stack Jim Inglese Weber 40 IDF carburetor setup, a COMP Cams/Inglese camshaft, an Eagle cast-steel crankshaft, 10:1 compression-ratio forged pistons, steel-beam connecting rods, and ARP rod retaining bolts.
History Speedrun: The Ford 302 V8
The Ford 302 small block V8 arrived in 1968 as the final major evolution of the Windsor V8 family, an engine series that had been created to provide Ford with a compact, lightweight V8 for its mid-size and pony car lineup.
The 302 shared the 289 V8’s architecture but used a longer 3.00 inch stroke to reach 302 cubic inches (4.9 liters), and it quickly became a mainstay engine across Ford and Mercury cars, trucks, and vans. Early versions powered Mustangs, Fairlanes, and Broncos, while the high-revving Boss 302 homologation engine carried Ford through the 1969 and 1970 Trans-Am championship fight.
Through the 1970s and early 1980s the 302 shifted toward lower compression and tighter emissions controls, as did every other major American engine due to emission legislation, but the 302 returned to prominence in 1982 when Ford revived performance Mustangs with a modernized 5.0 liter iteration that was also fitted to the period Bronco.
That fuel injected 5.0 became one of the defining American V8s of the 1980s and 1990s, powering millions of vehicles before production ended in 2001. Its combination of toughness, compact sizing, and its tuning potential made it a staple of both factory performance cars and the aftermarket – and it remains one of Ford’s most influential engines from the era.
The Ford 331 Stroker V8 Shown Here
This custom Ford 331 cubic inch (5.4 liter) stroker V8 was built with the intention of fitting it into an MGB GT – a popular vintage car for V8 swaps, even John Cena owned one.
During the rebuild the engine was fitted with an eight-stack Jim Inglese Weber 40 IDF carburetor setup, a COMP Cams/Inglese camshaft, an Eagle cast-steel crankshaft, 10:1 compression-ratio forged pistons, steel-beam connecting rods, and ARP rod retaining bolts.
The engine comes as a package with a Tremec T5Z 5-speed transmission, a flywheel, and a ten-spline clutch – meaning it’s ideally suited for someone looking for an engine and transmission package to go into a donor car.
The engine comes as a package with a Tremec T5Z 5-speed transmission, a flywheel, and a ten-spline clutch – meaning it’s ideally suited for someone looking for an engine and transmission package to go into a donor car.
It’s also fitted with aluminum Edelbrock cylinder heads with 60cc combustion chambers and bronze guides, COMP Cams roller rockers, a three-piece steel double-roller timing chain, chrome moly piston rings and pushrods, and an aluminum water pump.
It was never fitted to the car, for reasons unknown, so it now remains in essentially-new condition and it’s being offered for sale out of Omaha, Nebraska with photos and correspondence documenting the build. If you’d like to read more about it or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
