A 302 is capable of really good torque. The trick to keep the air velocity up. Just don't go overboard on the valves and head runner size. I use a knock-off of the Edelbrock Performer cam, an Edelbrock performer dual plane manifold, and a little Edelbrock 500 CFM four barrel. This combination is very responsive, and
pulls really strong from idle to 4500 RPM. It will make to to 5000RPM, but it really drops off at 4500. It's perfect for my use. I can pull my camp trailer with it but still keep up on Interstate 5.