We love dyno testing because it is one of the best ways to get the cold, hard facts.

Jeff Smith pulled a 302 Ford engine out of a 1996 Explorer and thought it would make an excellent platform for a little dyno testing. The engine remains mostly stock except for a new Holley carburetor, an aluminum intake, an electric water pump and–it looks like–a few other odds and ends. Smith says the stock PI heads have also had some mild port work.

Those changes mean the engine can breathe more freely and can potentially make more power. That’s where the dyno testing started at Westech Performance. With the stock cam the 302 makes 294 horsepower and 328 lb/ft of torque. After running a baseline, Smith and Steve Brule of Westech, swapped in two different performance cams from Lunati. Since the engine utilizes a roller valvetrain, the cam swaps were fairly quick and didn’t require breaking in any new lifters.

It isn’t surprising that the aftermarket cams make more power, but just how much raised our eyebrows. One cam made the horsepower jump up by 60 while the other made 80 more than stock. Check it out for yourself and see which one you would put in your hot rod.