of all of the rods I've broken, the stock 302 hasn't been one of them. Great rods, crappy bolts. Put some good bolts in 'em and you're good to go. You'll break the block before the rods, at least that's been my experience. Went through that with a turbocharged 306 at over 20 psi boost....stock short block with exception of forged pistons and turbo-specific camshaft. 8600 RPM was the highest I ever saw, and that was on a burnout showing off to some friends.