Stroking the 400?

[400HP794x4]

So what is cheaper, custom rods and use stock C pistons? Or use BBC rods and have custom pistons made?

[billp]

Well, I think the cheapest combo would be the 240 rods, KB235 pistons, and doing your own valve reliefs. This leaves a lot of deck clearance, however, and would require cutting the block and heads quite a bit to get a respectable CR.

Wait, how about 300 rods and stock height 351M pistons? The pistons should go right on the rods and the deck clearance ought to be pretty close. All you have to do is narrow the rod big ends. But this leaves a poor rod/stroke ratio.

In both cases I'm talking about a 4.18" stroke offset grind.

[shazam]

Hey All: been almost a year since this post been to the top of the list, thought I'd bring you all up to date on my new stroker motor for my pull truck ShaZam.Also I've moved up in class I'm now running Super Stock and Mod.So here's my new 799 H.P. Stroker Motor with Price list.


Ok I’ve had a few people who want to know just how much this motor
cost and what all have I done to get all this power out of a 400, So here’s
my shopping list of things I needed to make this motor.

400 Block Cheap I have a 5 on hand. $50.00
Block filler From Jeg’s 4 bottle’s $42.99
Machine shop charges for Block & Head Work
Magnafluxing Block ,Hot tank
Line boring mains,
Bore block to .060 over
Deck Block .022
Install Cam bearings
New Freeze Plug Kit
Balance Rotaing Assembly
Reworked Heads Valve Job,
Brass Guide’s Seals $1530.00
Steel Forged Crank From Scat. $1850.00
Eagle ESP Rods BBC 6.800 $579.99
JE Piston 14.5 to 1 comp. Set of 8 $895.99
Boss 351 4V heads with High Port plates
With port work from Price Motorsports Aready done $1000.00
Here’s a few things I got off of EBay that saved me a little cash.
Catalog Price Ebay Price
Engle RJ-38 Roller Cam $259.99 $180.05
Crane Roller lifters $354.99 $178.75
Roller Rockers $207.99 $149.50
Jomar Stud Girdles $239.99 $224.68
FMS Crome Valve Covers $125.99 $100.60
Barnes 4Stage Dry Sump $500.00 $346.54
4.5 Gal. Dry Sump Tank $500.00 $356.50
Roush SVO Intake $297.99 $277.50
Main stud Girdle 351W $250.99 $117.45
$2737.93 $1859.52
Savings $845.81
Holley 850 DP reworked to flow 1050 cfm $450.00
Dry Sump Oil Pan from Armando Oil Pan’s $250.00
Felpro Gasket Set
Head $27.99 4V intake $16.99
Oil Pan set $11.99
Timing Cover $2.59
Timing cover seal $3.95
Water Pump Gasket $3.50
Aluminum Water Pump $99.99
Weiand Intake Adapter plates $129.99
APR Head Studs $106.99
APR Main Studs $45.99
28 oz SFI Fluidampr $349.99
28 oz. SFI Steel Flywheel (Mcleod) $350.00
Distirbutor Extention (Price Motorsports) $100.99
Grand Total $9759.35
And I still have to hose the dry sump system.
Hose and AN fitting $1000.00
$10759.35
I do my own engine assembly Free ;-)
And check and double check all clearances
check and double check all torque settings

Oh an by the way if I was to detune this motor to 9.5 to 1 Comp. Slap some mufflers on it and put a smaller carb. on for the street this motor will still put out over 540 hp @ 6200 rmp’s.

Now you know why I call my pulltruck ShaZam

[GT40man]

i wonder just how far it can be stroked?

[shazam]

Well IF I build another one I'm going to have the crank off ground as much as it can be to see. As for Block Clearances there's lots of room. I'd say maybe 4.500 if the crank can be off ground that much.
So Let see 4.060 X 4.500 X 9.5 = 466 Cid A 460 the Hard way

[rea98d]

Bore X Stroke X 9.5? Does that work on all engines? That's a lot simpler than the way I've been doing it (1/2bore^2 X 3.14159 X stroke X 8 (or 6, if its a V-6)

[shazam]

NO that's just how I put info into my Desk Top Dyno....:-X23

[400m]

I am just curious why you really want to go through the effort of stroking when the 400 already has a long stroke and can make goobs of torque. I run a 400 with holley 750, an edelbrock performer power package, hyperutectic pistons 9.0 to 1 comp. and ported 2v heads in my 86' and it moves 5000# of truck fast enough to brake traction in 3 gears and press you hard into the seat at WOT.(not to forget about 3 broken tranny mounts). I spent $3000 on it and don't even have an adjustable valve train on it yet. just my thought the 400 is a mean motor when parts are chosen carefully. Shazam awsome powerplant!!!

400m.

[shazam]

OK if nobody ever pushes the bounderies one would never know just how far you can go.
I mean think about it if it wheren't for the HotRodders pushing the limits we'd still be running Flat head 4 Cly. motors with a 1 bbl Stromberg carb...

ShaZam

[blu93gt]

>I've been trying to come up with a scheme for a low-buck 400
>stroker. The problem seems to be finding a long production
>connecting rod (6.7"+) for a small rod journal ( <2.15").
>
>Yesterday I ran across the idea of using 240-6 rods. Seems
>they're 6.79" long with a 2.12" rod journal. Offset
>grinding to that size you could get a stroke somewhere near
>4.18" which would net about 427 cid with a 4.03" bore.
>
>Anybody out there know of another long rod with a small big
>end diameter?

you and i are thinking along the same lines! the 300 I-6 ford rods are very close to the length of the 400/351m rods, but with the same big end as the 240 rods that would be about right for a 4.17 stroke - so you'd need pistons with the 351c/400 compression height MINUS the .17 extra stroke. or use the 240 rods with pistons with compression height .2 shorter than that. i think i saw some keith black pistons that would be about right.

what i'm curious about is how strong these rods are. the 300 has the same bore & stroke as a 400, so it seems like the rods should be about the same strength, right? well, there's also the question of rpm - if the 300-6 isn't made to rev then they might br weaker. and i have no idea how wide the big end is, so i bought a set of C8TE-A 300 I-6 rods on ebay for $12 just so i could look at them. i don't have the 351m apart yet (also got a $35 400 crank) to compare the rods, but i put one next to a 302 rod out of my '93 mustang and noticed (no caliper for measuring) a few things: the 300 rod is obviously much longer. the big end is about .1" wider on the 300 rod, but looks like it could be narrowed without losing strength. the beams are about the same width. the piston pin hole looks a lot bigger. the 300 rod has a tiny hole to squirt oil on the cylinder wall, 302 has none... the rod bolts look a LOT stronger on the 300 rod than the 302 - BUT - the 302 bolt has a skinny T-head where the 300 bolt has a larger rectangular head, which means the cutout for the bolt head cuts deeper on the 300 rod, right there where the "long" part meets up with the "round" part of the rod - which i understand is a critical point. but without a caliper to measure the thickness...

well, it's hard to eyeball it! anyway, i guess what's more important is how it compares to the 400 rod. does anybody out there have any actual experience with the 240 or 300 rod on a 400 stroker crank? (or even the rpm limit of a 400 horsepower 300cid I-6 should compare ok) i'm pretty sure they could be made to fit pretty easy, but what kind of revs could they handle?

Shazam - you mentioned "ebay" and "chevy rods" - i've seen some eagle SIR series 2.1" big end SBC rods on there that were like 6.2" long for a halfway decent price, but none longer. isn't the big end of a BBC rod a lot bigger?

also, i've heard of a certain oldsmobile rod that works good for a 400 stroker, but don't know which one - anybody got any info on this?

thanks everybody - guess i'm just trying to go 3/4 as fast for only 1/4 the money!

[shazam]

Well a few months back I picked up some pistons and chevy rods off Ebay that where suppose to make a 383 Stroker motor out of the 351C.
I has a Brain Fart one night on making a cheap Stroker 400 out of them. Now there just sitting on the shelve collecting dust ..Someday Maybe I'll get it put together, Maybe not ??

[fordguy76]

any new findings with the 240 rods? will this be a street motor? just wondering because i'm kind of interested too

[killer4x4]

where did you get your pistons from? and were they for a 351c?

[shazam]

I run Spiecal order 14.5 to 1 comp. JE Pistons in my motors with the closed chamber heads, dang near puts me in diesel land .

[400HP794x4]

So, for all us poor boys, what is the exact formula for stroking a 400 with "stock" parts.

BBC rods, but what "stock" pistons will work. My buddy did it way back when, but he cannot remember what engine he used the pistons from. He said it was a dodge motor, but can't recall which one. Shazam, do you have a part number of a KB piston that will work? I would like to try a stroker in my daily driver. I'm getting close to doing it and will need some help.

Thanks,
Corey