How many miles do you have on it so far and what brand / manufacturer did you go with?

I'm thinking about going that route in the near future and just want to get some feedback on durability etc. I'm looking to build a low rpm daily driver that will last for many years. Thanks.

 

I have 2 words for you, actually 1 word and one number... 351 windsor

 

I knew somebody was going to say that, and I appreciate your input. I'm currently running a 302, so I already have all the 302/5.0 related accesories. (oil pan, brackets, pulleys, intake etc. I also have a couple of 5.0 roller motors in the shed that I can use for the build. But I agree, a 351 would be a nice swap.

 

I spent some time digging into this awhile back before deciding to just go with a 351W that I had around. Same reasons for wanting to do it as you - I had a couple roller 5.0L cores and all the accessories. For a torquey, low RPM truck motor, either will fit the bill, but you might as well go with the 347. There is virtually no difference in price, but there is a big difference in torque. Durability and longevity are not really a concern any more than they would be with a stock motor. It all comes down to the quality of the machinework and the build. There were some early issues with the 347 using oil, but those were worked out years ago and the high quality kits being sold now will go 100K without a problem. I keep hearing the same thing as far as who to deal with for a kit - FordStrokers.com 331-347-393-408-418-427 stroker kits and ford parts.. The guy that runs the joint is Woody and from what I hear, he's about the best going in price, customer service, and quality.

 

Bumping this thread as I am also trying to decide between a 331 stroker or a 347 for my '86 roller motor build that's going in grandpas '74. I'm leaning toward the 331 to avoid having to notch the bottom of the cylinder walls in order to clearance the rod bolts. It's probably not that big a deal to most, but i'm a little gunshy about that kind of thing. I've seen 331 builds that had enough clearance without notching and "better" rod ratio. The truck will be a daily driver around town with some hot rod attitude. Looking for 400+ hp which I don't think is an unreasonable expectation from some of the builds I have researched. Looking to throw in an Xtreme Energy Comp cam, Trick Flow Twisted Wedge heads, Edelbrock RPM Air Gap intake and a Speed Demon carb. For my application, what would I really gain from the 347 besides "there's no replacement for displacement" and a little extra machine work? Thanks for your responses.

 

Any insight anyone? I'm now actually leaning toward the 347 stroker kit offered by Coast High Performance. Their kit (and many of the newer 347 kits) have shorter rods that don't negatively affect the rod ratio as bad and seem to be more reliable. I do believe I will still have to clearance the bottom of the cylinder walls though.

 

My 331 is nine years old now, no idea as to the mileage on it, but it's been in two different vehicles now (89 Ranger and my 77 Comet) it's been run with both a Toploader 4 speed and a C4. The cylinders were notched for rod clearance, no issues there. It's got an Eagle crank, SIR rods, SRP forged pistons, Canfield heads (1.94/1.6 valves) Ford Racing Z303 cam, topped with a repop 3x2 setup (three Holley 250's) But for a 74 pickup, I'd go find a roller 351W out of a 95-97 pickup or van and build on it. I picked one up last year out of a 97 F250 that's got plenty of life left in the short block, zero bore wear, I plan on topping it with a reworked set of iron GT40's, & swap the F4TE cam for something bigger, not that the F4TE doesn't make a damned good carb cam to start with for a pickup to start with (256/266 duration, .445/.473 lift with 1.7 rockers) This will make a reliable 300+ hp motor with lots of torque that's easy on the gas. What does "grandpa's" 74 have in it now ?

 

Right now the truck has the original 302 and C4 tranny. I picked up an '86 roller block (302) on the cheap and that is what I plan on building up. I have seen a lot of 302 build ups that produce 400+ hp without stroking at all, but was thinking why not go ahead and add some displacement. I'm not looking to do any racing (i mean its a long bed pickup for gods sake), but want a powerful every other day kinda driver that will still take off at a stop light.

 

Those 302 builds that make 400+ HP do it in the upper rpms at the sacrifice of the bottomend torque where you'll need it most. You haven't done anything yet, the 302 was never a good pickup truck engine to start with, power wise. You can always sell the roller block. The roller 351 will do everything you want and then some. There's plenty of room in these trucks, no reason to hobble it with a tiny motor to start with.

 

Is there any specific year range I should look for with the 351w? Were any blocks better or stronger than others? I was thinking it would be more difficult to swap in a 351w instead of a stroked 302 since the original motor is a 302. I'm definitely looking for lots of low-end torque with a low to mid power band and a good dependable motor that will last a long time. I do want to stay carbureted though, for now. May upgrade it with the Holley Terminator EFI later.

 

Look in 95-97 pickups or vans for the roller 351W. 94's will have a roller block but may or may not be a roller cam. The block casting numbers are F4TE, located above the starter. The one I have in my shop cost me an afternoon's worth of work to pull and $325 including the ZF 5 speed bolted to the back of it. The 351W will bolt right into place of the 302 aside from the exhaust being slightly different, same mounts, same accessory drive. You may need an adapter bracket or two for stuff bolted to the heads, your 302 may already have these already, they're either cast aluminum or iron, triangular shaped, tow bolts in the head, one or two raised bosses with threaded holes.