I might build a 392 stroker for my truck at a performance level yet to be determined. Is anybody running stock heads on their 392? What pistons did you use to get to a pump-gasable compression ratio with a truck-like cam and heads?

I would like to hear about other 392 builds as well.

 

Do a search here on 351-W strokers, you should find what you need. Dan

 

I run a 393" stroker in my Ranger. It has 4v cleveland heads and runs on pump gas. The pistons are special Venolia they were a little expensive. It runs 10.56@126 Check it out it's truck of the week.
http://communities.msn.com/FastRanger

 

the 393 uses standard <a href="http://www.motorhaven.com/">302 </a>pistons, so you will have plenty of choices for pistons.

 

You can build a very inexpensive 393 using a Scat crank ($350 on Ebay), stock <a href="http://www.motorhaven.com/">351w </a>rods, and KB364 pistons.

Here is a link to the pistons...

http://www.kb-silvolite.com/page47.htm#SECT3

These pistons are the key. They have a big 22cc dish which keeps the compression ratio around 9.5 with a 64cc head. I think they are about $275 or so from Summit or Jeggs. If you use a <a href="http://www.motorhaven.com/">302 </a>piston your compression may be too high.

I have been researching the above combo with a Comp Cams 4X4 extreme cam and a set of World heads (Windsor SR or Roush 200). This should be a great truck engine with tons of torque.

Good luck!

-John

 

Thanks yall for the responses. That is the information I was looking for.

Also, are there special external balancing considerations that I need to be aware of? Do I need a different damper?

 

Rodbuckler,

I have a 93 F-150 with a 393 stroker and AOD. John is right on the money-the KB364 pistons are the key to this build; they are really the only ones I found available that yield a reasonable compression ratio (9.5:1). You can use the stock damper but keep in mind that the crank assembly must be balanced by an engine shop and clearances checked between the crank end of the connecting rods and the block and cam. When I put everything together after grinding on the block for the first test fit some of the rod bolts hit the cam lobes!

Here is what I built - '95 block (set up for roller cam), Ford Y303 aluminum heads, Ford E303 cam, Scat crank, KB364 pistons, BBK shorty headers. I used the stock EFI intake manifold and throttle body and converted to Mass Air with 30lb injectors. Lots of torque from 2500-3500 - I never rev the engine past 4500 rpm.

This is a great low-medium budget engine build.

Ron

 

Hey Ron-

How did you deal with the rod bolts hitting the cam? Were you using the stock rods? Also - are those heads the aluminum GT-40 heads? I'm not familiar with that part number.

Overall, how happy are you with the 393? Was the power increase what you expected? Did your gas milage suffer? Would you do the build again?

Sorry for all the questions but I have been ready to build one of these for a while. Problem is, I built my 351 a couple of years ago and it is fresh, healthy and strong. No problems with it at all.

But man, do I want those 40 extra cubes.

Thanks!

 

John,

I am using the stock connecting rods with ARP rod bolts. The area that was interfering with the cam lobes was the outer part of the head of the rod bolt and the adjacent area of the rod itself. I simply ground away small areas on the rod and head of the rod bolt to achieve clearance. I bought some .030" shim stock and made 'feeler gauges' about .5" wide and about 10" long to get into the areas. I probably spent the better part of a day making sure there was adequate clearance around every cam lobe, but there were only 3 lobes where the rods actually hit. I did not like grinding on the head of the rod bolts, but did not have much choice and this engine is not a 7000 rpm screamer anyway.

The heads are FMS P/N M-6049-Y303; Ford calls them GT-40 "Turbo-Swirl" aluminum heads.

I am very happy with the engine build and the torque increase is probably a bit more than I expected. The total package - 351W stroker, wide ratio kit in the AOD and 4.10 gears work great. Mileage is about 13-14 on the highway and about 12 in town- but the original 302 only got about 15 in town. I will probably never take the truck to the strip - I would guess it would run in the low 15's around 95mph. But not bad for a 5000 lb 4X4 with a camper shell.

If I had it all to do over again and money was no object- I would build a 351W stroker except use custom rods, use a slightly longer stroke for about 427 c.i., go with about 8.5:1 c.r.and put a supercharger on it! Way back at the beginning I thought about swapping in a modified 460 for the 302, but became convinced that a 351W or 351W stroker was the only way to go because of the simple bolt-in, more advanced EFI system, roller cam compatibility, and large selection of aftermarket parts.

Ron