A couple of days ago, I found a company that makes stroker kits for 351 engines. They make them to stroke the motor to a 383, 396, 408, and (sweet) a 429.I'm seriously considering doing this, and was wondering which one would be the best to install. Thanks in advance.

 

Hi there! My opinion, for what it's worth:
If using this for your Bronco and budget is of concern (isn't it always) AND you already have a complete 351 Windsor, look into the 383 and 396 kits. I forget exactly which one it is, but one of those uses the existing 351 Windsor rods (free, because you already have them) and 302 pistons (cheap, there are so many, Speed Pro Hyper's can be bought for only $95 a set) and the stroker crank (about $350 to $450). Essentially, it becomes a stock rebuild with the exception of buying the stroked crank. When you really think about it, turning your stock crank may cost about $150, so you would only spend an additional $200-300 for the stroker crank (extra cubes, ready to drop in). And you will definately get the benefit of torque and HP. The higher displacement stroker kits require custom rods and pistons (translated = More Money). An additional 32-45 cubes for only $200-$300? Heck of a bargain. - Don

 

Thanks again. I was actually leaning toward the 396. I would love to have the 429, but that kit is pretty expensive, and budget is a factor(considering that I'm only 16). It's gonna feel sweet to have more than the factory 156 or so hp. The best thing about the kits though? They allow me to use the same tranny, which saves me about $1000.

 

Look in this months issue of carcraft mag. They have a few articles covering the stroker kits available and the pro's and con's of them. They even tell you what you would have to do to your engine block for the acceptance of a stroker.

 

Who makes the stroker cranks? I'm getting ready to through my 351W and it sounds like a good deal to me.

 

slimersoup,
The cheapest (ie cost effective/budget) cranks for the 351W are the Scat Cast Steel series. You'll want one with a 3.85-inch stroke for the 393, this uses your original 351W rods (free) and a set of 302 pistons (same cost as 351 Windsor pistons).
I have seen another manufacturer that puts out stroker cranks for SBF's as well, I think they are called "Prowler"? Not sure, but something you may want to check into. They may be cheaper than Scat.

 

Don't go over the 396 when stroking for a street driven engine. The 408 kit and above pushes the oil ring into the wrist pin location and will cause problems on a street driven engine. The 408 and above kits are for race only use as they will use oil over time, which isn't of concern for a drag race engine which only runs for a few minutes at a time. On a street driven engine 408 or bigger they will start to use alot of oil within 10,000 mile. Also stay below 347 cubes when stroking a 302 as you will have the same problems. The 347 pulls the piston way down in the bore and causes a lot of piston rock which wears out the bore and the piston faster than a regular engine.
A good thing for you to do is buy a copy of Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords and look inside and call the companies that sell stroker kits. These guys are very knowledgeable and can help you decide on the right one.
Also Ford Racing Performance Products (formerly Ford Motorsport) sells a 392 stroker short block assembly. It's a very durable piece and is priced right.
John B.

 

Thanks for the info. Sounds like alotta fun for almost free.

 

what company makes that stroker kit,ide like to look into it, but for now im leanin towards a 351 that makes 405hp

 

Just a thought but keep in mind that almost all stoker companies will recommend that you balance the engine. The difference in stroke can cause a balancing problem. Especially when you use a new crank with your stock rods......

 

>ADon't go over the 396 when stroking for a street driven
>engine. The 408 kit and above pushes the oil ring into the
>wrist pin location and will cause problems on a street
>driven engine. The 408 and above kits are for race only use
>as they will use oil over time, which isn't of concern for a
>drag race engine which only runs for a few minutes at a
>time. On a street driven engine 408 or bigger they will
>start to use alot of oil within 10,000 mile.

You sure about that?! I have a 408w going together right now, 4.0" stroke with 6.250" rod and the pin bore is NOT in the ring lands. No offense, but this kind of mis-information gets around quickly and sometimes becomes an accepted truth when in fact it's heresay. If you have a 408 kit that is different than mine, I apologize. For that matter, the 418 kits still retain the ring lands. As far as durability, the shorter pistons will rock a bit more in the bores so they will wear the rings a little more, but not a big deal.

As for the pin bore in the ring land thing, I've heard the same thing regarding oil consumption. My only thought is that most Chevy small block strokers have the pin bore in the ring lands, there are tons of them running around. My opinion (for what it's worth) is that the same pistons that would have the breached ring lands are always a short skirt design, so it can't really be determined what causes the oil problems.

With those technicalities out of the way, I do agree that the 393 stroker is the best street setup, both in price and durability. I have all the parts for one sitting around, I bought all the parts off EBAY. The SCAT 3.85" crank is good to 7000+ rpm, plenty stout for just about any work. Your stock 351w rods will work well, safe to 6000rpm. The 351w truck or marine rods are easily found too if you want extra insurance, they go to 6500rpm no problem. As stated, stock 1.608" compression height 302 pistons will work. However, be very careful with your compression. You're squeezing 42 or so extra cubes into the motor, the swept volume is increased so the 8.5:1 compression that the 302 piston is rated for will be about 10.5:1 in a 393. That will work in a VERY carefully tuned motor with aluminum heads, but will detonate badly in a truck motor with iron heads. Keith Black sells a 22cc dished piston specifically made for a 393, roughly 9.5:1 compression with a 60cc head.

If you want to avoid looking around for separate parts, flatlanderracing.com sells kits with good parts for very reasonable prices.

 

It depends on the company making the stroke kit.I know the Eagle kit for a 427 has the pin in the oil ring.The kit from coast performance doesn't.A buddy just stroked his 351 to 427 in a 69 mustang.Awesome low end power.I would recomend having a good machine shop assemble the motor,or check everything very carefully.My buddy got the wrong size bearings,twice and the machinist found the rod side clearance too tight.Both of these catches saved him from ruining his motor.The shop only charged $500 bucks to assemble and balance the rotating assembly,cheap insurance.

CB

 

 

I have a 28’ omega with 2 x 351W that I need to replace them do to storm damage. I am thinking about stroking to 396 I have read the posted articles, my question is changing from 2 x 351W carburetors. To 396 can I go with 351 EFI systems if so what kind problem will I have?

 

Hi, and welcome to FTE! Please check out our guidelines, they contain important information that you'll need to post here:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/guidelines.html

I imagine you'll get all kinds of responces to your question, but for now I'd like to direct you to this thread:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=272689

It was started by one of our moderators who built a stroker, and chronicles his experiences. It's quite long at 62 pages and over 900 posts, so you may wish to skim through it, and if you go up to the last few pages there's a fair bit of info on the EFI. Hope you can find something in there that helps.