i was gonna get a 429 and put it in my truck but it was sold out from under me. so now im thinkin about doin a huge 351w build. no hurry cause i dont even have a motor as of now. buut i just wanted to get the project lined out so i can keep my eye out for things i will be needing. i want as much torque as humanly possible out of a speed density EFI 351w. i dont tow A LOT but when i do its a lot of weight. what sucks is that i have 3.55 gears, but i want to keep them for cruising. should i stroke it, or just bore it over port the heads and intake and heads and put in a huge cam? im pretty open!!! never done a build up before so school me, i am real good with my hands and know my way around motors pretty well. i would also like to still regular gasoline. i know i said a lot so if you have any questions just ask away. thanks nik

 

Anyone, are strikers good for towing and torque or are they just high performance?

 

stroker engines can be great for towing if built for that reason.The torque will be greater anyways when you stroke an engine. One of the biggest you can go on a stock block is a 427ci. I have herd of 434ci's but mainly for racing purposes. What I want is a 408 stroker. A happy medium I guess you could say. there are 383,393,408,427 stroker kits out there from alot of manufactures. Anyways, plan on spending about a 1000 or so bucks on a good stroker kit. About the speed density thing I would ask around on here there are some guys that stroked there trucks and have that stuff on it.

 

Good choice. The Windsors are relatively inexpensive, as far as bang for the buck. The variety of options have come a long way in the last 10 years, and there's still plenty of cores to work with, because they made so many of them. Where to begin........utilize the 'search' function near the top of your screen, kick back with a cup of coffee, and take notes every now and then. If there's anything specific that you don't understand, THAT'S when you post your ? . I write Everything down. (if not, I'd forget.....what was I talking about???)

Now, my opinion.

#1- How much money ya got to spend on this thing?
#2- Be realistic about your goals. A BADASS motor = more maintenance($), reduced longevity($), more expensive parts($),
#3- Have patience, Grasshopper........buckle up, this is gonna be fun.
#4- Kewl. How much money we got??
#5- I ain't gonna suggest anything yet. I wanna hear what the pros have to say.
#6- I'm thinkin' a medium-hot 408 stroker, anything bigger than that and I'd have to go with an aftermarket block.
#7- Is this a roller valvetrain deal, or hydraulic flat tappet?
#8- I know, it's just me, but I'm old, but I'd go with a nice QFT carb Quick Fuel Technology, Inc. Bowling Green, KY . Or, with an unlimited budget, something like this: Inglese Ford Small Block Performance .
#9- Is this an auto tranny, or stick?
#10- I'm really good at spending other people's money.
#11- We haven't even discussed heads yet. $1200-$1500 will be more than enough (OK, $1800) for REALLY nice street/strip heads.
#12- Oh boy! We get to pay for that custom-ground cam and lifters with Guitarnik's new Mastercard..
#13- You didn't really expect this to come in on budget, did you?

Pete

 

I don't necesarily have a BUDGET, but I don't want to spend a fortune on it. It's a stick, 4x4. I have been looking around this site at what others have done and I think either a 393 or 408 would be good, I guess the 393. Am I right in thinking the less you do the longer the motor will last? It also depends if I get a kit or if I just buy the parts a price at a time.

My budget is what I can spare at the end of the month. I guess if I can save enough for a kit over a few months I'll get a kit. If not I'll just pick and choose my parts to make my own custom stroker. Also how big can I go with the stock heads ported or with gt-40 heads?

 

A stroker will likely cause problems for the SD efi system though, it's no problem at all to stretch 19lb injectors for all their worth on a 5.8 without ever exceeding 5000rpm, all you got to do is let it breath. For mondo TQ build it with about 9.5:1 compression, a 260-270 duration cam, stock truck intake and heavily ported heads, combined with longtubes you'll have 400ft lbs TQ from 2000rpm. But forget about keeping the 3.55 gears, step up to 4.10's and install a little larger tire, your tranny will thank you. Hwy milage won't be significantly impacted with this change if you can keep speeds reasonable... 70mph for example.

 

Ok, conanski. What if I don't stroke it but put a big cam in it, port the heads, open the intake and bore it over, say .40. What kinda torque could I expect from that.

 

That's what I mean.. you'll get that much from a 5.8. A stroker would be even more but you gotta have mass air if you want something that runs decent.

 

ok, thats what ill work on then. prolly cheaper huh? what kinda cam should i get, duration/lift etc. and should i stay with stock heads? or just buy gt-40 or gt-40p

 

If you can find a set of GT40's grab them, the P version will cause header problems, and the 5.8 will deliver more TQ and HP with better heads. The cams in my sig line are good choices, it depends if you get a roller or flat tappet motor of course.

 

If you shop around you can find companies that offer affordable priced new cast iron and aluminum heads that will outflow the GT-40s, down here in florida all the gt40s ive seen are going around $300-400 a pair and for a couple hundred more you could have better flowing heads for your stroker. I have $2,000 in my 408w build and still have a long way to go till its complete

 

well Conanski, im assuming the motor im getting isnt a roller. its from a 78 model cougar. as long as the guy doesnt sell it from under me like the last guy. since i was planning on going carb this motor should work right?

 

ok, so i just went to jegs and was lookin at cams. i think i understand what im lookin for so heres some numbers from what i found. will one of these work for the build im planning. of course i looked at the crane 444232, but also the 442902(dur. 260/272 lift .456/.484) next i looked at a comp 249-cl35-242-3(dur. 268/280 lift .510/.512) and a comp 249-35-239-3(dur. 262/270 lift .493/.512) are these cams in the ball park of what i need for a torqy motor?

 

Yeah that's what you want, the 35-239-3 looks like it has a good combo of lift and duration.

 

does anyone know anything about Lunati Voodoo cams. ive heard their great. i found two that are about what im lookin for. one is 256*/262* and .483/.499 other is 262*/262* and .499/.522???????? just wondered if anyoone has had any experience with these cams (good or bad)