Can anybody tell me the following for a 1995 351w:

Stock piston compression height?
Stock piston to deck clearance?

And if I could choose between stroker kits of close displacement would I want to go for:

3.75 crank 6.25 rod 1.35 compression height (9.502-((3.75/2)+6.25+1.35))=.027 piston-deck clearance
3.7 crank 6.125 rod 1.485 compression height (9.502-((3.7/2)+6.215+1.485))=.042 clearance

What is a good clearance for good quench with a standard .039-.041" head gasket?

Am I understanding correctly that more compression height on a piston means more skirt and more piston support/better longevity?

And lastly, how much if any larger in diameter should the head gasket bore diameter be than the bore in the block?

 

My book says 0.035" for piston deck height,1.739" for compression height,the machinist that worked my block shaved it for 0.005 deck height w/the 3.85 stroke crank.I cant remember the rod length.And I think the gaskets are 4.100

 

As for the last question, I would think ideally the hole in the gasket for the cylinder bore would be just a shade larger than the bore (just enough to not rub the piston). In practice they are made to accomodate the largest anticipated overbore plus clearance to allow for slight misalignment.

 

393 stroker, youre using a 4.1 gasket on a .030" over motor? Would it be cutting it too close to use a 4.06 bore head gasket with 4.032 bore?

So heres the ideal setup (I think) 3.7 crank 6.25 rod (1.689 rod/stroke ratio) ~1.37 CH piston

The math: (9.502-((3.7/2)-6.25-1.367)=.035 piston-deck clearance

So if I use a .039 gasket I'll have .074" between piston and head at TDC is this too much?? Too little?

 

The 4.06 gasket must be something special because I only have 4.100/4.160.At .035 you will lose a little compression/quench/power.You want about .005 -deck height.Get John Lingenfelter book on High Performance Engine Building and Tuning for Street and Strip.It`s based on the SBC but there`s alot of good reading/knowledge

 

why not do a 393 3.850 stroke, stock windsor rod 5.956, and a 302 piston of appropiate compression height. .035 to .050 is ideal for quench, so you would need .010 deck clearance or less. Theres nothing wrong with a 4.06 bore gaskets on a 4.03 bore. You don't want the gasket to shround the combustion chamber of your heads.

Using a 4.06 bore on a cleveland motor is not a good idea because the chamber in the head is bigger than 4.060 and the top of the bores are notched on cleveland block as well.

math is 9.502 minus 5.956, 1.925= 1.621 for compression height and deck clearance.

 

Check Summit, it seems like the majority of 4.06" head gaskets I'm finding are copper (Will this work for Iron block/aluminum heads?).

The reason I wouldn't want to go with that combo (5.956rod/3.85 stroke) is the short rod/stroke ratio (1.54:1). (Stock is 1.7:1, my combo would be 1.69:1) I'm hoping the lesser rod angles and longer piston dwell will work to my advantage in building torque for a high perf. streetable truck motor and making the engine last longer.

393Stroker, would you recommend that same .005" piston-deck clearance in a 9.5-9.7:1 351w stroker with 72cc combustion chambers?

 

The copper head gaskets are a good upgrade, but you dont need them unless your running a lot of boost.I have trick flow 61cc heads with the o-ring grooves cut in them for o-ring gaskets.My block has .005 deck clearance becuase thats what the machinest recomended to get some good quench,but you will lose comppression w/72cc heads

 

I figured I would have to run the larger cc heads if I wanted to run a long rod and flattop pistons while keeping the compression below 10:1.

What is the ideal head gasket material for sealing aluminum heads to a cast iron block?

 

Yeah,my pistons are dished to keep the comp.@10-1.I used the Loc Wire gaskets sold by Trick Flow made by Fel Pro