[mikes69mach1]

I thought that might get your attention. Anyway, i have decided to stroke my 351w. Im going to start saving my pennys and by next summer i should be able to do it (I could put it on a credit card but then i would be single). My question is which kit 408,418 or 427 and what brand? I want a street strip motor. It probably won't see more than a 1,000 miles a year, if that. Pros and cons on these kits would be helpful. Also please give reason for the size stroke you suggest.I know that with the 427 kit you have to notch the block. can a guy do it himself and do the others need to be notched? Thanks Mike

 

[67fstbk]

I know you are thinking in the 400+ CID range, but I though I'd share what I discovered when I decided to build a 393:

1) I didn't need to notch the block.
2) The oil ring is above the wrist pin. At the time I was looking, every piston I found larger than the 393 had the oil ring cutting through the wrist pin hole. It is my understanding this causes an oil consumption issue.
3) From what I also read, the longer stroke brings the piston lower into the cylinder resulting in a better chance of the pistons slapping on the walls causing a shorter engine life.

Please consider none of what I stated is based on my actual experiences, just on what my research found. I'm sure there are many others here with real world experiences that will bring some additional thoughts. I also decided to not go the kit route because I wanted specific components (ie: Scat crank, KB hyper pistons, etc) and most of the kits are already laid out. I told the machine shop what I wanted, considered some of their recommendations and let them get the pieces. Their price was within striking distance of what I could have gotten the part for and right there with the quality kits. Remember, you usually get what you pay for so stay away from the "real" bargins.

Good luck,

Lou

 

[mikes69mach1]

The reason i was thinking 400+ CID is because i figured if i was going to replace the rods than i might as well go with the bigger cubes.

 

[abn]

I decided to build a 393 because I'm broke and just the convenience of being able to use stock parts that are plentiful on ehay made the decision for me...All prices are including delivery. I've got about a grand in a couple hundred more to go which is about the same as one of the ~$900 kits on ehay plus your block and machine work. But, I wanted some specifics like forged dished pistons...which could get pricey if they were not standard TRW 302 Forgings that you see on ehay all the time. I don't know too much about differences in quality between brands...in the realistic (for me) price range they are all chinese castings/forgings and most are ground here in the U.S. If you have the option of using someone local I would as it can get a bit expensive to ship a crank if there is some sort of problem with it (I chose Scat because they are about 30miles away from me and I can knock on their door if their crank is bad.) If you already know your machine shop maybe you could work through them and let them deal with the quality control issues so everything will indicate right when you go to assemble it. Anyway, I haven't built my stroker yet and this is my first, so I'm far from expert...

So far:
Scat Crank: 257.95
302 Forged Pistons: 137.00
New Eagle I beams: 212.00
Block machined .030 over with a freshly micropolished and chamfered stock crank w/ new main and cam bearings (local pickup, no delivery charge): $300.00