351w stroker w/ edelbrock 400Hp kit

[Slobin3d]

I've been doing research on my engine and what mods are worth a damn, I have my Body man/mentor singing the praises of his 408 stroker kit, and I've been reading a lot about the Edelbrock 351w top end kit.

I want my car to be reliable and not need to be rebuilt every other year and I'm not looking to make 800HP. I do want to make on the close side of 400, and I want to have low end power and not have to be at 7k to see my top #'s.


I have been doing some reading on the 393 stroker kits and have been wondering about them compared to a 408 or any other kits

And what kind of performance would I receive a mixing a stroker kit with a top end kit? I know the weight drop with the aluminum heads is obvious.

Sorry for the random rambling, typing as I think

 

[mustangbrad]

Go with the 408. You are building a stroker for extra cubes, so why leave 15 cubic inches on the table?

The Edelbrock kit is fine for 351 c.i. but not enough for a 408.

Do yourself a favor and spend some time on (sbf tech dot com) before you buy anything.

 

[rbohm]

what are you wanting from this engine? if you only want about 400hp for a mustang, then stay with a 351ci combination, you can make an easy 400hp with that. if you want a lot of torque for a truck or large sedan, then go with a 393 or 408 stroker motor. personally i would go with the 393 as you can use teh stock 351w rods and stock 302 pistons, and save some money.

 

[Slobin3d]

Go with the 408. You are building a stroker for extra cubes, so why leave 15 cubic inches on the table?

The Edelbrock kit is fine for 351 c.i. but not enough for a 408.

Do yourself a favor and spend some time on (sbf tech dot com) before you buy anything.

Because of the xtra machine work that is involved for diminishing returns.

what are you wanting from this engine? if you only want about 400hp for a mustang, then stay with a 351ci combination, you can make an easy 400hp with that. if you want a lot of torque for a truck or large sedan, then go with a 393 or 408 stroker motor. personally i would go with the 393 as you can use teh stock 351w rods and stock 302 pistons, and save some money.

The car won't be a drag car and I want useable hp. I want the low end grunt for SCCA racing, the ability to pull a corner in 2nd or 3rd without having to down shift. I don't want to bouncing off the rev limiter in third to see power, the have to shift into second to exit the turn.


Maybe my thinking is flawed but thats where my heads at

 

[mustangbrad]

My 408 required no "xtra machine work". The 392 is only cheaper if you already have the 302 pistons and 351 rods. If you are buying a complete stroker kit, the 392 kit is no cheaper than a 408 kit. The 408 kit is more common than the 392 kit, mostly for the reason I mentioned earlier.

It sounds like a 347 may suit your needs a little better. It would be lighter and "spin up" quicker.

Again (sbf tech dot com)! This should be required reading for anyone building a small block Ford.

 

[Slobin3d]

My 408 required no "xtra machine work". The 392 is only cheaper if you already have the 302 pistons and 351 rods. If you are buying a complete stroker kit, the 392 kit is no cheaper than a 408 kit. The 408 kit is more common than the 392 kit, mostly for the reason I mentioned earlier.

It sounds like a 347 may suit your needs a little better. It would be lighter and "spin up" quicker.

Again (sbf tech dot com)! This should be required reading for anyone building a small block Ford.

How would a 347 do me any good if I already have a 351w?

From some I had talked with about the 408's have said that the 408 requires a shorter piston that tends to walk in the cylinders and wear quicker, or that you have to do a lot of machine work to get the bore large enough to get the same CI with out using such a short piston. Hence the 393 setup....But again I'm not the expert but have knowledgeable friends answering some questions.

 

[rebel65]

there is no difference in machining costs. my 392 is great. I didn't want to go too big on the cubes to keep the heat down. My friend with a 427 said if it's a street car don't go as big as his, and my engine builder agreed. Especially after I had to sleeve one piston.

just sorta Fell into 392, didn't think it was better or worse than the 408.

 

[rbohm]

How would a 347 do me any good if I already have a 351w?

From some I had talked with about the 408's have said that the 408 requires a shorter piston that tends to walk in the cylinders and wear quicker, or that you have to do a lot of machine work to get the bore large enough to get the same CI with out using such a short piston. Hence the 393 setup....But again I'm not the expert but have knowledgeable friends answering some questions.

the 347 kit is for the 302 block not the 351w block. a 408 does require a shorter piston, but not much shorter. as i recall the early 408s used stock chevy 350 pistons due to their 1.5" pin height, and a 6" chevy rod, along with a 400 ford crank with the rod journals turned to fit the chevy rods. you do want to mock up the engine before you assemble it for real to check for rod to cylinder wall clearance. sometimes you need to clearance the bottom of the cylinders, sometimes not.

 

[68keyblr]

No matter which kit you go with, don't get a top end kit designed for a 351 or you will only make 351 power. IMHO a custom cam is the key to getting the exact performance you are after...start there and let the cam designer pick your top end kit. Add me to the list of sbf tech dot com disciples.

 

[woodsnake]

Very good advice here:

Do yourself a favor and spend some time on (sbf tech dot com) before you buy anything.


However, they are mostly focused on RACE cars. HOURS of good reading about cams and gears and....

 

[rebel65]

when you're talking 400 HP, it's a lot of power. as mentioned by keyblr go with a custom cam and do some research, call a cam place like crane or lunati or whatever. they do this every day.

or talk to an engine builder and tell him what you want, and he will suggest what you need.

 

[mtaqua]

I'd talk to a cam guy, engine builder, or someone who races for a living and build it with the complete project in mind. This way the parts will match, I did mine a little at a time and ended up with a weird combo. The larger cubes will keep your RPM down (or at least make power in a lower RPM range), so if that is your goal you might consider going bigger.

 

[bikefreak600]

I'd talk to a cam guy, engine builder, or someone who races for a living and build it with the complete project in mind. This way the parts will match, I did mine a little at a time and ended up with a weird combo. The larger cubes will keep your RPM down (or at least make power in a lower RPM range), so if that is your goal you might consider going bigger.

heads cam + intake are what determine your rpm range. cubic inches are irrelevant to how fast your engine turns. when changing your bottom end, its the quality of the parts that determin how fast motor is capable of turning.
when upgrading to a quality stoker kit, you motor WILL BE ABLE TO REV HIGHER BECAUSE THE BOTTOM END IS STRONGER THAN STOCK.

the reason a engine will make power in a lower rpm is if the heads cam intake are not large enough to support the extra cubic inches.

the bigger cubes you go = more airflow required

 

[mtaqua]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I did not mean it literally makes your engine turn faster. What makes the engine turn faster is the conversion of chemical energy into thermal and mechanical energy. Add more fuel and air it spins faster (as long as the motor can burn the fuel). With the same heads, cam, intake, carb, etc if you only increase the cubes your RPM power band should be lower. That is what I meant. Of course you put more cubes in you'll probably get bigger heads, larger cam, etc and end up back in the same RPM band. The combo is what dictates where (RPM band) power is made, but if your goal is more power and lower RPM bigger cubes is a method to achieve that goal.