For quite a while, I have been seriously considering putting a stroked small block in my 69 340 4 speed Barracuda. The current 340 is built to about 375 HP now, and it is a blast to drive. I have even rat holed some money away for one. But the other day, I was cruising FABO and came across the video where the Engine Master guys tested a 360 and a stroked 360 with the same cam and heads. The stroker made a few more HP and more torque, but I'm not sure if the numbers were good enough to offset the extra cost of building a stroker. I was thinking that the stroker in this test probably did not perform the way I expected due to the heads. I assume that if yo are going to add 70 cubes, the heads better flow really well. Got me to wondering if a lightly built 440 (450 or so HP) might not be the way to go.
Yes, the engine masters motor needed ported heads (and a bigger cam too).
Some food for thought on what good heads can do for a stroker (my previous engine combo):
- 410 stroker, 10.8:1 compression, ported Edelbrocks by Ryan J @ Shadydell
- Small "street" roller cam (Comp XR286R)
- Victor intake, 750dp carb (built by me) drinking e85