Advantages of a stroker for daily driver

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no, a 10:1 comp ratio gets better mileage than a 8:1... if all other factors are the same.

it burns the gas more efficiently, gets more power out of the same amount of fuel.

to keep the mileage good
- 3:23's for highway
- keep the weight of the car down. more weight = lower mileage. dont go to extremes however. so aluminum heads/intake can probably save you close to 100 pounds.
- a manual trans setup will get better mileage than an auto... since you wont be running a "lock-up" converter like a lot of new cars and trucks use, you will lose 5-10% with a non lock-up torque converter. that's just a fact of auto trans life
- how you drive affects your mileage. on the highway keep a long distance between the car in front... it's safer so you dont get rear ended or have to slam the brakes and slide into another lane or into the car in front... but it helps mileage because every time you have to use the brakes to slow down you are wasting the fuel you used to get up to speed. so keeping a good distance and only using the brakes occasionally is best practice
- keep it tuned up - plugs and air filter in good shape, timing set right
 
p.s. my 340 '68 dart with a big cam and X heads (2.02 valves), 4 speed manual trans, headers, big old thermoquad carb got 19mpg highway.
 
Id back the compression down to 9:1. unless your running aluminum heads and a good sized cam pump gas may be a stretch. 325 to 350 hp small block would be plenty for a driver.

The best daily driver I had was my 69 Barracuda when I first got it. Stock 1972 casting 340 with 8.5:1 compression. cleaned up J heads, LD340 intake 600cfm Edelbrock carb, small unknown cam (idled so you knew it wasnt stock but not big by any means) headers, 727 with a stock hi-stall converter and 323 gears. Plenty of power for a driver and ran on 87 pump gas with no problem and got great gas mileage.
 
1973dusterkid said:
Would there be any advantages to running a built 408 stroker other then just a built 360 for a daily driver.
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The problem with your question is that you didn't tell us what you expect from your "daily driver". Many of the responses were based on longevity, overall cost to build or fuel mileage.

So, what do you want from you daily driver? Is cost a factor, if so how much are you willing to spend on your car's drivetrain (engine/trans/rear)? Is longevity or fuel mileage important. How many miles will you drive a year? What kind of fuel mileage do you expect? Have you determined if you are using a 4-speed or automatic?

The better you qualify your question the better answer you will get.
 
Everyone is away from his original question???? This question plagues this website ALL the time!!!!!!! First you have to CHOOSE power ,torque or GAS MILEAGE !!!!How can you even compare or ask the question about FUEL mileage??? if you want to have fun and smoke the tires at will BUILD A STROKER,If you want gas MILEAGE build a 318 with a efi set-up and go with 3.23 open rear gears, You have to asses what your end goals are,My Duster is my PLAY toy and put less than 6,0000 miles a year so I'm building a stroked 410 5.7 hemi and NO I'm not Worried about gas mileage,I'll probably get ripped for this post but it bugs the hell out of me when guy's want a big torqued motor but also want gas MILEAGE the two have NO relation to each other --GEEZ this question is getting old here--Steve
 
fishy68 said:
Personally I prefer the higher torque of a stroker in a daily driver combined with taller gears (3.23's for example) so the engine isn't screamin down the hwy. Piston speed and side wall loading is higher on a stroker so naturally it's not going to last as long as a short stroke engine but if you run taller gears the lower rpm's down the hwy. can balance out against the 360 and it'll last a nice long life. If you will be putting a lot of miles on it stay with the 360 but if you don't put many miles on it a stroker will do you good. As far as fuel mileage it's all in the combination. I recently took out a mild 360 and put a mild stroker in my Cuda and noticed no change at all in fuel mileage and the stroker isn't even broke in but the best part is the 360 had to have 93 octane to keep it happy but the stroker I built runs fine with no spark knock on 87 octane so in the long run it's a lot cheaper to operate. Plus the power is a lot better.
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I agree, if you have the extra funds and want to build a car that will perform nicely on the street (some strip) and get mileage, go with the stroker (maybe even a stroked 318 ) and use an overdrive trans with 3.23's or even 3.00's.

A friend of mine built a 454 up and stuck it in a late 70's Chevy van mounted just behind the seats. It would eat anything that pulled up next to it, but it also got almost 20 mpg. He built it for one reason, to pull his boats and to get descent mileage doing it, you just need to do your homework on what parts to use to achieve the performance you want out of it. The only reason he moved the engine back in the van was to get good traction on the boat ramps.



1968FormulaS340 said:
80,000 miles out of an engine is really bad.
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I also agree, 80,000 is not good if the engine was built correctly and set up for the street.



You can't throw big duration, high compression, and a big carb, on a street engine and get what you're after, it's also not needed to run good at the track either, you may not do a 10 sec 1/4 mile, but it will perform better than most on the road, look at all the pro touring cars.
 
I would be doing about 7500 miles a year.I am not looking for a drag car But I do want a car that can get up in go when you floor it so I am thinking around 300-350 Hp.I want the power but I want 15 or more MPG.I am going to run the comp cam big murta cam and stock heads(because I don't have money for alum heads) flot top piston but I still would like the 10.1 compression because of the faster revving.I have not diced on the tranny I would like a manual but they are harder to find so if a find a good used 727 or 904 before a 833 I would go with a auto set up.
 
I would splurge and get an overdrive transmission installed. You can do almost anything you want with the engine and final driver ratio and still get great gas mileage compared to any non O/D transmission.
 
1973dusterkid said:
I would be doing about 7500 miles a year.I am not looking for a drag car But I do want a car that can get up in go when you floor it so I am thinking around 300-350 Hp.I want the power but I want 15 or more MPG.I am going to run the comp cam big murta cam and stock heads(because I don't have money for alum heads) flot top piston but I still would like the 10.1 compression because of the faster revving.I have not diced on the tranny I would like a manual but they are harder to find so if a find a good used 727 or 904 before a 833 I would go with a auto set up.
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While I was waiting on your response I looked at your past threads and learned some more about you and your car. Because your car came with a slant six you most likely have a 7.25 rear-end and you've also mentioned you have a 904 (older threads).

Based on your knowledge level and goals I recommend you first ensure your brakes, suspension, tranny, and rear are healthy and happy. Then and only then should you upgrade to a 318 (cheap and plentiful). Or, keep your slant and hot rod it.

Forget about all the cam hype and compression ratios and focus on building a good 318 with a dual plane intake, 600 cfm carb with electric choke, headers with dual exhaust and a properly set up distributor with vacuum advance. Keep the 904 and a stock stall convertor, but add a shift kit (just for fun). Your 7.25 should live with this set up as long as you’re not doing neutral drops.

You can learn a lot about small block Mopars from a 318 and you can learn how to tune for performance and decent gas mileage.
 
I don't know, you can build a 360 with a xe268H, ld340, 9.5:1, J heads, headers, decent 2500 converter, 3.00 gears and 750 double pumper and get around 20mpg on the highway. It won't be a terror at the track, but will run about 103-104mph in the 1/4 babied off the line.

One of the biggest issues is getting the carb tune correct.

Can a stroker get great mileage, likely. Is it easier to do with less cubes, yes.
 
I would buy a nice little 4 banger for a daily driver and use the money you save on gas to build the car the way you really want.
 
1968FormulaS340 said:
I would buy a nice little 4 banger for a daily driver and use the money you save on gas to build the car the way you really want.
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You beat me too it! Best opinion right here. $500 4 cylinder beater for commutes and build the 408 to eat chebies and **** fords :)

As mentioned before big HP and TQ don't mix well with high mileage.

Good luck with your build whichever way you choose to go!
 
I guess my hole reason is to have a duster like my dads.He had a 72 340 4 speed and he said he could drive through a parking lot and set of car alarms.I just want a good motor the has decant power but is loud as hell and shakes the ground.
 
Tell us now, what do you want for mileage and power.

A heck of a sound DB wise can be done with 2-1/2 pipe and tin cans for mufflers. So that part is easy and done.

IMO, a decent set up for a good runner with decent gas mileage and power
(the 350-ish HP number your looking for if I'm correct)
would be a 650 carb o top of a RPM, stock heads, a cam in the 226/230 intake area and approx 8*-10* more on the exhaust. Compression ratio @ 10-1 the most. I mean max with the iron head.
(Similar to what Cracked back said. Nice combo cracked)

I think someone mentioned a overdrive trans? I'd do that. That would be money well spent as well as the abilty to change the gear ratio to a nice tire fryin friendly set of 4.10 gears. The O.D. ratio would be 282, just fine for that Hwy. cruise ratio.
 
The 904 and 727 both have a over drive upgrade. There known as the A-500 (904) and the A-518 (727). The 500 is an easier fit, though a trans tunnel mod (AKA, wack with a hammer) is said to be needed. I have not done this myself.

Some have said it took major surgery to do. Others I have met said no major surgery was needed. A mount is needed to be fabbed up. Though I swear I seen someplace that a company was making a unit to bolt in.
 
The simplest overdrive conversion for you would be an overdrive 4spd out of a Duster or Aspen, it will also allow you to use your current drive shaft, the only major work with it would be the tunnel.

The 500 (904) overdrive automatic out of a (I think 89-90) Dodge truck that don't need a computer to up shift is a good option, but it will need someone with experience to get it all working properly, you will also have to wire in a shut off switch so it kicks out of overdrive when you hit the brakes or slow down, a cruise control shut off switch, is a cheap alternative, but it needs someone that knows wiring to do it.
 
Isn't it a 3 wire issue? For the OD unit to kick on or be shutoff?

He didn't mention his car having cruise control though. IMO that would be cool to have on a old ride.
 
rumblefish360 said:
Isn't it a 3 wire issue? For the OD unit to kick on or be shutoff?

He didn't mention his car having cruise control though. IMO that would be cool to have on a old ride.
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When I checked about using an overdrive 500 in my 50 Merc, I found that the early 500's only had one or possible two (can't remember) wires that controlled the on off of the overdrive, and they didn't have the lockup converter, but you have to have a switch to turn it on or off in the car because it is normally controlled by the trucks computer, I don't remember what the other wire was for, but it wasn't for the overdrive, it was for reverse lights or neutral safety or something, it's been a long time since I had the tranny sitting here, I decided to use a 4spd in the car so I sold it.

The cruise control switch is just to turn the overdrive off when you hit the brakes or slow down, not anything to do with cruise control itself. Several of the Street Rodders I talked to about it said they just use a toggle switch to turn the overdrive on or off, but I thought using a toggle to turn it off would be a hassle and I figured a way to have it turn off when you tapped the brakes by using a cruise control switch, it would also be safer.
 
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