Do I really need a stroker?

Stroke or rebuild at stock stroke

  • Stroke it!!

    Votes: 24 61.5%

  • Save the money!!

    Votes: 15 38.5%
  • Total voters
    39
  • Poll closed .
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With that happening, I have a feeling that you will spend some machine shop time.
 
Some might say it's kinda like asking "do I really need a beer"? If you have to ask......I sure didn't need a stroker, but wtf, why not!!
 
12many said:
Some might say it's kinda like asking "do I really need a beer"? If you have to ask......I sure didn't need a stroker, but wtf, why not!!
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I had one of those vans years ago, they were evil handling, you are nuts to put a stroker in that old buggy.
 
doogievlg said:
Some people have no problem spending money.
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Some people have no problem spending OTHER people's money.


That's me!!! I love spending your money. Hell, I'd build that mother to the nines.



Not really. I try to save people money without cutting corners. But there are some people who spend other people's money with no problem.
 
408 CI , Large 2.08 Intake valves, Stage III porting, Forged crank, solid roller VooDoo Cam, 1.6 Hughes Rockers, Fitech....oh yeah!

Cam Specs:
Voodoo Solid Roller Cam. Good cam for high performance street or mild strip applications. Needs 2500-3000 RPM stall converter or 4-speed transmission, headers, 9.5:1+ compression ratio and 3.73+ gearing. Rough idle.

  • Advertised Duration (Int/Exh): 267/273
  • Duration @ .050 (Int/Exh): 237/243
  • Gross Valve Lift (Int/Exh): .566/.578
  • LSA/ICL: 110/106
  • Valve Lash (Int/Exh): 016/016
  • RPM Range: 2500-6600

36370179655_7705dc2a0b_b.jpg
IMG_4464 by Alexl5280, on Flickr
 
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yellow rose said:
Some people have no problem spending OTHER people's money.


That's me!!! I love spending your money. Hell, I'd build that mother to the nines.



Not really. I try to save people money without cutting corners. But there are some people who spend other people's money with no problem.
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We are having a discussion about spending thousand of dollars but tomorrow morning I will wake up starving and I’ll come up on a McDonald’s before getting on the interstate. I’ll have the same dilemma over a 99 cent breakfast sandwhich that I am having over a stroker motor. I’m a tight wad.
 
let's say you can afford the 408 stroker. let's be realistic, how many trips are you gonna make to the strip, are you a cash street racer or grudge racer, can your car hook with a potent 360. if you can answer NO to any of these questions then you don't need a 408. I've been running a lowly 383 cubes on the street/strip for a very long time. My chassis is setup, the car dead hooks any where, 408. 440, mr goodwrench and mr ford don't stand a chance without a GOOD hook. I'm gone and when they think their catching me, the heads and cam take over
 
fishmens67 said:
let's say you can afford the 408 stroker. let's be realistic, how many trips are you gonna make to the strip, are you a cash street racer or grudge racer, can your car hook with a potent 360. if you can answer NO to any of these questions then you don't need a 408. I've been running a lowly 383 cubes on the street/strip for a very long time. My chassis is setup, the car dead hooks any where, 408. 440, mr goodwrench and mr ford don't stand a chance without a GOOD hook. I'm gone and when they think their catching me, the heads and cam take over
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The car never spun on slicks when at the track. On the stree the slicks would spin if I didn’t hear them up. I don’t race for cash on the streets and probably five trips a year to the track.
 
I really didn't keep an accurate tally of funds. The heads alone were in the $4800 range when you add the Hughes rockers, they came from Mike at MRL Performance, the forged balanced Scat rotating assembly was around $2200.00, $1000.00 machine work to block, FiTech was $900, VooDoo Solid roller cam and MRL roller lifters $1000.00 and lots more parts, so yeah it was not cheap.... that is for sure.

doogievlg said:
What was the cost if you don’t mind me asking?
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I don't run slicks. mickey ET street 275/15
 
I am already building my 416 Stoker. Nothing too exotic and I am already at $7000.00. I figure I will be close to $10,000 when all is said and done. Even though you think you've thought about everything it's all of the small things that add up to be a thousand dollars or more. I will give everyone a final tally when all is said and done in my build thread (Well It Finally Happened). I thought that I could build one for $5000.00 but quickly found that I would have had to make a lot of compromises.
 
doogievlg said:
I know this thread has been posted a million times but I just really want to here some opinions.

Current engine is .30 over 360
Edelbrock heads
Performer rpm intake
Flat top pistons
Mp .484 cam

I am at a point in my life where I can afford to build a fordged 408. The problem is that I am extreamly hesitant to spend any of my money and this swap would mean spending well over 5 grand by the time I buy a new rear end, new torque converter, and the engine itself.

The car is mostly a street car that I have been taking to the track about 5 times a year. I like the idea of having 500 hp but I also like the idea of spending 2k instead of 5k. If I rebuild it at stock stroke then I am changing the cam and porting the heads and adding roller rockers.

I just can not make up my mind and it is driving me nuts.
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You'll be over 5k for sure just in engine parts and machine shop labor unless you're really going to skimp. Block, heads and intake are all that you're starting with. Stroker kit, roller rockers, roller cam and lifters, push rods, oil pump,water pump, gaskets etc. adds up. Add converter and rear end and is the trans strong enough Might need a cooling system upgrade and is fuel system up to the task?
I love mine but it is way too much for the street. Won't hook in first or second. It's a beast.
 
doogievlg said:
I am at a point in my life where I can afford to build a fordged 408. The problem is that I am extreamly hesitant

I just can not make up my mind and it is driving me nuts.
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Choices choices choices, always the problem.
Do you “NEED” a stroker, “No.”
Do you want a stroker? “Yes!”
Affordability has been answered.
No get off the diving board! One way or the other. Climb down or take the plunge!

My mom always said, “Don’t settle, otherwise you’ll wish you never did!”

Off the soap box now.
 
If your looking for street friendly power than stroker. If you dont mind ruff idle deep gear high stall. Spend the money on the top end.
 
Whatever you build.....put a roller cam in it. It is worth every cent.

Having built a 408 (and on a budget, it can be done but dont buy a cast crank) my vote is to go with the stroker.
 
I have a 408 W2 stroker which was well north of $12,000 in my 69 Swinger. The car is used as a hot street machine, and with the torque curve it is a great deal of fun to drive. To really make a stroker shine you need big heads and very good porting.

My next engine is for a dedicated bracket car, a Duster and will be a 372 cubic in W2 head engine with a tunnel ram , short stroke high rpm engine. This is a 3.58 crank in 340 R3 block.

The moral of the story is:
1 decide how car is used majority of time
2 set a budget
3 speak to people who have actually built engines.
4 have fun and don't overthink it.

Many people have built very fast non stroker 360's, many people have great strokers. You will NEVER get a decisive answer with a post like this. This question has many answers, none are wrong. Ultimately the question is what would make you happiest?
 
I've had both. I had a VERY mild 408 in my 72 Duster. Heads were stock 360 smogger heads that I very mildly ported and gasket matched and it had a tiny hydraulic flat tappet cam, RPM airgap and Holley 600 vac sec carb (I was in high school and it was all I had). Car had headers, 3.23 one legger gears (again- poor high schooler) with a stock 904 and stock converter. It was a very fun driver, would blast tire loose at will.

The 340 in the Dart I have currently is really mild too. 9.6:1, 230@50 .550" hydraulic flat cam, air gap, 750DP, 9.5 converter, 727, 3.91s. It's a really fun driver too, but a completely different animal.

With the converter and shorter gear, the 340 is a blast to drive. I do miss the "torque everywhere" feel the 408 had though. My experience is limited compared to a lot of folks on this site, but I feel like 408s are a lot more user friendly. For me, strokers just shorten the learning curve of building a good combo. Stock stroke combos really need to be well-thought out to kick ***. But, there's a lot to be said for spinning a short stroke 340 to 6500 with a decent gear and converter. It's all about personal preference... I vote for one of each!
 
I have 7500,00 in my R3 (422) build with 360-1 heads and a 650 lift solid cam but I look for deals and do a lot of my own work. 9.44 (1/4 mile) times so far (6.001) 1/8 mile times. Deals are out there if you look and are prepared to jump when it comes along.
 
doogievlg said:
The engine was making 5 pounds of oil pressure with parts of a bearing in the oil filter so the engine is coming apart.
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Does it have a stock 360 cast crank in it now?

What's a rough safe max for HP and TQ for a stock 360 crank.

What are your goals?... HP, TQ, drivability

What are you constraints?...gas octane, gear, converter, drivability, idle, tune-ability
 
Check out my 408 build. You could consider selling the motor, or parts, you have and pick up a 5.9 as a base for a 408. The valvetrain of a stock 408 in good shape can handle enough cam to make a real torque monster capable of over 450 hp easy. An important part of the combo is the LSA of the cam. With a single pattern cam a 104 to 106 LSA is best due to all the cubes for the valve size on the intake side. The Airgap also works extremely well.
 
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I felt some what the same as you I have a great 318 and cannot fault it but always wanted that bit more so I bit the bullet and I'm on the same train now just shy of 9k on a 408 and haven't started on the machining yet !. As stated above still need a converter, possibly cooling system upgrade, fuel pump upgrade and so on.
 
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