To stroke or not to stroke

[moparduster]

Ok heres the deal... I acquired and LA360 short block stock stroke, factory rods, 10.5:1 .60 over pistons. If I put a stroker crank in it that can only help. RIGHT? also what else would I have to do? (machine work, etc?) Im gonna be running RHS heads, Mopar purple shaft .320 with .533 lift cam, M1 with holley 750DP, 727 manuel valve body, 3800 turbo action converter, 8.75 with 4.56 on a spool, 29X10.50-15 hoosiers. Also what kinda numbers should I be looking at with this set-up?

 

[jrlegacy23]

I would stroke it.... But what are you planning to accomplish with the engine? Drag car, street car, autocross?

 

[DusterKrazy]

My friend built a 408 about 4 years ago. It is a BEAST!!! with today's parts however a basic 360 can amaze you. It all depends on you're budget.

You can go with an affordable cast crank from Ebay for less than $300. I don't remember what the 408 pistons are going for though. The advice I will give you is this, when doing a stroker use a carb large enough to utilize the extra
cubic inches, you may find that the 750 is to small after stroking. The same with the headers, skip the 1 7/8 and go to 1 3/4 (Hooker super comp is what my friend uses- not a nightmare to install either!!) .

He originally used an rpm air gap with an EPS 800 carb. While it ran good,
he picked up when he used a tunnel ram. Those long arm small block love the
added air flow.

When the funds become available, I am serious on the thought of a 390 or 408 for my '7o charger because of the insane broad torque curve that they have. Just my two pennies worth..Have fun!!

 

[rumblefish360]

If I put a stroker crank in it that can only help. RIGHT?

Maybe. Depends on what your doing and such. The stroker crank adds lots-o-torque.

also what else would I have to do? (machine work, etc?)

Depends on the level of power you want to make. A basic bore and hone of the cylinders is one thing. And a possible min. for a street engine. Also, a possible notch of the block at the bottom of the cylinders may be required, it's dependent of C-rod choice. Which ones need it I forget.
Square the block and line hone, square decking and a host of other machine work above and beyond the block itself can add up to a heck of alot.

Also what kinda numbers should I be looking at with this set-up?

Price or 1/4 mile times?
To much info is missing for a good guess like car weight and how well the car hooks up, launch RPM, head flow for power calc's.
It's currently impossible to tell. Perhaps someone else has done something similar.

IMO, go to the racers forum and look at the timed threads. 11 second thread, 10 second thread build combo's and see if something there is close.

 

[rumblefish360]

skip the 1 7/8 and go to 1 3/4

Don't you have this reversed?

3/4 X 2 is 6/8 which is still smaller than 7/8.

 

[dodge freak]

I don't know, revs seem to rule.



So yeah its up to you, stroking is cheaper and gives good results but 7,500+ rpm's sound awesome! Stroking and building for high rpm's is the best but who has $5,000+ for a short block? Still it would wear out pretty quick, why bmw may have went with a 2.98 stroke for their v10 engine that revs to 8,200 rpm. Not like money matters to them.