351W Stroker Build

[SSDDBRONCO]

The purpose of this thread is to hear what kind of 351W roller based stroker you are running i.e. 393, 408, 418, 427. And how do you use your Bronco? Strickly for off road, or street cruiser with off roading? Etc.

I want to hear your experience with your stroker and if you are satifisfied with it and if not what changes would you make? Having someone with real world experience can save us a lot of money and headache, so this would be a huge favor that is much appreciated.


Next is what parts are you running? From intake to oil pan if possible. If we can have the complete engine build/recipe that would be awesome! To me the most important would be the top end, i.e. heads, cam, roller rockers, lifter etc. Approximately how much power are you making? Engine compression ratio? Headers? Anything else that is useful to know.

As we all know getting an engine built is not the cheapest, so I wanted to ask you guys for your help and experience. Im sure this thread will also come very useful to future people looking to do the same thing.

Thanks a lot!

 

[rjrobin2002]

I want to build a 427 out of my 351 SOOO bad.

I built my 1996 f150 351W with Explorer gt 40 heads and upper intake, but a 1995 Lightning 351 lower and EFI GUY harness.

Just nervous on the injector, TB , MAF required and would prefer a good custom EFI tuner in my area.

 

[Broncobowsher]

A lot of info for you here
https://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196925

 

[SSDDBRONCO]

A lot of info for you here
https://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196925

Thanks for that! Great read! Bumped it for more responses.

 

[Glass Pony]

My brother has a Roush 427 in his Cobra replica that was built out of a 351W. After listening to it I thought, "that would be sweet in my 74', direct bolt in"!
Then I thought about all the parts carnage.
For me , I better stick with my mild 351W.

 

[SSDDBRONCO]

My brother has a Roush 427 in his Cobra replica that was built out of a 351W. After listening to it I thought, "that would be sweet in my 74', direct bolt in"!
Then I thought about all the parts carnage.
For me , I better stick with my mild 351W.

What are you running in your mild 351W?

 

[Glass Pony]

What are you running in your mild 351W?

Just an RV cam, 4 barrel, Shelby intake, long tube headers stock heads.
It was enough to snap ring gear bolts off my 9 inch once.;D

 

[SSDDBRONCO]

Just an RV cam, 4 barrel, Shelby intake, long tube headers stock heads.
It was enough to snap ring gear bolts off my 9 inch once.;D

Very nice setup. What kind of heads do you have? My 1995 351 has E7 heads on it.

 

[rjrobin2002]

Explorer GT- 40 heads on my 351 is a great upgrade. Only mod is you have to drill the head bolt holes out slightly for the 351w blocks 1/2" head bolts.

 

[Glass Pony]

Very nice setup. What kind of heads do you have? My 1995 351 has E7 heads on it.

I'm not sure what they're called, they have the extra bolt that goes through the water jacket on the intake.(16 instead of 12) The motor is a reman from Wharton & Bernard around 1990, it's bored .020" and I think the heads are stock. I believe it's a 1972 block also.
I thought about putting on some nice flowing heads on it to wake it up but it runs so good and passes emissions, the only thing I could do is screw it up.

 

[SSDDBRONCO]

Explorer GT- 40 heads on my 351 is a great upgrade. Only mod is you have to drill the head bolt holes out slightly for the 351w blocks 1/2" head bolts.

I keep reading that by the time you get a pair of GT-40 heads rebuilt and redone the price is very close to a set of aluminum heads... was that true for you?

I'm not sure what they're called, they have the extra bolt that goes through the water jacket on the intake.(16 instead of 12) The motor is a reman from Wharton & Bernard around 1990, it's bored .020" and I think the heads are stock. I believe it's a 1972 block also.
I thought about putting on some nice flowing heads on it to wake it up but it runs so good and passes emissions, the only thing I could do is screw it up.

Oh wow you have smog for a Bronco that early in the year?

 

[JWMcCrary]

I built a new 393 using a roller block for my 73 last winter after my other stroker flat tappet started smoking after 15 years. I had a custom cam done by Mike Jones, Jones Cam Designs. Has a nice low idle rpm lope to it and still has loads of off idle power for low gear crawling in the rocks. I went with a new Scat crank, Scat rods, and ICON forged pistons. My old Edelbrock RPM heads were rebuilt with new springs and 7/16 studs with Crane Gold rockers. Running Holley Terminator fuel injection with dual sync distributor and Edelbrock dual plane airgap intake. After getting it tuned by somebody that knew what they were doing I'm very happy with it.

 

[rjrobin2002]

Your right on the GT-40 heads cost adding up, I had them rebuilt and bought some pricey springs rated for my high lift cam and was knocking on $700 in them not including the heads I had to aquire.

I really wanted the Ford Performance made aluminum GT-40X heads after realizing how much I spent on the iron gt 40s, plus the gt-40x flow way better than the steel gt 40s, even though they don't flow crazy high line some of the other brands.

But from my research, huge flowing heads make for terrible truck engines and you definitely are better off staying away from some heads that only work well from 3-6000 rpm.

 

[lars]

I did not have my 408 custom built. I bought a long block from Blueprint Engines. But I'm happy with the result.

Back story:

My mission for my Bronco has evolved since I got it 25 years ago. It was a daily driver and off road crawler for awhile, but in the last 15 years the DD mission has been scuttled due to other vehicles better suited, and it's turned into my western US camp mobile. What the marketing folks call an overlander these days.

I dropped in a brand new(!) Explorer 5.0 20 years ago. Different cam, headers, etc with an NV4500 and Atlas behind it running through 4.56 gears to 35" tires. Empty at sea level where I live it was fine, despite the Bronco weighing 5200 pounds. At 6000+ feet loaded with several hundred pounds of humans and gear, not so much. On big highway grades I would sometimes find myself in 3rd gear going 40 mph, engine wound tight. Then I'd get to the dirt and forget about it. Until I didn't.

I decided to go big or go home, thought I'd get an engine built and went so far as to track down a late 5.8 roller block in great shape. But it sat for 5 years, nothing was happening. Then I got diagnosed with what John Wayne called the Big C. Life is for the living, don't know how much time I have left, though treatment seems to be working. Trustworthy shops are few and far between these days; a couple of folks I trust talked me into considering Blueprint Engines so I pulled the trigger.

Many would say that their 408 is not an ideal Bronco engine and they are probably right. It gives something away at the bottom end, as I have discovered, but for me, with a manual transmission, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Parts don't break as easily. And when the tach passes 2000 rpm it gets entertaining in a hurry. Mine made 458 HP at 5600 rpm and 498 ft-lb torque at 4400 rpm on their engine dyno. But despite the raspy idle it's actually easier to drive around at low rpm in a high gear in town than the 5.0 was. I'm headed out on my first loaded high country outing with it since the engine swap in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to seeing how that goes. The same route a couple of years ago was one of the times I found myself begging for more power.

Most of the mechanical engine specs are on Blueprint's site:
https://blueprintengines.com/produc...lock-aluminum-heads-forged-pistons-roller-cam
I'm running a Trick Flow R upper/lower combo with a 75mm Accufab throttle body, EEC-IV EDIS with an A9L computer tuned by Garry the EFI Guy, BCB shorty headers, etc.
A tech at Blueprint told me that the cam is a Comp Cams XFI236HR-14. If you check the specs it says 2300-6300 rpm but that's for a 5.0, not a 408.

All that to say, any competent shop that builds the engine will probably make you happy. If I'm trying to sway anyone with my verbose description above, it's to encourage the interested to pull the trigger on a 351W block, stroke it and have fun.

 

[gclauson]

I have a fresh 393.
Roller 351 block
Eagle cast crank
Forged rods
Hypereutectic pistons
Comp Cams 35-312-8
Duration at 050 inch Lift: 220 int./224 exh.
Advertised Duration: 276 int./280 exh.
Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio: 0.544 int./0.560 exh.
Lobe Separation (degrees): 114
Trick Flow 11R 190 heads 55 cc (10.5:1 compression)
Trick Flow roller rockers
Trick Flow roller lifters
Lightning lower, exploder upper
70 mm BBK TB
90 mm PMAS MAF
Mustang HO fuel injection
EDIS conversion
Explorer front dress
Bronco Hut 1-5/8 shorty ceramic coated headers
Bronco Hut 2:1 SS exhaust

A good thing of the 393 is that no block clearancing was required, however, if I had know how little the stroker kit cost increase to 408 or larger was, I should have gone even bigger.

Plan a dyno trip once Garry finishes tuning.

Very tractable- crawls at 1000 rpms and I have revved up to 6500 rpms a few times, but I think it is running out of air much past 6000. Should be a great trail engine and snow basher!

 

[SSDDBRONCO]

I built a new 393 using a roller block for my 73 last winter after my other stroker flat tappet started smoking after 15 years. I had a custom cam done by Mike Jones, Jones Cam Designs. Has a nice low idle rpm lope to it and still has loads of off idle power for low gear crawling in the rocks. I went with a new Scat crank, Scat rods, and ICON forged pistons. My old Edelbrock RPM heads were rebuilt with new springs and 7/16 studs with Crane Gold rockers. Running Holley Terminator fuel injection with dual sync distributor and Edelbrock dual plane airgap intake. After getting it tuned by somebody that knew what they were doing I'm very happy with it.

Wow nice built 393 you have there! Two of the engine builders I'm talking to are saying they use Scat with ICON forged pistons so that might be the direction I go. Curious who's cam lifters are you using?

Your right on the GT-40 heads cost adding up, I had them rebuilt and bought some pricey springs rated for my high lift cam and was knocking on $700 in them not including the heads I had to aquire.

I really wanted the Ford Performance made aluminum GT-40X heads after realizing how much I spent on the iron gt 40s, plus the gt-40x flow way better than the steel gt 40s, even though they don't flow crazy high line some of the other brands.

But from my research, huge flowing heads make for terrible truck engines and you definitely are better off staying away from some heads that only work well from 3-6000 rpm.

Ya one engine builder told me your better off getting Promaxx heads for the cost it will be to rebuild your heads. He says they are chinese head casting but assembled here in the US and swears they are the best bang for the buck.

I did not have my 408 custom built. I bought a long block from Blueprint Engines. But I'm happy with the result.

Back story:

My mission for my Bronco has evolved since I got it 25 years ago. It was a daily driver and off road crawler for awhile, but in the last 15 years the DD mission has been scuttled due to other vehicles better suited, and it's turned into my western US camp mobile. What the marketing folks call an overlander these days.

I dropped in a brand new(!) Explorer 5.0 20 years ago. Different cam, headers, etc with an NV4500 and Atlas behind it running through 4.56 gears to 35" tires. Empty at sea level where I live it was fine, despite the Bronco weighing 5200 pounds. At 6000+ feet loaded with several hundred pounds of humans and gear, not so much. On big highway grades I would sometimes find myself in 3rd gear going 40 mph, engine wound tight. Then I'd get to the dirt and forget about it. Until I didn't.

I decided to go big or go home, thought I'd get an engine built and went so far as to track down a late 5.8 roller block in great shape. But it sat for 5 years, nothing was happening. Then I got diagnosed with what John Wayne called the Big C. Life is for the living, don't know how much time I have left, though treatment seems to be working. Trustworthy shops are few and far between these days; a couple of folks I trust talked me into considering Blueprint Engines so I pulled the trigger.

Many would say that their 408 is not an ideal Bronco engine and they are probably right. It gives something away at the bottom end, as I have discovered, but for me, with a manual transmission, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Parts don't break as easily. And when the tach passes 2000 rpm it gets entertaining in a hurry. Mine made 458 HP at 5600 rpm and 498 ft-lb torque at 4400 rpm on their engine dyno. But despite the raspy idle it's actually easier to drive around at low rpm in a high gear in town than the 5.0 was. I'm headed out on my first loaded high country outing with it since the engine swap in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to seeing how that goes. The same route a couple of years ago was one of the times I found myself begging for more power.

Most of the mechanical engine specs are on Blueprint's site:
https://blueprintengines.com/produc...lock-aluminum-heads-forged-pistons-roller-cam
I'm running a Trick Flow R upper/lower combo with a 75mm Accufab throttle body, EEC-IV EDIS with an A9L computer tuned by Garry the EFI Guy, BCB shorty headers, etc.
A tech at Blueprint told me that the cam is a Comp Cams XFI236HR-14. If you check the specs it says 2300-6300 rpm but that's for a 5.0, not a 408.

All that to say, any competent shop that builds the engine will probably make you happy. If I'm trying to sway anyone with my verbose description above, it's to encourage the interested to pull the trigger on a 351W block, stroke it and have fun.

I'm sorry about the Big C but I'm glad to hear that you are not letting it hold you back and are fulfulling many great adventures! Be sure to report back to us after that trip! And I was actually looking at Blueprint's 408 but they are backordered until April next year

I have a fresh 393.
Roller 351 block
Eagle cast crank
Forged rods
Hypereutectic pistons
Comp Cams 35-312-8
Duration at 050 inch Lift: 220 int./224 exh.
Advertised Duration: 276 int./280 exh.
Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio: 0.544 int./0.560 exh.
Lobe Separation (degrees): 114
Trick Flow 11R 190 heads 55 cc (10.5:1 compression)
Trick Flow roller rockers
Trick Flow roller lifters
Lightning lower, exploder upper
70 mm BBK TB
90 mm PMAS MAF
Mustang HO fuel injection
EDIS conversion
Explorer front dress
Bronco Hut 1-5/8 shorty ceramic coated headers
Bronco Hut 2:1 SS exhaust

A good thing of the 393 is that no block clearancing was required, however, if I had know how little the stroker kit cost increase to 408 or larger was, I should have gone even bigger.

Plan a dyno trip once Garry finishes tuning.

Very tractable- crawls at 1000 rpms and I have revved up to 6500 rpms a few times, but I think it is running out of air much past 6000. Should be a great trail engine and snow basher!

The engine builders tell me to stroke as big as I can, but Im afraid to have all that extra power due to breaking shit lol so Im limiting myself to a 408, it will be more than enough



Thanks for all the replies! Much appreciated!

 

[Glass Pony]

Oh wow you have smog for a Bronco that early in the year?

Delaware goes down to 1968 for a tailpipe sniff. Thank goodness they don't look under the hood.;D

 

[Apogee]

I'd love to build or buy a 408W for mine...seems like the perfect engine with a 4" bore and 4" stroke. You can build a torquier 418 or 427, but it won't rev as quickly and once you're achieving 450-500 ft-lb of torque, do you really need any more than that?

 

[rjrobin2002]

Something about " 393 or 427 stroker" sounds the coolest I must say.

 

[ngsd]

I have a 408 that was put in then pulled in favor of a Coyote build up so I am waiting to find out. I was going to put it in a project I had but a builder wanted the body for a custom build he was doing so I sold it to him. Someday it will find a home and I will follow up!