Stroke vs. stock

[Freiburger]

I'm looking for a real-world point of view for a magazine story. So give me your real-world point of view.

Assume you have an engine you are rebuilding, and there is nothing horrifically wrong with it anywhere. Just a regular bore-it, turn-the-crank, bang-it-together deal. Your goal is an easy, bolt-together, zero-rocket-science, street/strip engine.

Option one is to grind the crank, resize the rods, buy new bearings and rings, buy new pistons, and balance it. That's about $1,200.

Option two is to buy a stroker kit for an extra 40 to 60 cubes. It comes with crank, rods, pistons, rings, bearings, all balanced. Shipped, it's $2,000. Then there's the risk that it will actually need a little machine work once it arrives.

Do you go with the known-quantity stock parts and new pistons? Or do you spend the extra $800 for more cubes and risk that the imported parts might not be flawless?

[BangShift McT]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

Simple and easy, stay with stock sizes. If you're building a stroker you're already deep into the mods. From where it seems you're going with this I'd keep it simple.

[Mr4Speed]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

I've always felt that for a simple engine like your describing it's a waste of money, or at least not money well spent. The same money spent on cylinder heads will usually net more power, and leave an engine with more potential to upgrade later. Sounds like a great idea for a story-build a 350, dyno it, swap the crank and dyno it again.



Taking the crank out of a 400sb to put it in a 350 block is probably the stupidest thing I ever heard of. :

[mike343sharpstick]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

I am doing an AMC and 'IF' I could stroke it for $800 with a new forged crank I would do it without question.
I can't get a stroker package a few hundred clams but it is still in the "might do" category.
If I had an SBBig3 hell yeah I would.

[William Wilson]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

40 to 60 cubes on a 1hp/ci motor may be hard to justify for $800

But on a 1.25-1.5 hp/ci motor I would do it.

But if the strength/quality of the stroker crank was better then the stocker.

That would sell it for me.

[Scott Liggett]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

I'm all for strokers when the money is there. Sometimes it just isn't. With my finances the way they are, I seriously doubt that I will turning my 454 into a 496. I'd like to, but I really doubt the funds will be there unless I find a stroker kit on the cheap. The likelyhood of me being able to build another stroker engine as cheap as I originally built my 383 are between slim and none. I just don't have the friends here in LA that are in the machining business like I did in Sacto.

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

Is there an echo in here?

http://www.bangshift.com/forum/index.php?topic=18202.0

[Freiburger]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

Comebacks for thought:

- Remy-Z, I think "deep into mods" is generous. Stroker kits require no more specialization than the stock parts. In this case, block clearance work is not involved.

- Mr. 4-Speed, I don't know of $800 cylinder heads that make an extra 40-60 hp. Or perhaps you mean heads $800 more expensive than whatever we were planning on using. In that case, my argument is that more cubes means more total power area and that more cubes leaves more room for future improvement. (And as for 350 vs 383, I can give you that answer right now: the 383 makes more power everywhere in the curve, every time.)

- kindlas, I like your power/cube thinking. What is another mod that is not a power adder that will give you 60 hp for $800?

- Rebel, if your crank is gacked, you're probably money ahead with a stroker kit.

[Freiburger]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

Brian, your question seems to be cubes OR top-end kit. Different considerations there, IMO.

[Scott Liggett]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

Probably right there, but when the time comes I'll be scrounging around for the deals.

[squirrel]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

I've never built a stroker, I don't know why...maybe I'm too cheap. That's probably why I never bought any aftermarket heads either.

[JeffMcKC]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

I am very fond of the Eagle Ross kits for doing just this, I am betting the rods and crank are better than the factory stuff and big motor same heads brings the peak RPM down so that street gear and convertor works even better

[squirrel]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

oh yeah....the next engine I'm getting ready to build is gonna be destroked. (396 crank in a 454 block)

I guess I really am nuts.

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

Brian, your question seems to be cubes OR top-end kit. Different considerations there, IMO.

True.

If it's me, I'm keeping the 800 bucks in my pocket for use elsewhere (suspension) to optimize the car. I think that's the better spend.

[Mr4Speed]

Re: Stroke vs. stock

I know this is SBC specific, but if I had a 350 and wanted more cubes I would spend $400 on a 400 short block core and never consider spending $800 on a stroker kit. Same goes for others though, 383-440 ect. And I was assuming spending $800 more on top of the money it would cost to recondition used stock heads.

Brian makes a good point too.

oh yeah....the next engine I'm getting ready to build is gonna be destroked. (396 crank in a 454 block)

I guess I really am nuts.

I'll admit to being nuts-I've already done that.