Advice needed 351W build ideas

[ROMANBUILT]

Need your help here. Dealing with my engine builder and trying to plan out a 351W build for my SVC. Target is streetable, reliable tank gas 400-450hp motor. Have considered fuel injection as a possibility.

For any of you guys out there with 351w's, could you describe your build, and estimate your horsepower. And would you do it the same way again if you had to do it over? ?

Thx

Romanbuild

[Tony Radford]

RB, when I bought my car already built, it was sporting a 351W with stock stroke, hydraulic cam with a pretty radical lope, Edlebrock 600, Twisted Wedge heads with some additional porting, MSD ignition etc. Estimated HP is 410. Several of the guys here in the Atlanta area have recently completed builds and have chosen to go with a locally produced Windsor with 396 stroker kit, 750 Holly and a solid cam with estimated HP at 465. Big difference in performance, primarily in the torque area. Next week, I'm replacing my stock stroke Windsor with a 427 stroker kit, Vic. Jr. intake, solid cam, Mighy Demon 750 DP carb and additioinal porting on my current heads. Estimated HP will be around 500 with 530 ft/lbs of torque. What has dissapointed me most with my current rig is the fact that it stops pulling at 5,000 RPM. I'm having a great time working out this new build with direction from Bill Parham at Southern Automotive. I've done a serious amount of reading on heads, cams, carbs, strokers in general etc. I'm complicating things by adding external surface polishing to heads, intake, water pump, valve covers, timing cover and so on as I do a lot of car shows. You will need to focus on your cylinder head selection. I highly recommend a stroker crank and solid cam/lifter set up. You'll really notice the difference and the additional cost won't be significant since you are starting from scratch. There is a great SBF head comparison article on the fordmuscle.com site. Do the research and have fun with the task.

TR

[PSB]

Here's a link to the engine section of my build site: http://members.cox.net/petescobra2/engine.htm

I bought all the parts for my engine and had a local engine builder put it together. I paid about the same as a crate motor, but I got to choose the parts. I also got to watch him put the engine together and ask a lot of questions so I can put the next one together.

I went with a hydraulic roller cam. I gotta disagree with Tony about a solid lifter cam. I would not go with a solid lifter cam for a street car, as a solid lifter valvetrain requires constant adjustment. Hydraulic lifters need to be adjusted once when you install them. Especially if you go with solid lifters, make sure your lifters, cam, and valvesprings are matched or you will destroy your cam in short order.

My 408W:
1984 351W block
Scat 9000 crankshaft
Scat forged H-beam rods
Probe Industries Forged Al pistons
Balanced rotating assembly
Total Seal rings
Clevite bearings
Melling standard volume oil pump
Comp Cams custom grind roller retrofit camshaft
FMS roller conversion kit
FMS lifters
Scorpion 1.6 aluminum roller rockers
AFR 185 heads

EFI System:
Trick Flow 351W Intake
Accufab 75mm Throttle Body
Pro-M 75mm Mass Air Flow sensor
36lb injectors
Vortec fuel rails
FMS wire harness
1991 Mustang computer with TwEECer tuner
1993 Ford truck distributor w/steel gear

Estimated HP: 500hp/500 ft/lbs torque


Pete

[hound dog]

OK, I'm going to go against the flow here even though I built a stroker. If I were to do it again and I needed to hear my engine rev to 7,000 rpm or so, I'd stay with the stock stoke 351. You could add a solid roller cam without the monster valve springs or a solid lifter cam with the standard dual springs or even a hydraulic roller cam with a rev kit. Another item that we seem to forget when building 427 strokers is that the heads for small blocks don't have the airflow to support that many cubic inches (compared to heads for big block engines). My 393 has a Lunati hydraulic roller with Victor Jr. heads and it's through making horsepower at 6,000. Also sounds like a John Deere going down the road at slow speeds. But it pulls like a demon coming off a corner and up through the gears. I guess it's always a matter of personal taste which way to go, but if you go with a stroker use all the head you can get (AFR 225 would be a good bet) so you can support the cubic inches, or you can stay with the stock stroke and use any aftermarket heads with 185cc intake ports or larger. Horsepower or torque or RPM's? Such wonderful choices!!
h dog

[Mr.Fixit]

You can rev a stroker to 7000rpm
but you better have light pistons and good H-beam rods and a really nice crank
Really large runner heads aren't necessary, and will cost you low and mid-range torque. I used to do work on several cobras with edelbrock performer heads that made over 500 hp (dyno verified) on pump gas, and pulled hard to the 7000 rpm rev limiter. same engine combo with vic jr. heads and the mid range was weaker, but a couple more ponies on the top end. For all around drivability and fun, don't sacrifice mid-range torque for top end HP. just my opinion

[Cracker]

I would agree with Mr. Fixit regarding taking the mid range over high rpm HP.

I run a single plane with all the good stuff but my engine loves 3700-7000 rpms and for a track motor great - street motor NOT - but it is fun nonetheless! An evenly balanced motor for the street is probably best. Best wishes!

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Romanbuilt;

A 351-W with stock stroke,forged flat top pistons,good rods,AFR alum. heads with 9.5 to 1 to 10 to 1 compression and a cam in the high 400 to low 500 lift should easily get you 400 hp on pump gas and be street friendly....

I'm running a 351-W,stock stroke,flat top pistons,484 lift cam,early iron heads that have been ported,polished,gasket matched with 1.90 and 1.6 vavles,10.4 to 1 compression.... It has never been on a dyno,but according to the Ford SVO tech it should make 350 hp,it is practically the same specs as the old 350hp crate motor Ford made a few years back....I'm running a Holley 600 dp also....

It idles all day at 750/800 rpms,runs 175/180 degrees on the water temp and pulls like hell thru 5500 rpms,it's a joy to drive around town,no lope,very mild mannered....

This same setup with a good set of alum heads should get another 50 hp and with a few more changes another 30 to 50 hp would not be out of the question....

I love the motor and have a little over 20,000 miles on it now with quite a few 1/4 miles passes (probably 40 or more passes) and probably close to 200 miles of open track driving and have had zero problems with it so far.....

My next motor will be basically the same thing with aftermarket rods and alum. heads and maybe a little more cam (500 to 525 lift).

David

[Curt C.]

I agree with David in that 400 hp is easily achievable with a stock 351W stoke. My stock stroke 351W sports AFR 185 heads, 9.8 compression, .540 lift, Victor Jr. intake and holley 750 DP generates 377 RWHP at about 5900 rpm on 91 pump gas. Should be 425 to 450 at the flywheel.