It seems that 408W is the max some people are willing to take it. What is the problem with stroking beyond that like 427? Does it have something to do with the wrist pin? Maybe someone can explain.
In most 408 kits the rod is 6.2 and the compression height of the piston is around 1.28. That gives a good rod/stroke ratio and prevents excessive side loading on the cylinder bores, while leaving enough room in the piston crown to keep the oil ring out of the pin bore, and a reasonable amount of skirt in the piston to make it last a while. If you go over a 4" stroke, something has to give, and it's usually engine life. If you don't shorten the rod, the skirt gets really short. Nice for pretty girls, not for piston life. If you shorten the rod, the side loading goes up, and the already short skirt can't stand up to long term abuse. Most people building a 427W aren't planning on it being their daily driver, so it could well last them many years. Or it may be a drag only motor that they plan to change parts out frequently anyway. It just depends on how hard you flog it, and how often. I went with a 6.2 rod 408 myself because I felt it was the best overall combination of dimensions. Plenty of cubes, good rod/stroke ratio, good ring package, decent skirt length (although I would prefer a little more). The torque is absolutely unreal . I don't think I need anything bigger.
THe only way to get around those problems is with a taller decked aftermarket block. Hardly worth it, IMO, unless the target power output needs a stronger block and everything build around it.
I don't know of a taller decked Windsor block. Please enlighten. Thanks. The other way is to go with the larger bore aftermarket blocks. A 4.125" Dart, World, or Ford Racing block will make 427 ci with a 4" stroke.
I got my deck heights mixed up when I was looking at the aftermarket blocks. Looks like they are only available in the standard 9.5" and the shorter 351C 9.2" deck. A taller 10" deck would be cool, though.
Yes, but nominally they are either 9.2" or 9.5". It's not like they vary a lot. I only make this distiction so that cannonball888 doesn't get the wrong idea.
I have ran my 427 for about three seasons now but it is for drag racing only. I do notice more connecting rod bearing wear and piston skirt wear more than normal but I am also shifting it at 6500 rpm where if used as a daily driver might not wear as much since it would not see that high of rpms. The advantage is I have plenty of torque on demand.