What does the bored and stroked 351 build look like?

bennylava

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Oct 18, 2017
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Hi all, I'm considering building a bored and stroked 351 Windsor for my 1993 Ford F150. It was my dad's old truck and it came with the 351. And I've always liked the truck. I've already had it painted and fixed up the interior, and it looks mostly stock. Still I think it would be a fun truck to drive on the weekends, if it had a lot more power. You see a lot of chevy trucks running around like that, mainly the square body 73-87's. But I'd like to do a ford.

Someone said a stock 302 block is only good for around 450 HP before it will crack. So how much is the windsor block good for? And what's considered a "medium" overbore, that won't be borderline too thin? Some of those maximum overbores seem to push the limits. Maybe you don't build a bored/stroked engine for that, I dunno. I'm a newb compared to most of you guys here.

I've heard people stroking them to a 427, and that sounds good to me if it will last. So which heads, cam and intake go well with that? And what kind of road manners will it have? I would like to take the truck on some long trips sometimes, so road manners are a consideration. Thanks!
 
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I don't have a lot of experience with small block stokers, but if you are looking for good reliable street power from a naturally aspirated 351 there are three key ingredients: 1) Roller cam (not sure what year they switched from flat tappets to rollers in 351s), 2) Good cylinder heads, and 3) An intake that matches the cylinder head capability and cam grind. You can make really good numbers on a 351 without a stroking it. Low to mid 400s with decent mid-range torque should be no problem, and probably double what the F150 had stock. If you need more oomph than that, the stroker is the way to go in order to keep mid-range torque, which you'll want for a truck-weight vehicle.

I've seen high rpm stock-two-bolt-block 351s lay down 800hp at the track in full race trim. If you're in the 400 to 500 hp range, which is about as much as you would want for the street and a long distance cruiser, the 351 block should be perfectly fine.

This sounds like a fun project! I fully support your efforts. (I miss my '94 F150. Of all the daily drivers I've had, that's the one I would love to have back!)
 
The 351 block is reported to hold 750hp without issues. If I had a truck, with all that engine bay space, a supercharger would be in there. A 408 stroker kit would also be there. If money isn't an issue this would be the way to go. If money is a factor the parts list in the description could be modified and a custom camshaft could be added.


Screenshot_20220818-125458_Chrome.jpg


This is the supercharger kit


Screenshot_20220818-124752_Chrome.jpg


I had a 1988 econoline van named Papa Smurf. I really wanted to build it but life got in the way. A built f150 would be bad ass.

The supercharger in this post might not be enough for the engine posted but you get the idea. I did absolutely no research...just hit the search bar.
 
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I should have said that I'm not into carburetors. But I can't edit the OP. I just don't want to deal with tuning them or rebuilding them ever, so I stick to fuel injection. That would be important.

Does anyone know the reliability of the aforementioned builds? Would you get 150k miles out of the engine before it needed rebuilt?
 
I should have said that I'm not into carburetors. But I can't edit the OP. I just don't want to deal with tuning them or rebuilding them ever, so I stick to fuel injection.
Carbs are simple. Electrons are usually invisible.
But I do not see replacing an EFI system with a carb in any of my cars.
Does anyone know the reliability of the aforementioned builds? Would you get 150k miles out of the engine before it needed rebuilt?
The higher the power output, the quicker the wear. Maintenance vs. how hard and often you thrash it or spin it to 8000 rpm will also matter. Having a fun 100k is not unrealistic with quality parts and a good builder. 200k if you baby it is possible, but is that likely when the right pedal is so fun to push?
 
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Carbs are simple. Electrons are usually invisible.
But I do not see replacing an EFI system with a carb in any of my cars.

The higher the power output, the quicker the wear. Maintenance vs. how hard and often you thrash it or spin it to 8000 rpm will also matter. Having a fun 100k is not unrealistic with quality parts and a good builder. 200k if you baby it is possible, but is that likely when the right pedal is so fun to push?

Is the 351 known for reliability? Or are you starting at something of a disadvantage? I'd like to know if there's bored/stroked engines that have done high mileage. My guess would be that most people don't build them for that, so they don't last all that long.
 
I was referring to the big sewer pipe sticking out of the front
I’m sure there is a blower like that for the 351 W for you to hate on. Most likely, it’s just the base that needs changed for that roots type blower to fit. The centrifugal blowers look like a misplaced turbo to me.
Seriously, are you considering forced induction or NA?
 
Forced induction for the easy power gain. I've set aside $12k for the blower setup but if I have to I can go higher. I was hoping to find that guy that used Solidworks to design an intake that accepts a modern roots type on the 351. Looked just like something you'd see on a new mustang. But this was years ago.
 
The 351 block will be fine. When it comes to money, spend more on the airflow like heads and cam than on displacement like stroking. Glad you came here instead of F150 forums. Those guys don't know anything.

Kurt
 
Forced induction for the easy power gain. I've set aside $12k for the blower setup but if I have to I can go higher. I was hoping to find that guy that used Solidworks to design an intake that accepts a modern roots type on the 351. Looked just like something you'd see on a new mustang. But this was years ago.
My friend had these guys: https://www.hogansracingmanifolds.com/ make him an intake manifold to mount a 4.2 liter twin screw Kenne Bell supercharger to his SBF. It cost $4,500 He then bought the Kenne Bell Supercharger for another $4,500 add in the supporting fuel rails and other bits and he came in under $12K to make it all work.
 
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