Question about 351W....

You may want to reconsider a 302, I am assuming you already have it and you will probably save yourself a lot of headaches. My main reason for going with a 302 was "what am I going to use this engine/car for"? Mine is an all purpose car, this means I could be putting a lot of miles on it. That meant that I might be working on the engine quite a bit so I wanted room to work..change plugs, replace header gaskets, adjust clutch, replace starter, etc... I opted for a 302 for these reasons. I built my 302 a touch on the wild side and it has all the power I could want...for now at least. I probably will go for a 347 at a later date but for now, I can still smoke most of the big block cars around here... If I were building the car just to race, I would have gone with the 351: everyday driving with a plenty of power to spare, 302. Budget and your mechanical experience can have a lot to do with it also.... Either way, have fun!

JP

 

Thanks for the help....

I don't believe in stroker engines. I believe in high-rod ratios for sure. I want to put in stroker pistons and rods to increase this even more. I'm a very handy with tools, so that is not a problem. I already talked to a local guy about heat coating the heads and piston tops. Not too expensive at all. I would like to run 11:1 on pump gas with an emissions cam. The closer the pin is to the center of the piston the less it will rock thus give more power in theory. The 302 I have now is an anchor weight. The guy put block sealer in it till it died! I can probably salvage it?

 

Theory.....kind of like "opinions" and "buttholes". Something you might want to consider when you're pushing those 7" long rods around......these are thin-wall casting blocks you're dealing with and the increased side loads generated by increasing the rod length will move the wall. Thus, distorting the wall and compromising ring seal integrity. Another thing about long rods....they tend to limit the engines ability to accelerate. This will make proper camshaft selection dicey. If the camshaft is good for low/mid range power but the engine isn't accelerating due to the increased rod leverage, you're going to have a real pig on your hands. Now then, "the closer the pin is to the center of the piston"......funny thing, I thought they all went through the center of the piston. Seriously, you can only move the pin so far. Once you get into the oil ring land you compromise oil control and longevity. An ultra-short skirt piston will also rock in the bore (due to lack of skirt length) causing even more problems. I'm not against the whole long-rod theory but you need to decide what you're going to use this engine for and what combination is best for it. Don't discount stroker engines. With the right combination of rod length and stroke they will work well and live a long life. An example: stock 351 windsor engines have a 1.7:1 rod/stroke ratio; the usual 331" stroker has a 5.400" rod length and a 3.25" stroke = 1.66:1 rod/stroke ratio.

Better be aluminum heads.

 

Thanks shadowmaster....

Of course I meant a piston with a enough skirt to square up in the bore. Sure, there is a thing as too long a rod. Alot of racers use long rods to make good power. I just want to increase piston dwell time and decrease timing advance. The less advance an engine requires the more efficient it is. I have decided the 351w is out of my budget and I will be going with the 302w. I want an efficient engine, not the most horsepower. Strokers are great, but I think they are not necessary.