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393 or 408

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393 408 stroker
3K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  barnett468 
#1 ·
I have a '91 351W and want to build it up. I don't have a specific car in mind that I am going to drop it in. What are the ups, downs, and differences of a 393 stroker or a 408 stroker?
 
#3 ·
I personally like the 408. It drops in with very little hassle and doesn't overstress anything. I bought a kit from scat with the I beam capscrew connecting rods and the only clearancing I had to do was a little bit on the block by the oil pump and a little on the oil pump body itself to clear one crankshaft counter weight. The 393 can be harder/more expensive to balance and is a heavier rotating assembly than the 408. The pieced together 393 using stock 302 pistons and the stock ford rods requires more clearancing and attention to detail. In the end you have gained some cubic inches but the parts are still at a stock level as far as durability goes. The 418/427 is a pretty long stroke for a stock block in my opinion.Cap walk and piston side loading can be problems. The 408 seems to be the sweet spot for a stock block.
 
#4 · (Edited)
The 408 is a great stroke but the 418 won't cause cap walk much more than a 408 will because the additional stroke is very small . Cap walk is also related to hp and rpm etc . I don't worry about cap walk on high horse strokers because I use steel caps and have dowels inserted . It is absolutely impossible for a cap to move if it has dowel pins, and if the cap is steel, it won't break.

I also use ATI crank dampers which reduce crank twist.
 
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