Ford Muscle Cars Tech Forum banner

Biggest possible Windsor stroker?

10888 Views 16 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  Kazoom
Hi,
Read the other day in Popular hotrodding about a 500cui Chevy LS1 or LS7 or what ever.....

How about Windsors?
World Products Manowar 9.5" blocks can be bored to 4.200" and stroked to 4.25" which will give 471cui.

Is it possible to bore the manowar blocks over 4.200" on a street engine?

How about more stroke?
I think it must possible to increase stroke further with Honda rod bearings or any other small bearings.

Does anyone on this forum know if this has been done?
How big is the biggest Windsor stroker you have heard of?

There are a lot of strange ideas floating around in my head.....
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
Im no expert on stroker engines, but you have to remember if those are the max bores then your going to only have one build on a street engine. No over bore after that.
Id actually leave like .06 for future rebuilds. Never know in a max performance engine you might scuff a piston or score a cylinder. then your $3000 block is junk
My ulitmate thought for me is a 365 ci all aluminum 8.2 deck height engine. The pinto is a lil nose heavy as it and that might help.
Well economics are not my area........

But,
If those blocks can take 4.200" on a race engine it must be able to take more on a street engine.

What do you think about rods with Honda bearings and smaller big end, will it make strokes over 4.250" possible or are the 9.5" deck height the limiting factor?

The 500 cui LS1 had deckplates and 10.2" deck height.
4.200" bore and 4.5" stroke.

I need to get rid of all these creatures in my head, they give me all these bad ideas....
See less See more
They talk to you to? Man, I thought I was the only one?!!?!? LOL
E mail World Products/Dart. I've never heard of any Windsor style block hitting 500ci.
The longer you make the stroke the harder it will be on reciprocating parts... why not just go with the spec'd max bore and stroke and build it to hit 7000rpm? That would essentially be the same as stroking it even further with a lower rev limit, and you will make the same HP and won't have to worry about itty bitty Honda rods breaking.
The 9.5" deck of a Windsor would probably limit the Ford to less than the Chebby's 500" displacement and the 4.5" stroke seems impossible.
If you have a 1.2" comp ht piston, (pin in rings) a 6.1" rod and a 4.2" stroke that adds up to (using half the stroke) to a 9.4" deck height. So in theory you could do a 4.4" stroke and the figures add up. Do you want a rod that short? Piston? Plus the crank counterweights would have to be cut way down to clear the piston bottoms then filled with Mallory metal to because of that short rod long stroke.
Yes, theoretically you probably can squeeze in a longer stroke than a 4.2, but without more deck height I'd guess that the 471 is pretty close to maxed out.
I used 6.125" rods, a 4.140" stroke and a short piston in the 422 but wouldn't do it that way today.
See less See more
Assuming it will fit in the block?
Well I have taken my pills and the voices has dissapered........

The 500cui LS1 was not within the block since it had deck plates.

I guess there are better ways to spend money than building the biggest Windsor stroker in the Universe........

Even a small 289 cui with 12 psi of turbo pressure makes more torq than a 500 cui LS1!

Have great day!

They do come back at night..........the voices.
See less See more
9.48" deck W block, 4.25 stroke, 347 pistons and 6.25" rods with a 4.060" bore that equals 440", theoretically speaking of course. Whether or not the crank & rods actually fit in the block without hitting the cam is another story. Then clearance at the oil pump....ahh yes, a die grinder would be your best friend. That and a couple hundred $$$ worth of mallory slugs.

But, it would be one monster windsor.
Great Old Thread... I was told long ago with the architecture of the W & C blocks bore spacing you want to keep a min of .250 = 1/4" inch (which isn't much) between the cylinders for best head seal and strength for any kind of endurance racing, few seconds drag only may get away with a bit less between cylinders. Also, all cylinder bore diameters should also be min .250 = 1/4" thick for proper block strength.
Automotive lighting Rectangle Automotive exterior Font Circle


W & C block Crank case wise, builders have told me the big 4.250" cranks have much more issues with windage & fitment in both W & C blocks so keeping it square is best, best combo's are over square or square at most for any kind of endurance racing, a few seconds drag only may get away with a bit more under square... Stroke ratio - Wikipedia

So with the architecture of the Windsor Block design imo about 451-461 Max ci using a 9.750" Windsor block and keeping a half decent min 1:55+ rod ratio would be best max size ...
New 351W SPEEDMASTER BLOCK 9.750" High Deck | Ford Muscle Cars Tech Forum (fordmuscleforums.com)

... N/A 451 Clevor ... 1122hp @ 9300rpm & 710ft ...
Automotive design Motor vehicle Automotive exterior Hood Engineering

SBF 451ci 1100+HP

450 ish ci
seems to be a good practical limit for aftermarket 9.7"+ deck W & C block designs and with a good canted valve (Boss) head design on top it can make some serious power.
See less See more
2
btw, just to repost this info here too as some guys don't know about FORDS 1966 XE #93532 351W 9.2" deck race block that was in development from 1966 to 69 that got bored/stroked to as big as 400CI in 68/69 for Can-Am racing just before it's development and racing got shut down.
pic below is of it's best max size (4.085" x 3.750") 393CI version at 1967 Road America race...
Hood Automotive tire Motor vehicle Font Automotive exterior


A bit of forgotten history that may interest some guys, some of the public does not know there was a 9.250" deck 351 "W"indsor # XE 93532 race block made back in 1966 way before GM's B Kundsen's "C"leveland block was even on the drawing board & this 351w XE 93532 9.250" deck Windsor race block got as big as 398/400 ci (4.110" bore x 3.770" stroke) with 600HP back in 1968/69 for Can-Am racing. 302 & 351 windsor XE race blocks were tested with canted valve head prototypes in 1968 just before Kundsens new block was & there were plans WAY BACK in 1964-65 for a stretched deck 6.9-7.0L aluminum XE 94244 Windsor race eng for Can Am racing. IMO, with Kundsen taking resources away from the Ford engineers we might have even gotten a GT4VBoss 402 ci "W"indsor engine as the 69 9.480" W block was destined to become a 400+ci eng if it wasn't for GM's Bunkie Kundsen screwing things up at FORD with Fords XE 93532 351W race block development by selfishly ramming through his own "Oldsland" inspired block for the short time he was there. H Ford should of fired him sooner.

goo gle "351w xe block" for more info...
Automotive tire Motor vehicle Bumper Automotive exterior Rim
Vehicle Motor vehicle Wheel Gas Auto part
Automotive tire Bumper Rim Gas Automotive exterior
Gas Automotive exterior Tints and shades Auto part Fixture
See less See more
5
btw, just to repost this info here too as some guys don't know about FORDS 1966 XE #93532 351W 9.2" deck race block that was in development from 1966 to 69 that got bored/stroked to as big as 400CI in 68/69 for Can-Am racing just before it's development and racing got shut down.


A bit of forgotten history that may interest some guys, some of the public does not know there was a 9.250" deck 351 "W"indsor # XE 93532 race block made back in 1966 way before GM's B Kundsen's "C"leveland block was even on the drawing board & this 351w XE 93532 9.250" deck Windsor race block got as big as 398/400 ci (4.110" bore x 3.770" stroke) with 600HP back in 1968/69 for Can-Am racing. 302 & 351 windsor XE race blocks were tested with canted valve head prototypes in 1968 just before Kundsens new block was & there were plans WAY BACK in 1964-65 for a 9.450"+ deck 6.9-7.0L aluminum XE 94244 Windsor race eng for Can Am racing. IMO, with Kundsen taking resources away from the Ford engineers we might have even gotten a GT4VBoss 402 ci "W"indsor engine as the 69 9.480" W block was destined to become a 400+ci eng if it wasn't for GM's Bunkie Kundsen screwing things up at FORD with Fords XE 93532 351W race block development by selfishly ramming through his own "Oldsland" inspired block for the short time he was there. H Ford should of fired him sooner.
That is some interesting history. Even larger impact to the horsepower wars when you consider the aftermarket and the hot rodders diverting their attention between Y-Block, FE, Windsor, Cleveland, and 385 while the Chevy guys focused on SBC and BBC (with common bellhousing and engine mounts!) in the same period.

A lot of lost opportunity. Sounds like Ford was a victim of divide and conquer.
Not well known to the public but B Kundsen caused chaos with some of the engineers and higher ups at Ford, this is were the rumors of sabotage came from at that time for pushing his own agenda. Some SBF engineers were also upset B Kundsen got H Yunick involved at Ford taking resources away from them screwing up the 9.2"/9.5"/9.7" deck sbf "351W" block's development and other things which is why H Ford Fired him only after about a year...
The Story of Bunkie Knudsen and Ford | MILEPOSTS Garage (automotivemileposts.com)

a bit annoying at times seeing "Cleveland" fan boys gush over there "Oldsland" inspired eng block not knowing the Fact that most its specs org came from Fords earlier 9.2" deck 351W xe race block and the "cleveland" head BS thing/lie is tragic as the first canted valve xe prototype/s of the GT4VBoss head/s cast in 1968 were NOT!!! specifically for a cleveland block but originally for the 302 / 351 sbf "W" XE blocks. Some "oldsland" fanboys keep forgetting the "windsor" boss came out Before the "oldsland" boss did. I believe Fords first sbf canted valve concepts / ideas went back to about 66-67.

Automotive tire Wood Composite material Font Rim


just to add more details not known by some is that these early iron & alum race head designs had shorter intake ports with H&M / BB making 2-1/4" tall port intakes for these heads. Ford Indy also originally had designed removable/changeable small ci intake port inserts in 69-70 for the production GT4VBoss head design for racing LONG before anyone else ever did ...
Edd Stevens - Bud Moore Engine specialist (ponysite.de)
Product Rectangle Organism Automotive tire Font


H&M was heavily involved with development of the 9.2" 351W xe 93532 race block wanting a stronger sbf block design for competing against the sbc eng. I also understand H&M had a canted valve prototype sbf head design they were suppose to develop on the Honker II for 68 and I believe also had plans for it for the future "nascar 9.36 lb./cu in rule" using the canted valve head design but then when B Kundsen pushed his own 351c version through thats what they used until the Fords 351w block oiling/cooling design again proved it was better (just as the sbf Ford engineers originally said so) in which today it has finally developed into the svo/frpp race blocks. Some don't know the SBF design was influenced by both the Y block & FE design to make a smaller/lighter package able to handle more ci, btw shelby and other racers used the steel 292 Y block crank as a stroker crank in the sbf XE race blocks and the finalized 9.2" 351w XE race block main sizing came from the FE.

Also mentioned in a few 60's articles, Fords 9.2" deck "W" block design was planned for production.
("Power would come from a new 351-cu.in. V-8 under development by Ford")
The Cobra successor that never was, Shelby's Lone Star, makes its concours debut at Amelia Island | Hemmings

Gurney was also involved with development/building of 351W xe 93532 race blocks getting his eng's to just over 400ci in 68-69 I was told using ("7L FE type") 3.785 stroke steel cranks for his 9.250" W race eng's with 4.110" bores before selling some off to P/S racers like Nicholson and others...
Photograph Motor vehicle Hood Vehicle Automotive tire
Tire Wheel Car Land vehicle Vehicle
Tire Car Vehicle Wheel Automotive design
Tire Wheel Car Vehicle Automotive design
See less See more
6
1968 ske canted valve prototype (gt 4v boss) sbf heads ...
White Automotive tire Font Audio equipment Auto part

Font Automotive tire Rim Metal Auto part
Guitar accessory Musical instrument Gas Font Auto part
Automotive tire Black Motor vehicle Vehicle Automotive exterior
Photograph Automotive tire White Light Black
See less See more
5
  • Like
Reactions: 1
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
Top