Best Big block stroker?

Of all the strokers that people have built over the years, what is the best/most popular for the b engine and why? For a street strip car of course.

The 470, although small by what is common now, has proven to be very cost effective and reliable.

I built a 512 low deck for my 68 Charger, I love it, lots of torque makes for a fun street car & track times are pretty good for a 4100 lb piglet

I really like the 400/512....Its a beast at +770hp with Indy heads. They are a bitter fit in an A-body and lighter...

I'd start with a 4.25 crank and Trick Flow 240 heads and go from there. Find a set of pistons that give you 9.50 to 10.0 for compression and then select rods that fit. I recommend a hyd roller cam for a street/strip type of engine, maybe something around 240@050. If you have the space I'd use a Trick Flow intake and then top it off with a Holley Sniper setup and a Holley Hyperspark distributor. An engine like that should make at least 600/600 for hp and torque and be very easy to drive on the street.

Thank you guys for the replies. I have finally come to my senses and realized that I should have built a big block a long time ago. In the back of my mind, I was thinking 470. I will research these other engines and decide. Thank you all.

I have a copy of your book so dog-eared that I have to buy another. Best engine book I have read. I was also thinking of the Hyperspark and sniper. That would make a neat combination I think.

The 470 is a good engine but for a street car I'd go with a pump gas 512. I can't think of any reason not to build a 512. The rotating assembly fits in the block just fine and works with an internal oil pickup. You can fit a windage tray on there and any passenger car oil pan should fit. There should be plenty of choices for pistons, rods, cranks, rings, etc. so you aren't held hostage by any one vendor. The Trick Flow heads flow enough air right out of the box to get you to the 600 hp level with a really mild cam. You can make more power if you use a bigger cam but then you give up some low speed smoothness.

I have a pump gas 512 in my Duster and it is easy to drive around town. The cam is 246@050. It has plenty of vacuum at idle and works really well with the torque converter that I have in the car. The Duster is 3000 lbs and has 4.56 gears so that probably helps the low speed response. I might have different thoughts on that cam if the car was heavy and had 3.23 gears.

Thanks. If I updated that book today I would add a whole chapter on EFI and would highly recommend that everyone ditch their carbs and switch to a Sniper. I hate to see people spending $12,000 for a new 500 inch stroker engine and then wearing it out in a few thousand miles because their double pumper dumps so much extra fuel into the engine. I have an engine in the shop right now that was ruined by running rich. The customer said he only had 500 miles on it but it is wore out. He is switching to EFI.

Thanks Andy. Your recommendation of a 512 is very interesting and I bet it would make gobs of torque.

440Source has a 512 rotating kit or you can piece one together using cranks, rods and pistons from your vendor of choice. The problem is that for street driving on pump gas you need to stay around 10:1 compression and there are not a lot of piston choices that will give you 10:1 compression with the 78 cc Trick Flow heads. Diamond has a piston but that is about it and the Diamond pistons are expensive. ICON has a piston but the compression is a bit higher. You can always get a custom piston of course but that adds money to the build.

The 500 is also a decent engine to build and SCAT has a complete kit for that engine. This kit has dished pistons that would give you around 10:1 compression with Trick Flow heads.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sca-1-48095
People might not know this but the Pro Shop price for SCAT rotating assemblies is actually cheaper than the 440Source pricing plus the SCAT kit from Summit comes with free freight. So you can save a hundred bucks or more by going with the SCAT kit. Your engine builder probably has a Pro Shop account with Summit.

You have a PM on this

I built a 505" RB with ported Stealth heads and a small .545 234/240 @ .050 hydraulic roller. The heads flow virtually the same as out of the box Trickflow 240's. With 10.6:1, it easily handles pump gas.

It is a great, low maintenance combo that makes gobs of torque, is docile around town and still runs respectable numbers at the track. With a 2800 stall converter and 3.54 gears it is very pleasant at speed.

I have over 7,000 miles on mine now and flog it often.

You will need to upgrade the rest of the drivetrain to handle the torque.

It never ceases to amaze me, that after 50+ years of experience with today's carbs, people still spend mucho denero on parts and experts for their engines. Then turn around and slap on a $500 (or maybe $1,100) out-of-the-box carb and when it is not perfect for their combo, complain that carbs are obsolete and must be replaced by a $2,000 (or maybe $3,000+) obsolete version of EFI.

They would have the same complaints if they chose their cam, pistons, or converter the same way they chose their carb. If the same attention was paid to the choice of carb and tuner that is paid to the choice of cam or converter, there would be a lot more happy carb owners with a lot more money left to spend on other car parts.

The only thing wrong with today's carbs is unreasonable expectations. Guys expect an OOTB version to be right for their combo. But then, to me, the only thing wrong with today's EFI is it's additional expense for modest or non existent gains over a well tuned carb.

EFI has it's place. But since we are not all Andy or have unlimited budgets, carbs very much still have their place. To " HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT EVERYONE DITCH THEIR CARBS AND SWITCH" to any of today's EFIs is a disservice to many on this forum. It does not accurately reflect where technology stands today. With either the carbs or the EFI.

For some, Andy for instance, EFI and engine management systems are the logical choice. Just as it is for today's vehicles. Although today's vehicles use very different forms of EFI from the obsolete version most of us would install. But for most of us mere mortals retrofitting our dinosaurs, the only real advantage that sells the additional expense of EFI is the tuning. An un-tuned EFI is as bad (maybe worse) as an un-tuned carb. But EFI is expected to self tune. And sometimes it does. But have ThumperDart or someone like him (I know, I know, there is no one else like him) tune the carb for the combo and the real waste of the extra money spent on today's retrofit EFI is evident.

I am going with a 470 only because I always wanted 1 and heard even though on the small side it would be a fun engine for.double duty

I built my 470 in 2007 for my 68 Road Runner. I used Edelbrock RPM heads and intake and a 440 Source kit . Flat top pistons 10.73 -1 My goal was a low rpm power range so I could use my 3.23 gears and the original road runner torque converter. Mostly street and an occasional strip pass . The engine surpassed my expectations. Andy's book was a big help as was Dwayne Porter's cam choice. I have two carbs to use . A QF 780 with electric choke and a Race Demon RS 1050 . The Demon made 13 more peak HP and 15 lbs or so more torque. The engine sat on the stand until 2017 and I decided to put it on the dyno. We did not fine tune the Demon and probably left some power on the table with that tune.



Mark

Never ran anything bigger than my 470 w/home ported rpm's and a .680-.660 solid roller in my street/strip mid 9-second Dart and I love it. See a lot of 500+ strokers that run well too but this little guy is a blast and fairly fast......

Yep, any chance Andy F. gets he will try and shove that EFI crap down your throat for various reasons and one being his ties w/Holley.......I see some like em and see many for sale and I will put one of my carbs up against any of those if anyone want to get down and I tried to do this years ago w/Andy but he wanted no part of it......

And you would be guilty of spreading more fake efi news.

Your constant efi/trickflow sales pitch is really getting old......and now with your story of the supposed ruined engine in your shop, you sir have evolved into a complete liar.

So your customer changed engine ruining fouled plugs often enough to accumulate 500 miles? As "Somebody Currently quite Famous" would say "that's bulls**t.

I see you have long ago figured him out. I will say his book did have some very good photography......maybe that would be a better career choice.

The same tools for tuning efi are availabe for carbs, Wideband 02's and dyno's. There really isn't any excuse for driving around with a ring eating carb anymore outside of shear laziness and maybe being one of those people who's commute to work is so short that the choke never comes off.
Even the old narrowband 02's just hooked up to a digital volt meter really helped me dial in a thermoquad 20 years ago.

Why bash Andy for giving you his advice? He’s done more testing of what works and what doesn’t then most people here. I’ve been trying to “shove efi down you throats” for years. Along with distributorless ignition. Andy has only recently ( comparatively) seen the HUGE advantages of efi. To write a book excluding efi now, would be a dis-service.
If I were running a carb, I would need to call Thumper to get it to run correctly. ( or as correctly as possible) Flipside... There is no one that can match the way My efi tuned engines run over the entire operating spectrum with a carb/ distributor engine.
Oh... and still in the 470 camp

Well I can see that Moparts is alive and well. I asked a question about strokers and it has turned into a bash session. I appreciate the advice on here but it seems as though I need to give more thought on posting. Doesn't seem worth it really. Oh, and Andy F. Thanks for your advice, and there are some on here that do appreciate your knowledge.

Thanks and no problem. Take a serious look at that SCAT 4.150 kit, it might be the best bang for the buck available right now and it should work perfect with a Trick Flow top end. If you decide to go with the Sniper just post any questions on here. There are a few folks on here now who can help with EFI questions.

Andy's opinions and advice have been valuable to me over the years. Whether it comes from his posts or in his books it's solid and honest. Nobody is perfect in this world. If you don't agree with his view of things fine but it's always good to hear other opinions. Moparts is a better place because of his input.

So how does a stoker post turn into an EFI post. Lol 😂

Because of this statement;

"If I updated that book today I would add a whole chapter on EFI and would highly recommend that everyone ditch their carbs and switch to a Sniper. I hate to see people spending $12,000 for a new 500 inch stroker engine and then wearing it out in a few thousand miles because their double pumper dumps so much extra fuel into the engine. I have an engine in the shop right now that was ruined by running rich. The customer said he only had 500 miles on it but it is wore out. He is switching to EFI."

For a street driven car tune a thermoquad and distributor- or pay someone else to do it, and keep the $2k in your pocket or spend it on a different part of the car. I feel bad for someone that ruins a rebuild by running a pig rich carb combo, but that same guy would likely not know enough to get EFI set up properly either.

It is the moparts version of a political post pbr.

let me guess who started this mess.

Any of them even non stroker combo's. I would probably stay away from a 361 block. I would think the advantage to a b engine is the heads. 290-300cfm should be no problem and even on a 383 with some squeeze and cam should go pretty good. What et are you thinking?

This is funny and because if some don't understand how to "clean up" a carb, they push EFI.....Tell my 100's of customers this stuff and they will tell ya how great they work after some tuning just like EFI. Ray Meyers won Drag Week years ago w/a Dommy I did and even got up to 16 mpg's......I have guys that have lots of data(Race Pack for one)that shoot me data so that we can smooth/change the curve w/just a bleed change most of the time cos once the jetting is where it needs to be it's a simple matter of curve manipulation just like carb sizing.......

The bigger the motor, with good heads of course, the more power it will make
I've built a bunch of BB Mopars from stock stroke to 4.500 stroke, the top end limits the power per cubic inch on N/A motors.
I've made 1.31 HP per C.I. N/A with ported stock type heads with bigger valves with a single four barrel carb on pump gas.
The most HP per C.I. N/A bracket motor on race gas I've built and dyno tested made 1.7 HP per C.I. with a single Holley Dominator carb, it was 539.5 C.I. and made a little over 920 HP at 7000 RPM with a set of Koffel prep B-1 heads and cast intake that was around 5 yrs ago and it was not a all out go fast motor. The next one like it will make more power than that one did, increased knowledge helps make more power
On your deal a 400 stroker or a 440 stroker with a 4.25 stroke should work great with all the rest of the right parts
It depends on how much power you want and how much you want to spend on it to get the results you want

Different strokes for different strokes.QuickNick is the bash KING! Any thread he turns to MUD.Andy is a valuable asset here as is Dom.The fact they have different opinions does not warrant bashing,no reason you can't disagree and have a different opinion.You will never find me bashing anyone unless they are an ali-ASS and we have so many!

I probably had the lowest form of a stroker RB in existence.... low shift point, it preferred a 4.10 gear, and got my Mirada into the 9’s. It was boring and like driving a tractor

I’d love to have port fuel injection on my small block. Would be an expensive endeavor, but I’d love to have a flat stock style hood on my car

....but I’m a cheap mopar guy so carbs it is!

(FI vs CARB! .....it’s like the new moparts tube K topic!! )

Interesting thread, mainly because I'm pondering a stock-appearing-383 build using a big 400.
I want Stealth heads, 800 AVS2 & Perf RPM intake both modded to appear stock, factory tin, and exh manifolds.
Something happy with 3.23s & 28" tire, 4-speed, 3600-3800 lb B-body.
Throttle response, grunt, but still happy at prolonged 2800-3200 cruise RPM (70-75MPH).
Longest stroke I've owned & used like that so far is 4.00", and I know the exhaust will be essentially a cork.
If this is a hijack, let me know and I'll do another thread.

I got the Holley HP unit.. have MPFI and pretty much all the bells and whistles... love it so far.. still
learning all the different things it will do,, got it on my Rampage

something interesting. https://www.facebook.com/allen.boes/videos/10157865392397527/

I actually built a 493 for my street car. I stayed with the RB block in case I ever want to put the crossram on it. But I am very pleased with the combo as its a great street car and drives very nice. I always drive it everywhere I go as I don't own a car trailer so I drive it the 45 miles to the track. I used a basic 440Source kit with a 4.15 crank and a .030 over 440 block. Indy EZ heads and the Indy dual plane intake. Its a solid flat tappet cam and I use an 850 Holley DP and a Mallory dist with MP ign unit. I just built it to be a nice driver that would run 10's in full street trim. I built good quench in the eng and the cust cam helps keep the cyl pressure pump gas friendly. I run the 92 pump in my area as the eng came out at 10.6 comp and has no detonation ever with 36 total timing. I built this eng in 2011 as there was no Trick Flow heads back then so I don't know if they are a better deal then the basic EZ heads I use. But I love it as it was a simple build for me and I have been driving it and racing it once or twice a year for 9 years now. It usually runs 10.80's driven to the track and raced through the full exh just as I drive it. Best et is 10.76 @ 125. Myself I love the 850 Holley double pumper carb I run. I worked it some so it drives and cruises on a nice clean AFR and I jet the secondary for mph at the track. That's way it does not run to rich cruising around or foul plugs. We have the Holley Sniper EFI on my sons 400 Dart and he loves it but I honestly still love my carb setup on my hotrod. The EFI is nice but it was no faster on his car as his was actually a tad faster on the 750 DP carb. If you like EFI use it and if you like to stay with a carb use it. It helps using a carb if you know carbs well or have a friend that's good with carbs so you get it set up right for your combo. Good luck to you. Ron

I for one have been around long enough to remember the issues you had with it when you switched over. Thankfully you found the right guy to get you straightened out. Many don’t and sell it for 50% face value.

We have built both 400/512 and 440/512's and one 440/526.....All were 440Source....We have built a lot of them....The 512 is a beast over a 496, and so is the 526...You want tire frying killer power....Go big...We have also noticed the cap walk with the 440 is better than the 400....I always thought it would be the opposite. All of are's are done with girdles and good parts...All are kept to 6700rpm or less..

The one we have not done is a 440/543....A 4.5" crank is a big crank in a stock block.....I would love to hear feedback on one of these

That was basically my error... I hooked up a wire wrong and I didnt have it set to remember

.....and that’s why I run carbs and ancient non programmable ignitions etc on my car. While I can appreciate the technology available today (Grid would be sweet!), it would probably be just one more thing to go “wrong” for me at the track. My Racepak has given me enough grief! At least I don’t “need” it for the car to perform.

I can't resist,,,, I LOVE my Street car with EFI, my carb was very well tuned for street strip, this Hilborn efi is AWESOME. no carb can do what this does.

I could not agree more. My business has become very busy now with the Sniper installs. My 512 is a totally different animal now with the Sniper and timing control.

question, I have a aftermarket "b" block, what is the biggest stroke crank i can get to fit with a 55mm cam? Can you get a 4.5 crank to fit? I would love to have a 572

Thanks
Joe

I would say it depends on which rods your using and which size rod journals your using, a forged steel BB Chevy H beam rod might fit where a aluminum Mopar hemi rod might not
I'm thinking of having a 4.5 stroke crankshaft made with either 2.00 or 2.100 rod journal sizes and use a BME custom aluminum rod to work in a pump gas street 572 C.I. motor