i was watching horsepower TV this weekend and they were talking about making an engine a stroker engine but i didnt get a chance to see it completely. what makes the engine a stroker and how does it differ from a regular engine?

It just means you stick a crank shaft in with a longer stroke. I think in this case they made a 383 stroker so they took a 350 which has a 3.48" stroke and they installed a crank with a 3.75" stroke. In this case that extra 1/4" plus travel will give you 33 cubic inches(if the cylinders are bored .030" bigger in diameter). A 385 is .040" over, and a 388 is .060" over. Hope that helps!

Don't forget you can also destroke an engine as well using a crank with a smaller stroke than it came with originally. Like a 400 block with a 350 crankshaft. I think that might be a de-stroker. :D

Thanks so much for asking this, I had no idea either...but was too wussy to ask graemlins/clonk.gif
Hmm...does sounds interesting, but isn't this mostly done for racing?
rachael anne :D

It means you must go out to your car once a night and stroke the valve covers and talk sexy to your motor or it won't start the next time you go to run it.

and how much do one of those crankshafts costs and is it worth it installing one on my 396 or wait til i install my 454. i guess i should ask could i reuse the crank from the 396 to the 454??

First, let me say that the only stupid question is, imho, the one unasked!!

To me, the best hp value for the buck is a 496 motor which is a .060" overbored, 454 motor with a 4.25" sroked crank in it instead of the stock 4.0" one..


Just set it up so you can run pump gas with say a 9.5 to 1 CR or thereabouts. And be sure to use at least 1/4" longer custom rods so that you don't have any counterweight clearance problems..

A solid cam in the 280 range along with a set of 1.75" four tube, long headers and a good old 750 Holley and either a high-rise or a single plane will give you above 500hp easy!! (Probably close to 550hp, imho??)

Heads can be either open or closed with or without big valves depending on your finances as long as you end up with the suggested CR. above by spec'ing needed pistons, quench number and headgasket thickness!!!

pdq67

Of course you can use that 396 crank in a 454 block. That would make it a 427 and I would make sure you have it balanced if you would do that. You would also have to use 427 pistons. Like the post before said a 496 sounds awful good instead though.

Originally posted by SweetShot:
isn't this mostly done for racing?
rachael anne :D Not necessarily.
It's done to increase the cubic inches of the motor. More cubes = more power.

Tim.