Cheapest route to a 347 stroker.

I am concerned that my 308 (302 bored .040 over) might be done. I was looking on line at 347 and 331 strokers and the prices are staggering. My current engine has a great set of
GT40P heads with Motorsport roller rockers and custom tri-Y headers, and I'm happy with my plain old Edelbrock Performer manifold and 625 cfm Road Demon carb. I was looking at short block 347s, but most of them seem to be for Fox Bodies and later Mustangs. I want one that will allow me to use my existing stuff, but benefit from the newer technology like roller cams and lifters. My existing 302 was rebuilt at Diablo Engineering in Dublin, CA but they went out of business or I'd go back to them. My engine is the original and has matching numbers to my VIN, but I'm guessing that a Windsor style small block with .040 over bore is pretty much toast and I doubt that I'd ever be selling it to somebody looking for a concours numbers matching car. It appears that most of the advertised shorties are 306s with a .030 over bore. I would even consider finding a solid block and buying a stroker kit, but I'd prefer finding a short block that includes the cam and lifters. Anyone have a feel for who to see about this sort of conversion in the Sacramento/NorCal area?

there are companies that sell the rotating assembly, about $1700 or so on average, that you can put in your block. or you can buy a short block already done and use your dressing, valve covers, front cover, oil pan and pick up, etc. and you can use a roller cam in any for small block with no problem. you just need a set of link bar roller lifters to go with the cam.

Contact David67

I'd start talking to local speed shops. It's been a while since I've been in touch with any really good ones up here (I live in Elk Grove), but I'll reach out to my auto parts contacts and ask around. You may find that building a decent motor (or having a speed shop build you one to your liking) is cheaper than buying a short/long block.

Back when I built my motor back in '03, I had a speed shop over on Sunrise put together a stroker kit for my existing 289 block. Scat cast crank, scat forged rods, KB hypereutectic pistons w/floating wrist pins, and ARP hardware. I took that to my machinist in Stockton to have him balance everything and clearance the block before I assembled everything myself.

For the block, I'd go hunting for an 80's 5.0 roller motor. They had low-tension piston rings which often leave very little wear on the cylinder walls, making them great for rebuilds. You'd be surprised how many you'd come across on craigslist due to some numbskull wrecking his fox body. I wish I had gone this route when I built my motor.

The 5.0 and 289/302 blocks are almost identical, so you should be able to swap all of your accessories over with minimal fuss. GT40P heads are a pain to convert to, but since you already have them installed with headers that you're happy with, you could get them cleaned up and bolt them to the new motor.

I know Elk Grove is a ways away from Lincoln, but I might be convinced to lend a hand if you needed help pulling or dropping a motor

I wouldn't use the word "cheapest" rather best route to a QUALITY engine. Anyone can build an engine. Hell, at 17 I threw one together (302) and dropped it in the car, fired it up, broke it in all in a single day. Next day drove 200 miles to my new home. I ran that engine for years but I would never call it a great engine. You get what you pay for. A 347 stroker can put out enough power to split a stock block. With that kind of potential you need to make sure things are done right. The longer stroke creates gobs of torque which can be destructive.
As stated there are endless sources for complete rotating assemblies. SCAT and Eagle are the two most common. I've seen countless stories of how much machine work is needed for both to be "right". They are NOT out of the box ready to install. For the little additional cost I would no doubt upgrade to a forged rod, be it I or H beam really won't matter for a street car that will not see sustained high RPM beatings but the stockers are weak enough it makes sense to get better. A hypereutic piston is also fine if no boost/juice will ever see the engine. They can even take a little of both to be honest. Forged cranks are overkill unless you are consistently winding it way up there (drag racing) but whats a few dollars more?
For sure go to a roller cam set-up. Not even worth discussing why. Just do it. And I strongly recommend putting it together yourself. You can save an easy $500 or so on the bottom end and a lot more for the rest of the engine. Not rocket science. Just follow the steps, use quality tools (torque wrench) and absolutely take the time to measure/check every clearance. If you do insist on buying a short block I wouldn't waste the cash having them install the cam as well. Easy to do yourself and save some coin.

Just throwing this out there but I'm wondering why you would not just go with the 351W. You can use your heads, carb and maybe even your exhaust. You'd need an intake and some other fiddlybits to make it all work but in the end it would probably cost less than the 347 and it could also be more reliable to boot.

I wouldn't want to go hunting for headers that will work on a 351W conversion with GT40P heads. They're hard enough to find for a regular 302.

A 5.0 block will fit just fine. I have a GT40P mascaraing as a 289. Everything bolted up just fine, no problems. I'm using off the shelf MAC long tube headers. If I were building a 347, I wouldn't use the P heads. I like them for a 302 but they're really going to limit the potential of a 347. I definitely would not use any ebay or low cost 347 kit. On www.corral.net Woodie who owns Fordstrokers has said he's rejected something like a third of all new cranks due to poor machining. I've seen other posts with thrust bearing issues as well for the same reason. I would talk to a good shop

Couple more things to consider. A 347 stroker is moving a ton of air compared to your typical SBF. Not only more cubes but the stroke changes the velocities of air flow, etc. Heads are EVERYTHING to one. Bigger is better. Which means you can run lots more cam. Bigger cam means better valvetrain. NOTHING in that equation equals cheap. And don't forget you have to spend on the air in and air out stuff too.
The issue with thrust bearings has to do with aftermarket cranks not having as deep a hole for them. Simple as that. Most require a shorter bearing otherwise when you bolt up the trans you end up pushing the crank forward and that leads to problems.

The thrust bearing issue I was thinking of was a guy on the VFM with a C4. The snout of the converter was having an issue with the crank not being properly machined causing thrust bearing issues.

Not stroked, but Terry will have a brand new engine to sell in just days!

huskinhano said:

The thrust bearing issue I was thinking of was a guy on the VFM with a C4. The snout of the converter was having an issue with the crank not being properly machined causing thrust bearing issues.

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That guy created his own problems because he wouldn't listen. I've been telling him what his problem was for a year, but the retard crew at VMF had him convinced otherwise. After tearing up a couple of engines, he finally decided to check what I'd been telling him, and low and behold, he could have saved a lot of headache had he listened the first time.

The quickest and cheapest route to a 347 stroker is to obtain a 347 emblem for the rear decklid and two for the front fenders. Voila! A stroker!

i do agree with everyone that suggests using a larger head on a 347. you really need them to feed the motor. something like a 200cc intake runner does quite well on a 347.

Nothing is cheaper and more reliable than a 351W.