ok, so both have some upside and downside it seems like. Cleveland seems like you have to be more committed and attentive while the windsor isnt as demanding but still has potential to be preatty good like the Cleveland.

ok for you computer guys out there...is "stroking" your engine sort of like "overclocking" your engine?

 

It's not as easy as "overclocking". It's more involved than a dipswitch and a flex fan. What you're doing is changing the actual displacement. I would relate overclocking to running an engine at higher RPM then suggested...

As far as I can see, the Cleveland is like the Vortec stuff to the chevy guys. For stock parts, it's better. As someone already said, It's alot easier to find upgrades for a W than a C, so if you plan on alot of aftermarket stuff, the W will give you more options.

 

When you stroke a motor, you are changing the crank profile to take longer piston rods, thereby increasing the cubic inch displacement of the engine.
I have seen kits that take a 351W block and increase it to a 427ci. And that one you can fit into a 65 of 66 body.

 

so essentially it packs a way bigger punch in a smaller package, increasing power, while decreasing weight. Sounds like a win-win to me!

is there more special care or anything needed for a stroked engine?

what would be the average you could stroke a 302 to? 351? (im assuming 427 isnt average?)

and it something the average car guy could do? or is its preatty invovled and complicated? (cutting metal, sanding, etc)

 

Commonly a 302 is stroked to 347 and the 351 to a 393 or 408.
Best to buy a stroker kit or even short block from somebody like coasthigh performance.
Big inch small blocks are good bang for the buck and weight...

 

You can get complete kits that are just drop in parts from places like Performance Automotive Warehouse (PAW), I think JEGs and Summit racing also.
If you can turn a wrench, you can build a motor.

 

I am from australia and own a 351 cleveland in a 1976 ford landau. the engine produces 350 flywheel hp with stock 2v closed chamber heads, stock inlet manifold, and stock HEI ignition. It does however have a holley 650dp and a stage 3 heetseeker cam with 500thou lift on both inlet and exhaust. clevelands were the only small block ford V8 built in australia so parts are plentyful. Ford australia built two versions of the cleveland, 351ci and 302ci. the 302 has been known to produce 450hp with ported 2v heads and the 351 can produce 550hp. there is a 3v aluminium head wich has produced 550hp on a 351 unported with 10.2-1comp. there are only a few windsors used for racing over here being the cleveland is easy to extract power from. clevelands can be stroked to 412ci using a 400M crank

 

Not sure what you are trying to say.

Here is my Stroked 351 cleveland....408 cubes with a modest cam and STOCK cast iron heads putting 396 RWHP to the ground through an AOD, Ford 9 inch, and all installed in my STOCK 65 engine compartment.



The no BS bottom line is: "It is cheaper to build what you own already"

The difference between building a c and a w for performance is easily marginalized to the cost of the core parts...meaning if own a w and want to build a c...the cost to source the parts you don't already have (block, heads) make it more expensive to build...and vise versa.

Where I can drop 2k on a stroker kit and go to town on the stock heads for 500-600 (valves, springs, etc), you can't with a w...you have to drop $1500 on a stroker kit and then 1200 on new aluminum heads.

 

i have a 79 351w in my fox bodie and i couldnt ask for more the windsor has so much tourqe. the engine just about jumped in my lap i called a place and the guy had one i bought it rebuilt it put some heads on it the only part hard to find was the oil pan i needed an oil pan that had the dipstick in the pan not in the block after that i used my 302's roller rockers put the guide plates in for my 302's roller cam and i have a 79 351w roller motor parts were everywhere for it

 

you could stroke a 302 but you get a oil burner form the piston pin being so far moved that the oil ring is under the piston boss causing oil to pass