Pushing 500 would be great. Are there blocks available that can be bought that are already machined and ready to begin a stroker build? Most of the blocks I've looked at need machined to take it from the base 351 to the 408 stroker. What sort of block would be good for the 500hp range? I want the hydraulic rollers, al heads, etc. I just don't want to get a block and realize later there was a better block I should have used instead. I'm not going to be racing but I want to be able to get on it if I want to.

 

Deck heights make a big difference. 9.2 is a Cleveland. 9.5 is a Windsor. Which you go with is going to depend on what heads, intake, etc you want. If you get a Dart Sportsman, which is what I did, you can get it in both varieties. In fact, you can also get it in a 302 version. Both 351 Dart blocks use Cleveland size main journals and require a Cleveland crank, so you will need to get a custom rotating assembly if you get 9.5 version. It is not that big a deal because you will probably want custom pistons and rods to get you compression height and compression ratio where you want it.

As for horsepower, I belive the Dart Sportsman is good upto 1200hp and 460cid. I personally thing that is awesome for the money. The Iron Eagle is basically an all out race motor and is way over kill for most of us. When you compare the Dart Sportsman to a stock Windor, there is a HUGE difference in stoutness, quality, and performance. As for machining, you want to machine it. That is the only way you will make sure your block is blueprinted correctly. I would never trust a mail order place to send me a short block ready for 400+hp. If you are going to play with 400+hp, it is time to stop thinging bolt-on and start thinking about getting your fabrication on.

For what it is worth, I really like the Dart Sportsman block. The only disadvantage I can see with it is if you want to run stock class drag racing. For that you need Ford branded stuff and may need year correct stuff. Since you are not racing that is not an issue.