Need help on engine rebuild!

justi88 · Mar 6, 2012

I posted a thread a few weeks ago about my car having loud knocking noises and the oil pum going up & down. Well i took the stang to the shop and the whole engine is apart. Like some of you said the bearings are wiped out:

My mechanic told me when he took the oil pan off, the oil pickup was loose and the bolts were dancing around inside the pan. If i would have drove the car a little more the problem would be even worse. On the crankshaft i could also see some light scratches, not like the ones on the bearings but he took the block to the machine shop to have it all measured and checked. He gave me the numbers i need for the new parts:

Pistons and Rings: 0.20
Main and Rod Bearings: 0.10
Camshaft Bearings: Standard

I also need new hydraulic lifters, oil pum, timing chain set and a engine gasket set. My question is ive been looking at stroker kits from DSS racing, coast high performance and summit racing in 331 and 347. Should i just get a 302 rebuild kit or go with the stroker? What are benefits and cons of going with a stroker? My car will still be a daily driver but i want to go supercharged and the future and would like to have some forged internals for when i go F/I. Can i get some advice please?

quickstang_1994 · Mar 6, 2012

the bigger the better they build a little more heat but not to bad. if you are having to buy the parts get a stroker. i wont make that mistake again. looks wise no one will ever know unless you tell them.

forcefedhatch · Mar 6, 2012

I'd go 331 since your already in the block.. If you go boost on a 347 you have a good chance at cracking sleeve cause the bore makes the cylinder walls do thin.. 331 will keep you happy now.. And even happier when boosted.. Just try to stay in the 9.0 to 9.5:1 compression area since future plans are for boost.. If planning to stay n/a shoot for 11.5-12.0:1 for a healthy premium gas only eating torque monster..

Sent from my iPhone

Paul · Mar 6, 2012

forcefedhatch said:
If you go boost on a 347 you have a good chance at cracking sleeve cause the bore makes the cylinder walls do thin..

What are you talking about? There is absolutely no difference in the bore size between a 331 and a 347.

They are both 4.030"

justi88 · Mar 6, 2012

I think i will go with the 331 and DSS has a good forged kit and i think the price is fair for 880$. I dont have that much money to get some new heads and they are too heavy to ship to my country, so i will have the stock heads ported. Is there a better stroker kit out there? and where can i buy the lifters, timing set, oil pump and gaskets?

jo4roush99 · Mar 6, 2012

Paul said:
What are you talking about? There is absolutely no difference in the bore size between a 331 and a 347.

They are both 4.030"

Very true.
You forgot to break it to him that a 12:1 compression engine on 97 octane wont last 5 mins. either.

ram360 · Mar 6, 2012

Do you have aftermarket heads or anything like that on the car now?

justi88 · Mar 6, 2012

No just the stock heads, do i really need to change the heads right now to use a stroker kit? cant i just have my actual heads ported? i know i wont gain all the HP im suppose too but i can get some trickflows or afrs in the future. So is 331 the way to go? http://www.dssracing.com/

ivan12 · Mar 6, 2012

The biggest bottle neck on our cars are the stock heads and the lower intake second. You don't need aftermarket heads to run the stroker but you won't see much of a gain in power.

modo · Mar 6, 2012

considering you want to go with forced induction later i would buy the .020" over pistons and use the crank / rod money to buy a set of heads / cam / intake.... absolutely no point in slapping a blower on a 331/347 in a stock block... or building a 331/347 with stock h/c/i.

modo · Mar 6, 2012

Paul said:
What are you talking about? There is absolutely no difference in the bore size between a 331 and a 347.

They are both 4.030"

3.25" + 4.030 = 331
3.25" + 4.125 = 347

yeah yeah yeah i know stock block and you are 100% right but i just had to do it

justi88 · Mar 6, 2012

i can afford know to buy the stroker kit, camshaft and port my heads.. you see heads are pretty heavy and importing will cost me alot. But you do have a point, i could just buy a forged piston set and a tfs stage 1 camshaft. How much power would i make with a 331 and aftermarket H/C/I? If i get good power i wont even do the forced induction.

modo · Mar 6, 2012

justi88 said:
i can afford know to buy the stroker kit, camshaft and port my heads.. you see heads are pretty heavy and importing will cost me alot. But you do have a point, i could just buy a forged piston set and a tfs stage 1 camshaft. How much power would i make with a 331 and aftermarket H/C/I? If i get good power i wont even do the forced induction.

you don't need a forged piston and porting stock heads is like putting lipstick on a pig. put the money towards a aftermarket set of heads. i have seen more then one 347 make over 450 rwhp with the right parts. like anything in life it all comes down to $

justi88 · Mar 6, 2012

So which would be the correct set to buy? i prefer to build the internals first and then get the heads later this year.. i need to get her running.

modo · Mar 6, 2012

i can't answer that as i have no idea what your realistic plans are in the future. if its going to be a FI motor then the compression imo should be between 8.5:1 - 9.2:1 depending on your elevation and what type of gas you plan on running (pump gas and octane). if its a NA motor then go with 9.5:1 - 11.0:1 again depending on your environment and gas. the cc of the piston should be based on the cc of the head and the location of the piston compared to the deck at tdc.

pick a path and stick to it.

rz5.0 · Mar 6, 2012

modo said:
considering you want to go with forced induction later i would buy the .020" over pistons and use the crank / rod money to buy a set of heads / cam / intake.... Absolutely no point in slapping a blower on a 331/347 in a stock block... Or building a 331/347 with stock h/c/i.

this

justi88 · Mar 6, 2012

Ok well really hard deciding but i know ill be running n/a for a long time, so that will be my path. Second i will be driving it with pump gas which the octane here is really low like 80-83 but we use AVIGAS and mix it with regular pump gas for 1/4 mile. Yes it sounds crazy but it has worked for anyone and no issues that ive heard yet. i need to get the engine fixed but my plan was while the block is already open why not upgrade the internals or build a stroker.

I know the stroker will need more air because of my stock h/c/i but i will upgrade it this year. I mean will i ruin the stroker with the stock heads?

modo · Mar 6, 2012

justi88 said:
Ok well really hard deciding but i know ill be running n/a for a long time, so that will be my path. Second i will be driving it with pump gas which the octane here is really low like 80-83 but we use AVIGAS and mix it with regular pump gas for 1/4 mile. Yes it sounds crazy but it has worked for anyone and no issues that ive heard yet. i need to get the engine fixed but my plan was while the block is already open why not upgrade the internals or build a stroker.

I know the stroker will need more air because of my stock h/c/i but i will upgrade it this year. I mean will i ruin the stroker with the stock heads?

stick with a stockish compression ratio then with that little octane. i would not run a stroker motor with the stock parts as it would be a turd. is it going to hurt it, no. just put a decent stock replacement piston in and buy a h/c/i kit. car will pickup a lot of power and im sure you will be a lot happier in the long run.