I have a 351c in my XD & can't decide whether to put alloy heads on or stroke it or go big block.Never owned or driven a BB so temptation is to go that way,what are pros & cons & your thoughts!
quickstitch,
Sep 26, 8:00am
How good is your short block, if it is tired then after you splash out on new heads then you will probably need to give the block a set of rings and bearing. Stroking it would be a good option if the block is tired and at a latter date you colud add some aftermarket heads. Big block falcons are fun, i've had 2. But they are a tight fit, Strut conversion would be great but at around $6000, an expensive road to go down
likit,
Sep 26, 8:07am
Thanks for that,I am on a limited budget so stroking it is the way to go then.Engine will need a rebuild sometime soon & wanted some advice on best way to go.I see there is a stroker kit on here for $2900 so will have a look at this.
quickstitch,
Sep 26, 8:18am
you will still be looking at around $4k-5Kby the time you allow for machining, cam,pump,timing set, gaskets,bearings, balancing and assembly (if you aren't doing it yourself)
likit,
Sep 26, 8:34am
Is there anything I should be looking for when purchasing one of these,the one on here is a procomp & has steel crank,400 cubes!
quickstitch,
Sep 26, 8:45am
Dont know anything about procomp but i think they are not bad quality. Scott will be helpful in answering any of your questions. I did some work on two brothers Falcons,one was a stroked 351 with procomp heads (cover cars of petrolhead about two months ago). I will be doing some work on his Holden on wednesday night so i will quiz him about it. i think he is making 550 HP.
trader_84,
Sep 26, 8:58pm
I don't know much about Clevo's apart from the fact there used to be a term called 'walk through ports' or something associated with them . implying they were not short on their ability to breathe deep. In most engines however . stroking for more cubes whilst leaving the heads stock will not increase HP like what you'd think. The extra cubes require bigger breathing to realize the extra HP . and the stock heads end up being the limiting factor. Heads are always a place people muck around in to get more power. I don't know if the above pertains to Clevo's or not. They might have enough 'head' in OEM form to take in a few more inches.
bellky,
Sep 26, 9:01pm
i havn't owned a bb either - but if you're thinking along those lines. go 460!
sifty,
Sep 26, 9:05pm
Big blocks are heavy,bloody torquey, great for burnouts and sound awesome. But they don't go that much better than a worked 351 in reality. Up to you how much work you want to put in.
hotrodtodd1,
Sep 27, 1:03am
The 460 is considerably bigger and its heavier and the car would need to be certified to be legal. The Clevo is already in the hole, its legal and they breathe pretty well.
Of your three options, the stroker kit would be my choice as for a street car, you want low down grunt and the stroker will do that with less hassle than the engine conversion.
Im not sure that you would notice a lot of difference with the alloy heads under say 4000 revs (and how often do you go past that on the street anyhow!)
pnh4,
Sep 27, 1:29am
A Windsor 400 stroker kit is under 2K, so If you're gonna do everything, heads etc, it'd be better & cheaper, the Cleveland could be sold to improve the finances.
quickstitch,
Sep 27, 1:52am
my mistake, the brothers falcons were cover cars in NZV8 magazine, July. Don't go the windsor route, a big step backwards in my opinion. They may be cheaper to stroke, but you will have to spend big bucks to make it perform due to very restrictive heads. Unless you were thinking of building a windsor with clevo heads but as you said you are on a budget. 2V cleveland heads can flow 500+ HP, with 2v intake valves and 4V exhausts and some porting. I think CHI 3V alloy heads with intake manifold and cam package is $4500, and thats 550 hp. Factory 4Vs (boss and GT heads) are 385 HP.
kiwicon,
Sep 27, 1:55am
sell your 351 and buy a crate motor from segedins
trader_84,
Sep 27, 3:09am
Sell your Falcon and get a Valiant.
neville48,
Sep 27, 5:43am
just keep one thing in mind."aint no substitute for cubes"
likit,
Sep 27, 6:18am
Yes my first choice would be a VG coupe,my first car was a VG 770 Regal with the 318,but they don't come cheap anymore
likit,
Sep 27, 6:23am
Have to agree but I have to be realistic as far as costs go,just want to improve what I've got.
extrayda,
Sep 27, 6:31am
Keep the 351c, depends on what HP you are chasing as to what heads to get. I think you can get good HP from stockers, but wouldn't want to put too much $$$ into old heads myself. If you are rebuilding, why not go the stroker way, I did the 383 from 350 in my HQ and never regretted it - extra cubes ! Don't forget to get a decent stall converter if the cam requires it. I did a 460 into an XA, and yes, plenty of grunt, but I found it nose heavy, I preferred the Cleveland. Never had a Windsor to compare.
extrayda,
Sep 27, 6:32am
BB would require at least new mounts, new exhaust (headers at least), certification, new trans, modified driveshaft, probably heavier front springs (from memory of doing mine).SB would be the cheaper option.
extrayda,
Sep 27, 6:35am
If money is tight, build a good short block and replace heads / intake / carb / ignition etc as money allows - they are easy to do later (asssuming some mechanical knowledge), whereas you don't want to be changing anything in the shortblock once it is built.Do you have any good parts on the existing motor!
quickstitch,
Nov 24, 7:18pm
personally, i would just give the 351 shortblock a rebuild with good parts (stock crank), new performance cam, and if any money is left in your budget do a multi-angle valve job on the heads, new springs, and a Weiand X-celerator intake manifold, a good electronic ignition systemand an Edelbrock carbie.You will find that is plenty power for shredding a set of tyres and will sound great thru headers and Flowmaster type mufflers
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