DeTomaso Mailing List: December 98, Message #81

At 21:20 -0500 1/12/98, MikeLDrew@aol.com wrote:
> Here's some good food for thought.  Guy on the Nor-Cal Shelby forum came up
> with a laundry-list of kick-ass parts, intending to build a high-compression
> 393 Windsor stroker track motor for his '92 Mustang, and asked for inputs 
> from
> the crowd.  Noted tech guru Don Wollesen came forth with the following 
> science
> of strokers post (and then privately sent me an addendum with Cleveland stuff
> for you mugs.):
>
> He writes:

_BIG_ snip...

Well.... VERY interesting reading and written by a guy who obviously has 
experiences, both bad and good, with engines (especially Fords) and driving 
cars.

So, if I can sum up and comment a little...

377 strokers seem to be THE thing to do (as opposed to what I think Senor 
Drew was postulating back a few months ago.... ;-)) ) I like mine more and 
more and Don's blurb seems to enforce that from my interpretation. Go for 
that 406, John! We'll have a go at TWS next year. :-))))

4V quench heads need rpm. I can vouch for that as well as others, I'm sure. 
My engine doesn't start really doing its thing until 5,000rpm or so. At 
least, as long as the ignition can handle the higher rpms as I learned at 
Pocono...

Viscous dampers pulleys are recommended by Don, but that's contrary to a 
whole bunch of other folks who've commented here before on those items... I 
think I'll still stick to the stock version.

>From my point of view....

My 377 runs better and better the more I fiddle with it. I can certainly 
say that at the moment, my car today would outrun my car at TWS last 
September even  with me driving it badly (as I usually do).

I've listened to Jack DeRyke and backed the timing off some. 12 degrees 
initial, 34 total, and the pinging is gone and it pulls even better. In 
fact, I'd say I use less and less of the secondaries driving normally to 
work and back because it runs so damned well now. I'll need a new set of 
345-35's in another two months...

Above 5,000rpm, it's whoohoo time! I gave my boss a ride a couple of days 
ago when I dropped him off to pick up his car from servicing and he wanted 
to know what I'd done to the engine!

So... put some solid, basic stuff at the roots of your engine and then 
allow some incompetency with the driver/mechanic and it still runs good 
with more hiding in the wings.... Dennis Q. and Kip seem to have their 377 
kit down pat. I'm glad I decided to go with it.

My friend Holger, who bought Mike Miller's car in the U.K., is sending me 
an email almost weekly on how he can't get over how his GT5 with a 600 
Holley goes so damned fast that he's having to learn how to drive a _fast_ 
car all over again. His wife has already stated emphatically that she ain't 
riding in that thing again!!!! :-)))) OK... it ain't a stroker to my 
knowledge, but Mike obviously knew what he was doing (or his engine builder 
did!).

Executive summary?
As Mad Dog would say, 'STROKERS RULE!!!'

:-))))))

FWIW,

Kirby

PS
As some of the SCP members already know, I had a run in with Texas' finest 
last Tuesday night.... Alleged speed in a 65... 123. :-((((
After a long conversation with the judge and help from the fact that my 
daughter was a passenger at the time, it's now reduced to 100mph.
Sigh.....
Yes, I know... I've learned once again the hard way... Leave it for the 
track. Even if it was a new Chrysler LX doing 103 that went by....




/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Kirby Schrader                       kschrader@slb.com
                                     kschrader@earthlink.net
'71 Pantera #1661
'78 Longchamp GTS #3001   Waiting patiently for a new hood and fender.... 

'90 Thunderbird 35th anniversary special
http://members.tripod.com/~kschrader/index.html