[DeTomaso] stroker kit????

[Daniel C Jones]

> MD, to me it looks like those 377 and 393 sizes are sort of standard stroker
> sizes, as they are so frequentley reffered to.

Yes.  They are standard because inexpensive Chinese import crankshafts
(primarily from SCAT and Eagle) are available.  The same goes for the 408
displacement.  The displacements assume a 4" bore block that has been bored
0.030" over.  The 377 uses a 3.7" stroke crank, either from an offset ground
351C crank or aftermarket.  The 393 assumes a 3.85" stroke aftermarket crank
and the 408 assumes a 4" stroke aftermarket or Ford 400 crank (the the mains
reduced to 351C size).  3.9" strokes used to be popular with both the oval
track and drag race 351C's when Ford carried that stroke crank in their
Motorsport catalog.  The serious oval track guys still like the 3.9" stroke
but they are more expensive U.S. forgings.

> It is just 0,16" differece between the two.

Agreed.  The increase isn't large enough to cause Mad Dog's problems.
A 3.85" stroke at 6000 RPM has the same piston speed as a 3.7" stroke at
6243 RPM, not a huge difference.  The 3.7" stroke does allow a little longer
rod or a little more conservative ring pack in the same deck height block.

> My motor is 4,5" stroke and dont explode at 7 grand, so there must be
> anything but stroke that makes the longer stroke granade.

Yes.  Your block does have a taller deck so you can run longer rods to preserve
the rod ratio.

> I know that C motors got weak cylinder walls. Then they might be
> sensitive to the combination short rods and overbores?
> Cant Dan J explain the situation a bit?

The rods in these kits are usually 6.0" whhich is longer than the stock
351C 5.778" rod.  I don't recall the circumstances of Mad Dog's problems but
I don't recall the failures being traced to the block, rods, or cranks.

Dan Jones