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Hi, i'm planning to replace my standard Cleveland engine with a stroked Cleveland engine, i'm looking for app.500 hp and app. 500nm.
Can you recommend some good engine builders?
I would also like to hear from some of you who already drive stroked Cleveland powered Pantera's, what would you recommend and what are your personal experiences?
Brgds
Torben
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> Hi, i'm planning to replace my standard Cleveland engine with a stroked Cleveland engine,
> i'm looking for app.500 hp and app. 500nm.

I've posted the results from the 408C we did for Mike Drew's here before. It's a pretty
lengthy post. If you send me your email address, I can forward you the results.

> Location: Denmark

As luck would have it, I'm currently helping another Pantera owner in Denmark put together
a plan for a stroked Cleveland engine. He'll be building the engine himself. I'll also
be in Denmark on business in a few weeks. I'll be working at working at Skrydstrup air
base near Vojens.

> Can you recommend some good engine builders?

I use Dave McLain here in Missouri. He's a former Engine Masters Competitior (with a
stroked 351C, as well as big block Ford V8 based entries). In our spare time, we run
the 351C dyno project where we test all manner of Cleveland parts on Dave's dyno.

> I would also like to hear from some of you who already drive stroked Cleveland powered
> Pantera's, what would you recommend and what are your personal experiences?

Dave and I have done several solid and hydraulic roller Cleveland strokers (393 to 438
cubic inches) with 2V, 3V and 4V heads. I've also got the parts for a 403C for myself
at Dave's shop now. It'll be using my favorite Ford Motorsport heads on that one.
We're waiting on pistons at the moment but hope to have that one on the dyno in late
October or early November.

Mike's 408C used a hydraulic roller cam I designed based upon his desire to peak at
6000 RPM and be something he could daily drive on the street. It made nearly double
the power (526 HP and 500 ft-lbs) of his previous engine and gets better fuel economy.
Mike absolutely loves the new engine but did have some trouble with the cam gear.
He retained a gear drive and was running the car at a track day where he rode the
rev-limiter down the straights. The harmonics created by the rev-limiter were
transmitted through the gear drive which quickly hammered the steel distributor gear.

Dan Jones
Hello ducadesmo, I build many clevland engine every year and it is fairly easy to build one with that much power, but you will most likely be looking at changing the heads. With the cost of taking your stock heads doing the work needed to make that power I would go with an set of aluminum heads. What kind of budjet do you have, and what do you have to start with, are you looking for a new setup or reworking what you have?
An older car lacking modern electronic traction control and using street tires just cannot harness huge amounts of horsepower. All it will accomplish is spinning the tires. A car that spins it's tires too easily will someday spin them when you least expect it, or when it is dangerous to do so. If you want to go fast the wise way to accomplish this is to be sensible with the horsepower, set the chassis up well, and lighten the car as much as possible.

The stroker makes controlling traction even more difficult. The beauty of the 351C is you can make abundant power with the original castings ... crankshaft, heads, etc. If it needed aftermarket parts to make power it would not be the legendary engine that it is. It is not a small block Chevy or a small block Ford, its "the Cleveland". Frankly, 450 bhp is a better target if going fast is your goal, and it is easy to reach that target with a 351C. You have to engineer your "package" around going fast with street tires without the aid of traction control.

That's my best advice. Best wishes with your project, and always.

-G
As a counterpoint to George's argument, I think that the added cubic inches helps us in higher altitude locations. Being around 4500 feet takes a good 15 to 20% off the top. Every local engine shop I have talked to says that I should stroke the motor, no question, and they state that altitude isn't your friend.

I noticed the effect of altitude when I tried to get 0-60 times off an old G-tech meter and noticed that my best times were still quite slower than what I had expected for my car, based upon magazine articles. I was consistently much slower.

Dyno results are corrected for things like altitude, but performance suffers. Yes, everyone else suffers too, so it isn't that bad. I've heard of new automatic-equipped SS Camaros putting 258 hp to the rear wheels, uncorrected around here. That's a 405 hp car.
Last edited by George P
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