Jay, good idea NOT boring the block. On many, a simple hone-job cleans this up except for the very tops of the bores- which are usually above the ring contact points, so no effect on oil use. I'd suggest forged pistons because -A- they expand a little more than cast or cast-hypereutectics, so a 4.000 forged piston will fit a 4.004" honed bore with only a little noise at start-up, until some heat gets in the pistons & they expand. On my engine, it takes less than a minute. And forged pistons are quite a bit stronger which a stroker will use.
Many stroker cranks these days use 350-Chev rod bearing size, which makes aftermarket 6" Chev rods attractive. Until you realize the Chev wristpin is too big for Cleveland pistons. And Chev pistons have the wrong size valve clearance notches, cut in the wrong places, and modern pistons are contoured underneath the crown, so they can't be trimmed much.
Bottom line: if you are piecing this engine together yourself from parts, you WILL need custom pistons. I also suggest a commercial kit which guarantees you parts that fit with all the details sorted. Sure, it'll cost a few bucks more. But you'll be driving while the piecer-together stroker engine guy is still reading catalogues and spending hours on the phone or web. It's also very possible to wind up with a collection of new parts that don't quite work together.... and have no value to anyone else, so the bucks go down the porcelain convenience.
