A different Q on 340 Vs 416
I'd start wit a survey of piston weight given the cr you want and the head cc's
Then figure the max FPS you want those pistons to move- ask the piston mfg
what max rpm do you want to turn with each
what valve springs would it take- you evidently do not want to go to high maintenance grind-
keeping same cam- when does it quit pulling/ max rpm
then work backward
would be really fun with the stroker and the 3:91's but maintenance may not be so much fun and wopuld take a much bigger cam if going for max- not so for a sat night machine
I like the cu inches- but you say you already have good cranks so you can't hide the stroker kit in a new crank-- what's the delta in cost?
the blower can add 200 hp without too much boost
Pistonchoices are not realy a problem will just get some light of the shelf forged pistons that gets me as close to the compression i desire as possible and will cut the heads for final adjustment of compression that part is no big deal,one of those stock cranks has been to and beyond7500rpm countless times with the same rods with heavy TRW pistons in a different block but with a whole bunch more cam in the past
The heads are already set up with the right springs for the cam so no big problem there either:)
Last i ran the car it had that cam and heads(those heads where way to good for that poor block) in a 11:1 340 with completely worn out bores and those TRW pistons where beat to death,shifted the thing at 6800-7000rpm. and figure i would shift a new 340 with the same cam and heads at about that rpm. its was a very nicerunning engine but worn out.
Figure the same combination of parts in a 416 would be shifted at just alitle over 6000rpm
The thing would probably be mostly a saturday night car,going to carshows,cruisenights drive it on nice summerdays and the occational 1/4mile run but just for fun, have seen way to many cars become trailerqueens and never driven and then the owners lose intrest.
Im figuring that staying stock stroke would cost a couple hundred dollars less when its all said and done compared to say a castcrank/forged piston scat kit.
Biggest reason for the small diffrence staying with one of my stock cranks would be that i would end up having to cut the heads a bunch more to get good compression and might also need pushrods at that point,
Taking in the whole picture since the thing needs new studs/arpbolts a new oilpan and preferably some new rockers aswell, and all the other odds and ends that always ends up costing an arm and a leg a few hundred dollars for a crank/strokerkit is not the end of the world.
Im confident the thing will make alitle shy of 500HP regardless of stroke,reason for the gearchoices is that i like to be conservative there to make it a more enjoyable drive and the stockstroke combo works well with 3:91gears but i also figure a 416 with the same parts would have enough torque to not realy be bothered by a bunch less gear and still be plenty exciting to drive that way.
That screw would make things exicting very quickly,but i also think it would be wasted to risk destroying stockblocks with it,i know myself all to well and that thing would be 100%overdriven in short order pushing 15lbs of boost and all sorts of destruction would show up rapidly :(
Even with a 4-inch crank it's not going to be optimal with the 3.21 gear and that cam.
It will run good though and you can always add gear
Yeah i figured that while 3.91:1 gears may not be optimum for the 340 its still a very fun combination and i have thought about the option of doing a 416 instead and thought that maybe just maybe all that stroke would be able to pull the 3.21:1 gear nicely.
I'll take a different approach, and ask how and where will the car realistically be driven for the vast majority of the time? If it's going to see a lot of track time, then you really need to look into the technical side of things and determine what will be best for the ET slip you're chasing. The previous replies offer good advice in that regard.
But, you said it's a "fun" car, which to me implies that it will mostly be driven on the street with maybe only a few dragstrip passes once in a while. If that's the case, I'd go with the stroker. For stoplight to stoplight fun and the pure thrill of sticking your foot in it once in a while, nothing beats cubic inches. Having to rev the motor to the moon to go quick isn't as much fun on the street. Lots of low RPM torque, is!
Admittedly, I'm an "old guy" but I have seen many guys build cars that might be really good drag race cars, and then only take them to the track twice a year, but put on 4000 miles going to cruise nights and car shows. They end up with a car that's not as much fun to drive on the street, even though that's where the car actually spends the majority of it's time.
Be honest with yourself when making these decisions and in the end you'll end up with a car that's a blast to drive, plenty fast, and a joy to own.
In reality it will mostly be driven around town,to cruisenights,to other towns for carshows say maximum 150 miles or so one waytrips but thats the maximum and will be very rare,mostly within say 80miles or so,might go to a track a few times a year but this is mainly for driving on nice summerdays and stepping on the throttle from random stoplights.
Sort of trying to make the best out of the bunch of leftover parts from a previously expired engine,but i have heard so many good things about strokers that i have to ask:)