which 347 stroker kit?
 

Hi guys
I’m thinking of getting a 347 stroker kit for my mighty small block the question is which one. I know that I want 5.315inch rod so there’s no pin interference with the oil ring. As I’m going to be using it for street and long halls with the occasional quarter jaunt should I go for hypereutectic or 4032 forged pistons. As for rings are file fit the go? Lastly who should get it from? I like the look of the DSS pro-lite kit and the Coast High Performance GT kit and even the Speed-O-Motive kit, but do I just say “dam’it” and get the $599 kit from Powerhouse. Any help. Also why is a CNC beam rod more expensive and what’s better about them.

Here is my theory. As far as pistons go forged, if you plan on doing a power adder later or you are going to run high compression. As far as who to get the kit from I would choose between DSS or Coast High. Most of the people I have talked to have recommended doing a 331 c.i. instead of the 347 for drivability and longevity. I hope this is somewhat helpful.

Check out http//:www.dndmotorsports.com They have some great stuff. I would also go with the 331 I herd that the 347 is good for power but not for the daily driver for reliability. Depending on the way you drive it the most I have ever herd anyone get out of a 347 is around 50-60,000 mi. Also if you are planing on a power adder go forged on the crank also hope this helps you out.

CHP and DSS are both very good. I run a CHP Street Fighter Pro Street Blower 347 package myself. Anything you may have heard regarding 347's being bad motors is in the past. They used to have problems with oil control, burning a lot of oil. Most all kits these days no longer suffer from that, especially the CHP kits, due to relocating the wrist pin down past the oil contol ring.

I have a 20,000 miles on my CHP 347, that I assembled myself. I might put in maybe a 1/2 a quart of Mobil 1 in 3000 miles. I hear so many people say, I've heard that 347's burn oil, who have no experience whatsoever with them. I can't complain, I personally think it's a nice kit. And hell, I'll probably pull it at 50,000 just because, to freshen it up.

Im currrently building a 347 and with help from my freind who has been in the bussiness of building engine's for over 25 years and he agree's about 347's being oil burners and just not long term engines its all in the past Im going with forged internals and a small NOS shot for the 1/4 run on pumped gas and my car is also a daily driver.

If you do it right.....the 347 is FINE....PERIOD.


The only thing that would bother me is, that any stroker for a 302 base motor which ends up with more then 331 cubes would be on the edge of splitting the stock block in half with any decent amount of load. I would keep the spray under 125 and boost under 8 pounds. Other then that...it's just a ticking time bomb. If you plan on any more then the amount listed before,....then an aftermarket block is in order along with upgraded riciprocating parts. Then that's when shit starts to snow ball on ya, when it comes to $$$ on your orignal thought simple project.

The only difference between the 331 and 347 besides the cubes is the 331 allows a slightly longer rod with-out passing the oil ring land. So this brings in a long history of debate about rod-ratio. The better the ratio the longer the piston will stay at top dead center as well as bottom dead center. And this can keep going on and on. We'll just end it here.

Moral of the story is: PLAN YOUR PROJECT AND STICK TO IT!!! Get what you want and do it right! Cut corners and it will bite you back 100 fold!

Oh yea....I would STRONGLY rec. .Panhandle Performance
850-265-9818 ask for Mark or Adam.
Tell them Dennis from Rockford sent ya.


P.S
you might have to wait a couple of monthes for the engine due to obvious reasons. (only 2 guys do all the work from the shop) The most hardcore go there. Kinda of a inner circle type thing.

Punter, I just can't envision a $599 stroker kit as being worth your time.

Without bearings and rings, prices start at around $800. This is for a decent SCAT or Eagle reciprocating assembly with forged pistons.

If budget is an issue, you'll be fine with the cast crank and I-beam rods. They will outlive the stock block as far as HP capacity (which is around 550-600).

Engine builders say the 4340 forged cranks and H-beam rods are proven at 1000 hp. This sounds like overkill for what you need.

A hidden cost is the new balancer and flywheel. Those must be changed to 28 oz. with a stroker kit, whereas stock is 50 oz. Add about $300 (non-sfi) or $500 (SFI) for these items. Also, the balancing cost is higher for a stroker. I don't want to discourage you, but just to help you make good decisions.

My car is like yours...it's for street and occasional strip. I'm currently building a 331 and decided not to go with a 347.

Some of you own a 347 that's working well and that's great...all I can say is that for every satisfied 347 owner, there's an unhappy 347 owner. I didn't want to take my chances and be in that second group.

Even as we speak, I'm getting ready to leave the house and thrash on our other car to get it ready for FFW in Norwalk this weekend. Although it's a sportsman block, it's 333 cubes (331 that's .040" over instead of .030"), for the exact reasons listed above. That rod ratio thing just keeps popping up. If there were no truth to it, it would have died along time ago. For the second car, we have a 410 planned. Same reasoning. We could build a 427 for damn near the exact same cheddar, but we felt it's just not worth it. Of course we're after some speed, but we also have a budget, and can't afford to build another motor next year, or the year after.

Conversly, you do really get what you pay for. I would stay SOOOO far away from a $599 stroker kit. Well, unless I was making a cool mailbox post for out by the road.......

Think it through, build what you want, build it right, and build it ONCE.

check out www.adperformance.com

Brain is a nice guy and can answer all your questions. I think he has 347 kits on sale for $899. Forged pistons, I beam rods, Scat crank, etc


IMO all the fuss about 347's being oil burners is total BS. Sure you can build a 331, but I really don't see a nickles worth of difference between the two motors

With the new kits, even the 5.4 rod 347's shouldn't have any issues with oil control assuming everything is properly machined and assembled. If you want to be safer rather than sorry, go with the 5.315" rod and a piston with the pin below the oil controls, and the engine will last a very long time with no oil issues.

I've seen poorly assembled 306's smoke and professionally assembled 347's last like a stocker. You won't have problems because of the parts themselves...

The Coast High assemblies are awesome on a budget...you won't be disappointed.

My SFI balancer cost around $275 if I remember correctly, and 347's with the short height pistons will definitely be a lot closer to 28 oz imbalance than 50 oz. Balancing costs on my 331 was no different than a 306 would have been. There is nothing special about balancing a stroker if you guess the right imbalance weight.

Definitely go with a forged piston. 4032 is a better alloy for longetivity in an all motor application, 2618 for a forced induction or nitrous engine.

Most performance rings are file fit. The difference is in materials and radial tension. A plasma moly ring set will be the strongest. I wouldn't do low tension oil controls for a heavy street engine, although I do have them in mine with no problems.

A CNC rod would be more consistent, particularly in weight. It might save some balancing time in the end...

A lot of your decision will depend on your horsepower goals, power adder in the future, and usage of the engine itself. Talk it over with a pro before you buy.

I bought my SCAT kit from Brian. I was very happy with Brian's knowledge and service. With bearings and rings, the cost was $999. Give him a call, you will not be disappointed. Brian can sell you an SFI balancer for $170, and an SFI flywheel for around $300.

Balancing is a little more costly on strokers because it requires more time. The same shop that can charge $120 to balance a 306 can charge upwards of $400 for a stroker, depending on parts selected and how involved the work becomes. If you stick with a basic kit from a known manufacturer (not CAT, stay away from CAT) then I doubt you will pay more than $200 for balancing.