The wisdom has always said the older blocks have a higher nickel content thus are stronger, and they have thicker cylinder walls ... Well i don't know about the nickel content thing but i just personally saw the cylinder wall myth layed to rest ... I had a 351 W block i pulled out of a van sonic checked, (the block was cast in early 84), and they told me it had the thickest cylinder walls of any 351W they had tested. They wanted to know where i got it and what it came from.
So theres one piece of the puzzle for you ... take it for whats its worth
PS: We also weighed my bare block and one cast in 79... the 79 was about 3 or 4 pounds heavier .... but.... it was standard bore and mine was cut .030 over so that could have been where the difference in weight came from ???
PSS: I think that sonic check (40 bucks here) is great insurance... especially on a stroker ... and it gives you piece of mind that you're not gonna spend a ton of money on machine work then shove a piston through a cylinder wall because it was to thin.
