428 build

[wayne]

I have the money for trick flow heads or a 4.250 crank kit but not both its a 428 now it has a good cam intake and stock jet heads which one will give me the most bang for the buck.

[thatdarncat]

A little more detail of your combo now would help for the best answer. What cam do you have? What intake & carb? Compression? What vehicle is it in? How are you using it - mostly street, daily, race? Do you plan on doing more in the future?

[wayne]

I have lunati solid flat tapet 559/572 300/310  stock compression holley street dominator intake 3310 780 hooker headers 3.70 gear in a 69 mustang 4 speed.

[thatdarncat]

Just my opinion, go for the stroker kit. With just the head swap, and nothing else, I don't think you'd feel much of a difference. With the combo you have I don't think your Cobra Jet heads are a bottle neck. The CJ heads are pretty decent, lots of people who've run plenty fast with them, even with stock valve sizes. However, I do think you would feel a significant difference in power & torque just adding the stroker kit and the added cubic inches. And again, with everything else being the same, I don't think retaining your CJ heads would be holding you back too much. Although in the future, with already having the stroker kit, you'd be better able to take advantage of the better heads.

[chilly460]

I'd go stroker kit as well

[Lenz]

Looking strictly from a labor and practical standpoint, the stroker would be my choice also.  You can always add the heads in search of more power later on, and you should realize a better result then because the extra cubes will already be there.

[cjshaker]

Having to choose one or the other, the stroker kit would make a much bigger difference, and be very noticeable even with the stock CJ heads.

[wowens]

Stroke it.

[Coreyc619]

I guess I'm the black sheep... get heads, a decent intake, and a cam to suit the two.  Upgrade the center body of the 3310 and enjoy a pretty substantial hp gain just from that alone...

I see no good reason to bust up a perfectly good 428 rotating assembly, or perform machine work on an engine that is becoming astoundingly rare.  Just my opinion.

[thatdarncat]

I guess I'm the black sheep... get heads, a decent intake, and a cam to suit the two.  Upgrade the center body of the 3310 and enjoy a pretty substantial hp gain just from that alone...

I see no good reason to bust up a perfectly good 428 rotating assembly, or perform machine work on an engine that is becoming astoundingly rare.  Just my opinion.

Except in his original question he stated he only had money for either the stroker or the heads, so that rules out adding a cam, lifters, possibly other valve train parts, an intake & a carb. Nothing wrong with building a stock stroke 428 though, I agree on that.