You love your Ford. You gave her a girl's name, bought her new billet valve covers for your third anniversary and would probably marry her if you lived in Massachusetts. So what can you do at this point to show how you really feel? Stroke her.
To "stroke" an engine is to install a new crankshaft and other rotating assembly parts to increase the engine's displacement without increasing its external dimensions. Though it is possible to mix and match components to build a stroker, the best and safest bet these days is to buy a kit.
A Wasted Warning
Though some insist on pushing the limits and swinging the rods till they till the earth, the most sensible approach is to keep your composure when it comes to purchasing a stroker kit. Like camshafts, many stroker kits for any given engine cost about the same from one cubic inch to another if the material used is the same, so there is a great temptation to go bigger than you really should. Bear in mind, however, that in general the bigger you go, higher the side-angle of the connecting rod relative to the piston bore. This will usually cause premature wear on the engine, and may result in catastrophic failure in extreme cases.
My, How You've Grown
In the world of Ford V8's, there are several engines that lend themselves well to stroking. Within the six major Ford engine groups, the most common strokers are:
302ci (5.0L) Windsor to 347ci
351ci (5.7L) Windsor to 393ci and 427ci (requires major machining)
390ci big block FE to 427ci
460ci big block FE to 508ci and 557ci (requires major machining)
Modular 4.6L to 5.0L and 5.2L
The Rest of the Family
Stroker cranks do not travel alone. If one were to install a stroker crank in most engines and make no other changes, the rods would quickly hammer themselves through the cylinder head, as they need to be shortened to compensate for the added stroke.
These shorter rods are a big part of the reason for the additional bore wear experienced by many extreme strokers, and why many new kits include pistons with higher wrist pin locations. Moving the wrist (hinge) pin higher in the piston allows the engine builder to use slightly longer rods, reducing relative angularity and preventing undue wear.
New cylinder heads, intake, exhaust headers, fuel injectors or carburetor, and engine control computer are all either required or recommended for a stroked engine to take advantage of its newly engorged internals.
Materials
Since it's taken as a given that most stroker-motor builders will be making more power than a stock replacement might dictate, manufacturers often offer crankshafts and rods made of stronger material. Upgrading these items with stronger steel or iron is an investment in peace of mind, and is highly recommended.
