The 363 - The Hottest Ford Stroker

Want more power from an 8.2-deck Small-Block? The 363 is the answer.For more than a decade, small-block Ford guys have argued the merits of the 331 versus 347ci stroker small-blocks. For the past several years there's been a clear answer: Skip all that and build a 363. If you missed the debate, here's a backgrounder. The Ford small-block Windsor engine family offers two block-deck heights: 8.2 inches for the 221, 260, 289, and 302, and 9.48 to 9.5 inches for the 351 (there are also aftermarket race offerings in 8.7 and 9.2). The factory-offered deck heights offer two dilemmas for hot rodders. First, the 8.2-inch engines require intakes, distributors, oil pans, and sometimes headers that are different from the 9.5-inchers. Second, the engines with the taller deck heights are also 2 or 3 inches wider and taller, depending on the parts used. That can cause fitment problems in tight, early-'60s Ford engine compartments or in street rods. Those are a couple of reasons many guys stick with the low-deck engines, even though the 351-based mills make it easy to get 408 to 454 ci. Another reason is that many use boost to make up the displacement deficit. So, if you've settled on a 302-based, low-deck- height mill, which one?

Photo Gallery: The 363 - The Hottest Ford Stroker - Hot Rod Magazine

Photo Gallery: The 363 - The Hottest Ford Stroker - Hot Rod Magazine


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