533 Cubic-Inch Big Block Ford – Bodacious Big-Block Part 1

By Alan Huber
Photography: Alan Huber

This Article was reproduced from Peterson’s 4-Wheel & Off Road site. The original article can be found here @ 4wheelOffRoad.com.

Some things in this world are just better if they’re bigger. Burgers and fries get super-sized. Lotteries hold no interest unless their jackpots are well into eight figures. Hot rodders know there’s no replacement for displacement, and the most popular supermodes have … well, every theory has to have some limits.

L & L conversion Kit Massiveness can sometimes be unwieldy and difficult to live with. Aircraft carriers take 20 miles to burn a “U.” Too many super-size meals will cause you to do the same. And Anna Nicole Smith has…well, had way too much mention already. However, building a big-displacement engine by starting with a Ford 460 is easy.

Stroker engines are all the rage these days. Big torque numbers, seemingly without a horsepower penalty, draw in enthusiasts like a free summer Springsteen concert in Jersey. Many times, though, stroker motors take special pains to assemble. Out-of-the-ordinary machining, clearancing, and fitting of custom parts is off-putting to most. We wanted a stroker that didn’t require 10 trips to the machine shop and could be assembled by us engine neophytes at home where we’d be close to the brews.

What follows is our plan in two parts. This month we’ll start with a stroked short-block with standard machining and assembly done by a reputable shop (Speed-O-Motive) and bolt on a great suite of aluminum speed parts (Edelbrock Performer RPM) to make the long-block. In part two, we’ll swap it all into our fullsize Bronco using quality, easy-to-find-and-get conversion pieces (L&L Products), and fire it up. By the way, L&L Products happens to be in Texas where folks’ll never let you forget that bigger is better. Please check out @ 4wheelOffRoad.com for the rest of this article.