Starting my 351 Windsor Build: Plans and Why It’s Going 408

by Ed March 25, 2025

About damn time.
That’s the first thing I said as I rolled this greasy chunk of Ford small block history around my garage. I’ve been talking about building a 351 Windsor stroker for years—and today, it finally starts. If you’ve been around the Bullnose Garage YouTube channel a while, you might remember my old deep dive on the 351W. That video covered the history, specs, and diagrams—but this time, I’ve got the real deal sitting right in front of me, ready to tear down.

And not just rebuild it—I’m going to turn this mild-mannered Windsor into a 408 stroker that’s ready to wake up the neighbors.

Why the 351 Windsor?

So why pick the 351 Windsor over something like a 302 or 289? Well, for starters, the Windsor is just plain tough. Ford launched it back in 1969, and it showed up in everything from Mustangs to F-Series trucks. It shares some DNA with the 289 and 302, but it’s got a taller deck height (9.48″–9.53″), beefier main journals, and a stronger bottom end.

That taller deck means you’ve got more room for stroke—and that’s the secret sauce behind turning this thing into a 408. While a stock 351W runs a 4.00″ bore and 3.5″ stroke, a stroker kit will bump that up and give you a whole lot more grunt.

Spotting a 351W in the Wild

Here’s where things get fun. If you ever come across a Ford small block and want to know what you’re dealing with, here’s how to tell if it’s a 351 Windsor—or just another 302.

Deck Height: Easiest giveaway. 351W sits at 9.5″, compared to 8.2″ on a 302 or 289. Look around the distributor pad—there’s an extra inch of material that gives it away.
Main Cap Bolts: The 351W uses 1/2″ bolts vs the 302’s 7/16″.
Main Journals: 351W has 3.00″ journals; 302 has 2.25″.
Oil Filter Location: Slightly higher on the block for a 351W.
Casting Numbers: Look for identifiers like F4TE—mine’s a 1994 truck block.

If you’re scoping one in a junkyard, these tips will save you from buying the wrong engine.

Build Plans – From Stock to Stroker

This engine’s heading for a new life in my 1985 F-150. The plan?

Strip it to bare block
Inspect and measure every surface
Pick the right 408 stroker kit
Upgrade the rotating assembly
Slap on long-tube headers and an aftermarket intake
Fire it up with either a carb or a Sniper EFI (haven’t decided yet)

I’m going carb for now—not because I hate EFI, but because I’ve never done it before and I want to learn. Worst case, I’ll swap it for a modern setup that still looks old-school.

First Look – What’s Staying, What’s Going

While I’ve got the engine mostly together, here’s a quick rundown:

Stock Exhaust Manifolds: Fine for stock, but they’re out. I’m swapping in long-tube headers from DynoVox. They even sent them to me for free. (Thanks, guys.)
Intake Manifold: It’s an EFI setup, but this build’s going carb. That means the stock intake’s out, too. I’ll cover my aftermarket choice in a future post.
Oil Pan & Pickup: I’ll dig into oil delivery in a later teardown, but I want to show what I’m working with before everything comes apart.

Once the engine’s stripped, I’ll lay all the parts out on the bench and give a full breakdown—crank, rods, pistons, cam, you name it.

What’s Next – Teardown Time

Alright, enough talk. (Yeah, yeah, I know I flap my gums too much.) In the next post and video, I’ll be yanking the heads, pulling the cam, checking for damage, and measuring the bores to see what kind of overbore I’ll need.

If it’s clean, I’m hoping I can go .030″ over and run a standard 408 stroker kit. But I won’t know till I get in there and see what kind of surprises are hiding in this old block.

Final Thoughts – Let’s Hear Your Stories

This series is for guys like me—folks who’ve never built a stroker before but are crazy enough to try. I’m going to show every step, every mistake, every win. If you’ve done a 351 Windsor build or dropped a 408 into your ride, I want to hear about it. Was it smooth sailing or a nightmare of broken bolts and forgotten torque specs?

Drop a comment, send a message, or just shout into the void. Either way, I’ll see you next time with a socket wrench in one hand and a prayer in the other.