[SnakeBitt]

392: Pistons and crank are the weakest links to the crate 392. Go to forged for sure.........nothing like "peace of mind".

I know a guy with a 418 built by Eric @ Performance Engineering. Great motor.....plenty of power. I have a friend with one of Eric's 408's as well (when he was Competition Motorsports). Another nice engine. The 2 engines are withing 35HP of eachother, but that could be changed with different cam / heads (in fact I think the main reason the 418 has more power is because it has AFR 205 heads vs. the 408's Vic Jr. heads). The AFR 205's are (IMHO) about the best heads out there for the Windsor stroker. Awhile back, one of the major mags (Hot Rod, maybe?) swapped the GT40x heads on the 392 crate with AFR heads and that change ALONE produced 70HP.
The manifold on your 392 crate is a copy of the Victor Jr intake, so you really don't need to change that. You may want to try a different cam, though.
Heck, take it all the way to 427 like Terry is. You can do a 4.125 bore with only a 4.0 inch stroke (shorter than the 418 stroke). Plenty safe...........and you can tell people it's a "427".
Check out a company called DSS Racing. They sell stroker kits, reasonable prices, and well made parts.
-Have fun!