Pistons .010 out of hole...

[boris_thespider]

My 1969 351w is being stroked to a 392 and the pistons are out of the hole at least .010. Short of buying new piston, will a thicker head gasket solve this problem and will I have to modify the intake manifold to accommodate the thicker gasket? Thanks...

[xlr8or]

it's not the intake that will be the problem. It's the heads and valves. Sounds like something didnt' get measured properly.

[Excaliber]

Hmmmm, an interesting delima. Really thick head gaskets are an option when you need to do something like lower the compression ratio. I hope some expert engine builders weigh in on this.

Of course the easy and politically correct answer is new pistons, etc. etc. But IS there a way, funky though it may be, to save this setup?

[blykins]

Theoretically, a .050" head gasket should give you a good .040" quench and just as long as your piston/valve clearance is good and compression ratios are still good, it should work.

However, I wouldn't do it that way. I would take the pistons and have .010" milled off the top to get the pistons to a zero deck scenario and then go from there.

[sharpe 1]

The 1969 351w block has a shorter deck height than the 1972 and later ones. You need to have the pistons milled and notched. I have the same setup in my car.
The intake will fit, but I would have it fitted to the heads and block.

[Keithc8]

As mentioned above this is pretty common on the 1969 block because the deck height is about .030 less than the 1972 and later blocks. You can run a thicker head gasket or cut the top of the piston .010 and both should work just fine. The graphite gasket that Ford Racing sells is about .050 compressed and would work fine for you. Good luck, Keith