i just want to see if i got this straight... correct me if i'm wrong..
a longer stoke, smaller bore means more low end tq... a short stroke, big bore means more hp at a higher rpm... (and quick revs)
so wouldn't a square (as in bore is close to the size of stroke) be a good block/engine.. ?
after seeing that i looked up some old engines.. i don't know if the info on their size i got is right..
63 to 67 326cid pontiac* 3.718 bore 3.75 stroke 3.00 main journal
68 to 79 350cid pontiac**3.875 bore 3.75 stroke 3.00 main journal
---------- 301cid pontiac 4.000 bore 3.00 stroke 2.50 main journal
67 to 67 302cid sbc 4.001 bore 3.00 stroke 2.30 main journal
76 to 92 305cid sbc 3.736 bore 3.48 stroke 2.45 main journal
70 to 72 383cid sbc*** 4.125 bore 3.75 stroke 2.65 main journal
73 to 80 400cid sbc 4.125 bore 3.75 stroke 2.65 main journal

* Glorified 305? bit smaller bore, bigger stroke??
** not the chevy 350 which the dimensions are:
67 to 95 350cid sbc 4.001 bore 3.48 stroke 2.45 main journal
97 to ## 350cid sbc 3.900 bore 3.62 stroke 2.45 main journal (LS1)
*** i know they made a 383 for a couple of years.. only difference i can find between that and the 400 sbc is the rods.. 383 sbc = 5.7" and 400 sbc = 5.565"

neways.. wouldn't the 350 pontiac have mundo tq but not like revs? and wouldn't the 301 be a good engine if it had better internals and could handle revs? (thinking it'd be like the 302 sbc)
i was just bored and wondered about the old forgotten motors (minus the 305 sbc and the 400 sbc)
what's your opinion on these motors? (and i don't want to hear that a 350 sbc is better.. cuz.. well.. it is in most instances.. kick *** good all around motor.. was just wondering about these forgotten car souls..)

 

VERY good topic! right in reality, long stroke means lots of torque and big bore means HP, the 350 Pontiac is an allright engine, i owned and built one, there not bad, but not fanstic, the stroke was just too long for it and the small bore really made it lag in comparison with the 400P wich had the same stroke but bigger bore and they are an EXCELLENT engine, also the 301 is another good but often overlooked engine (also worked with one), they have a 4.00 bore and 3.00 stroke just like the 302 chevy, so they have the potential to make LOTS of power and the Turbo T/A and Turbo formulas being in stock form very docile and overlooked make aboslute powerhouses with just minor mods also the 301 is the lightest v-8 engine to be ever produced (outside of the exotic aluminum blocks). i also agree with you the 350 chev is an very good engine, but by no means a great engine. the 400 chevy is also a fantastic engine. much better then a 350 chev IMO, the 400 chev also shares the same bore/stroke as the 400P but the 400P IMO is a better engine (thicker cyl walls, no need for steam holes and much more meat on the main webs for easy 4-bolt mains) a very good comparison is in this months car craft with a show down of all the big blocks, and what came out on top? (all the rookies jump right and say "chevy! Chevy is allways the best!") well car craf t again proves people wrong by showing the BUICK 455 the mother of all performance. the main reason behind this is the major factor of the bore/stroke relationship, the buick is basically ideal in this catagory with a 3.90 stroke a little over the 400 P and C's 3.75, but with the massive 4.3125 bore, so its makes enough low end torque to pull the titanic out of the ocean, but the short stroke makes it also a rev happy engine. the worst in there was the olds 455, agian a bad bore/stroke relationship. and here is to answer another one of your question with having the bore and stroke square, the 455 olds has a bore of 4.125, but a massive stroke of 4.250 which makes it one of the few oversquare engines, and pretty close to eachother, the problem here is the stroke is just too damn long to make a ton of power outside of right off the bat. many people have tried all the combos over the years and really the best setups are the ones with a BIG bore, and decent stroke, like the 455 buick, 400 chevy and pontiac. IMO these are the 3 most feared engines and 3 engines that will have the most power potential as they can pull power threwout the power band and not just off the bat and die, or not come alive untill high r's, also to prove there potential also watch all the pure stock drags, the real showdown of which is the best, and nearly every time buick is topping out the list with the mopar's close behind (455 buick was desiged by the same guy as the big block mopar) and both have a somewhat simmilar bore/stroke but the buick was lighter with better flow ability. last showdown i saw was in muscle car review where buick took 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th (mopar 2nd) with the 400 pontiacs close behind. im sure there will be a few rookies that will still post "chevy this, chevy that" but agian bore/stroke relationship and flow numbers, regarless of manufacture is what makes power and really the best companys were the forgotten engines people often overlook. but agian really ANY engine can be made to have power but some idealy will make more power then others like the ones listed, and like allways said "the proof is in the pudding" and the car craft showdown and the pure stock drags really put the reality into this.

 

It's not that simple.

Hold displacement constant and juggle the bore/stroke wadda ya get:

The longer stroke motor has bigger "lever arm" to push against making more torque, right? Well, yes, but it also has less piston area doing the pushing on that lever arm.

The shorter stroke motor has a shorter lever arm to push against and will make less torque, right? Well, yes, but it's got a larger piston area doing the pushing on that shorter lever arm.

Net net: when it comes to torque, it's basically a wash.

So why do big bore/short stroke motors seem to be more of a top-end monster? Becuase the big bore allows for big valves in the cylinder head for good flow and the shorter stroke doesn't stress the bottom end quite as much at higher RPMs.