Engine build suggestions

[moper]

^^ Agree with Andy. If you're going stroker - the 4.25/chevy pin combo is where I'd be. I might go a little over the 10:1 but that's me. Ported Stealths will feed it fine. I'd either go flat tappet solid, or solid roller with lifter bore bushings. IMO there's no value in the initial expense of hydraulic roller. Either way a custom cam will work fine with your manifolds.

 

[ksurfer2]

Why ditch the HP manifolds, didn't you watch the video I posted? You said you wanted to run 11's or 12's in your first post and that is easy to do with HP manifolds. Same with the 6bbl intake. What you're talking about is very easy to accomplish. If it was me I'd build a 505 (4.25 stroke) with 9.5 or 10.0 compression ratio. You'll want an aluminum head with straight plugs to work with the HP manifolds so that limits you but it can be done. Put a small hyd roller cam in there (240 @ 050) and you're done. You should be able to hit your budget without any problems.

Awesome. Thanks for clearing some of this up for me. Now its time to go talk to the machine shop and then start pulling things apart.

 

[andyf]

I like the hyd roller since they are quiet and don't require adjustment but I agree, a solid flat tappet cam like the Mopar 0.528 would work great with HP manifolds and make enough power to run 11's with a pump gas stroker. You don't want a very big cam when using HP manifolds and the six pack intake. Those carbs are not very adjustable and they just don't work very well with a big cam so you need to keep the cam pretty tame.

Hyd roller cams have a lot of problems with high rpm but a 505 with Stealth heads is going to run out of power at 6000 rpm anyway so a hyd roller will work just fine. My 512 makes peak power at 5300 rpm. They hyd roller lifters hang in there for another 1000 rpm but by 6500 rpm the lifters are going away.

You just have to have a plan for the build and then stick with the plan. Make sure the RPM range of the engine matches the drivetrain.

 

[ksurfer2]

I like the hyd roller since they are quiet and don't require adjustment but I agree, a solid flat tappet cam like the Mopar 0.528 would work great with HP manifolds and make enough power to run 11's with a pump gas stroker. You don't want a very big cam when using HP manifolds and the six pack intake. Those carbs are not very adjustable and they just don't work very well with a big cam so you need to keep the cam pretty tame.

Hyd roller cams have a lot of problems with high rpm but a 505 with Stealth heads is going to run out of power at 6000 rpm anyway so a hyd roller will work just fine. My 512 makes peak power at 5300 rpm. They hyd roller lifters hang in there for another 1000 rpm but by 6500 rpm the lifters are going away.

You just have to have a plan for the build and then stick with the plan. Make sure the RPM range of the engine matches the drivetrain.

The next thing to work out will be the torque converter. Rear end has 4.10's in it and I'd like to keep it that way....mostly for stoplight fun!

 

[69 GTX]

If you spread the LSA to 112 it'll broaden your torque curve and keep your top RPM around 5800-6000 on a 440. It also tames the idle down some. my 238/242 custom grind Comp cam had 620 ish lift.
Here's the dyno pull. Keep in mind torque is where it's at for the street, in my opinion.

 

[69 GTX]

BTW with that much torque you could easily run 3.54s. 4.10s with 28" tires you'll be looking at 3,000 rpm at 55-60 mph.

 

[dvw]

Depending on your location the compression may need to be bumped. What altitude are you at? Lots of used Eddy heads. Buy them, save $ for porting. I would touch the exhaust manifolds as far as extrude hone or acid porting. Little gain vs cost. PTC makes a nice converter for a good price. Call Kenny Ford. Drag radials should be enough to hook with stock suspension at this level.
Doug

 

[ksurfer2]

Depending on your location the compression may need to be bumped. What altitude are you at? Lots of used Eddy heads. Buy them, save $ for porting. I would touch the exhaust manifolds as far as extrude hone or acid porting. Little gain vs cost. PTC makes a nice converter for a good price. Call Kenny Ford. Drag radials should be enough to hook with stock suspension at this level.
Doug

Located in Tampa, FL....so basically sea level. I was thinking 10:1 compression.

 

[69 GTX]

The lower your altitude the lower your ratio needs to be. It's better to error on the safe side. Aim for 9.5 then if it's a little higher your still ok.

 

[66Satellite47]

Thanks...this makes a lot of sense. As for tires, when going to the strip, I will change to drag radials. I'll keep an extra set of wheels and tires so I can switch back and forth depending on street driving or going to the strip. Again, this is trying to keep the factory appearance when not at the strip. For rear suspension, I will upgrade shocks, and leaf springs, but leave the rest stock. Maybe add a set of slapper bars.

Slapper bars are for Chevies. Mopar leafs work fine well past 550 HP. Adjustable shocks will help. Trying different clamp locations on the leafs can also help, some rise, not too much.

 

[BSB67]

....... I would('nt?) touch the exhaust manifolds as far as extrude hone or acid porting. Little gain vs cost. l

Agreed.
But consider opening up the export window with a hand grinder to a dimension slightly larger than the head's port window. Also, if you attempt to line up the head and manifold openings, you might find that either much more material needs to be removed from the manifold's port roof, or you'll need to favor the manifold to the high side when mounting so there is not a step at the roof entering the manifold. The manifold mounting holes have a lot of clearance.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

It's all about the machine shop you use.Who will build the engine?? You need to plan out the build WITH the builder,in the event the combo does not work he has to be responsible! If YOU pick the combo then it's on you.Measure 3 times,,,,,,,,cut once!

 

[69 GTX]

I would also stick with a Mopar guy, no offense but Chevy guys try and use Chevy knowledge that doesn't apply to Mopars. A machinist can do everything, but picking out combos takes experience. That's why I had mine done 1300 miles away. I had 100% confidence in the guy I picked.

 

[andyf]

I run a 3 inch head pipe off the HP manifolds. I had to custom build the flange to make it work but I think you might be able to find off the shelf parts these days. I had these pipes built almost 30 years ago and nobody was doing this stuff then so it required custom fab.

 

[66Satellite47]

If you decide to stick with the stock exhaust manifolds cam selection will be really critical, no matter if you go stroker or not. A stroker motor will surely want better exhaust. But if you stick with a 440 size motor you still need to have a builder that can get to the "back room guys" at the cam manufacturer. A true custom grind will be required for stock manifolds. More stroke makes more torque & power & also makes it more difficult to make the suspension work well. Lots of trial & error ahead.

 

[dvw]

Like Andy has said. The Mopar .528 solid works well with manifolds. Dwayne Porter has done several F.A.S.T. builds. He's a hood source also.
Doug

 

[BSB67]

There are a couple of approaches you can take with your motor. If motor stuff is your cup of tea, you should consider being in charge of the details. If not, then you need to get direction solely from a guy that has experience doing high horsepower BBM with exhaust manifolds.

My pump gas, 2 1/2" exhaust manifold motor in your car would probably run 11.30's at 122 mph with street tires in good Florida air.

I did my own motor spec-ing with a good non-mopar machine shop, but consulted with Dwayne Porter on the cam.

 

[ksurfer2]

So I went and spoke with the machine shop today. I explained what I wanted, and we talked at length about options and how best to get there. He gave me a rough estimate on costs and it fell right in line with what I was expecting. So now it's time to start tearing down. This is going to be a slow process for me to properly photograph and document each detail so things get put back exactly. I haven't pulled a motor out of a car since high school when I pulled a 302 out of an old mustang.

 

[ksurfer2]

Tear down started today. It was a slow and tedious process in the FL heat. But bagged and tagged every bolt and took lots of photos. Radiator and fan are out, alternator and brackets are out, exhaust manifolds are out, all wiring on the top of the motor is out, tomorrow, the intake comes off, starter comes out, Power stearing pump will be moved out of the way, bellhousing will get loosened up (trans is staying in the car...at least that is the plan right now.). I hope to have everything ready to pull the motor when I rent the hoist next week. Hope to have the motor to the shop by wednesday!

 

[ksurfer2]

Motor came out this morning. I was surprised how easy it was. I took my time disassembling, bagged and tagged all the bolts, took lots of pictures, and labeled all the wires underhood that I had to disconnect or move. Motor separated from the tranny with no issues and lifted right out. My wife helped guide it out and it now sits in the back of the truck waiting delivery to the machine shop on Monday. I am of only average mechanical ability, If you are thinking about doing this....go for it. There is lots of valuable info on this site that showed me the way, I kept everything neat and organized as I took it apart. I am super pshyched now to get this motor built and back in the car. What a fun winter its going to be down here in FL!