stock 440 shift light setting?

[daytona kid]

I'm running a fairly stock 440 in my 68 charger, headers, 750 brawler carb, 727 trans w/shift kit, 3.91 gears, 30.5" tires. Not sure about the comp ratio on the pistons. It is a mystery motor that I found and nobody knew the history on it. I didn't take the heads or intake off but replaced the easy stuff, timing chain & gears, valve springs & seals, cleaned it up, painted it and stuck it in the car. It runs great now but haven't figured out what max rpm is. I installed a tac recently and I set the shift light at 5200. Haven't had time to play with it but wondering if that's a good rpm to shift at. I'm thinking motors like this make most hp at about 4500, so 5200 may be too hi? May go tnt tomorrow at a local 1/8 strip. Any thoughts/opinions welcome/appreciated..

 

[69L48Z27]

Hydraulic or solid lifter?

Set it at 5500 IMO.

 

[daytona kid]

Hydraulic or solid lifter?

Set it at 5500 IMO.

hydraulic

 

[Jerry Hall]

This is when a few pulls on a dyno would pay off. Trips down the strip, I would prefer a 1/4 to try and figure it out.

 

[383man]

To be honest all most all of the time I race I dont even look at the tach going down the track. When I first took my 383 Dart to the track I did not even have a tach in the car. I shift when it feels like its ready and thats what I did in my 383 Dart with a hydraulic cam. I mean I have been a gearhead all my life and I just can tell when its wound out and ready for me to shift. Thats how I always do it as I run it out as hard as it will and when its peeking which is not hard to tell then I shift. But sure you can set your shift lite around 5600 and see how it does and see if its still pulling when you shift. Good luck. Ron

 

[33 IMP]

Set your shift light about two hundred rpm earlier than you want to shift. Light comes on a 5200, lever moves at 5400, shift actually happens (with a 727) at 5600. If you have a stock cam, or close to it, i'd set the light at 5000. I used to shift mine with a .590 solid at 6500, then 6200, then 5900. Everytime i moved the shift point down, it got faster.

 

[Budnicks]

what cam (also converter) & especially the valve springs
what ignition, what kind of oiling system, any upgrades pan pump etc.
all that's is going to dictate, affect/effect 'a safe' RPM more than likely

I assume it's just a Hydraulic flat tappet cam
no trick, rockers, lifters, light valves, Titanium retainers etc. etc.

I'd start at 5,000 & creep up a couple of hundred RPM
until it starts to fall off/quit pulling hard

don't want valve-float
stock rods & old org. bearings/rod bolts, too don't like big RPM's
better to be careful

most stock-ish hyd. stuff won't go past 5500-ish
without valve float

 

[furious70]

I'm late, but it's a great thing to test at the tnt. If it's a stockish sounding cam I'd start at 5000rpm and increase by 200 until it slows down.

Funny story, in. High school I had a challenger with a stockish 383 3.55's big tires. It ran the exact same e.t. back to back with shifting by ear and then leaving it in second, 1/4mi.

 

[Tim Ziegler]

The 1/4 mile will tell ya. I believe the ''shift'' occurs 500 rpm after you shift. A motor is a winder or a stroker. 360s and 413/426 wedges and 440 are strokers. 361/383/400 are winders. 273/318/340 are winders. Big G.M.s are super strokers. Little small blocks are chain saws. 360s and 440s I go to 6000 -which means it shifts at 6500. The winders, the more you twist its tail the better the time but at what point do you have 8 holes in the hood. I go 6500 with a 318 -which is 7000 when it shifts. The 1/4 mile is your true answer. Just my experience and taking notes at Chrysler race seminars. You need a tach cuz its about the torque curve and a 440 will feel like its pulling by the seat of the pants well after your past peak torque

 

[Tim Ziegler]

As far as handling these R.P.M.s, my cars are bone stock and the shift point is a flashpoint compared to when I drove my 383 roadrunner 130 MPH all day when I was 16. -don't tell anyone

 

[daytona kid]

Well I went to the strip yesterday. Like I mentioned this is a bone stock 440 and I think it is probably the lowest hp 440 ever produced. It did ok shifting at 5200 but seemed to do a little better shifting a little before that. One main reason I need the tac light is because I don't want to take my mufflers off. During my 50+ years of different types of racing I have shifted by feel and/or by ear most always, but in my old age and with an open header car beside me in need the tac light. As far as shifting by feel, I'd like to be more precise nowadays. I'll keep playing with it and find the sweet spot. Here's a couple of my runs from yesterday.

 

[Tim Ziegler]

After thinking about it, it greatly depends on gearing -tire size but a winder tends to use deeper gears. When crossing the finnish line in 2nd gear the car is begging for deeper gears

 

[Tim Ziegler]

You do get into 3rd gear. I guess if you went to 6000 you wouldn't use 3rd gear

 

[padam]

Definitely could wind it out a little more, 2-300 rpm.

 

[Tim Ziegler]

It'll be fun to see what it does for E.T. to twist it a little more. Wish you were doin 1/4

 

[BSB67]

what did it run?

 

[daytona kid]

what did it run?

A very slow 8.7 et at 79mph. I would like to test it on a 1/4 but it has a vibration at about 85mph and up. I want to find and fix that first. Maybe Santa will bring me some aluminum heads and intake for Christmas so I can get some more hp.

 

[69 GTX]

Check your driveshaft for balance.

 

[Budnicks]

could just be worn universals or a sloppy front yoke too

also check the rear pinion angle
in relation to the driveshaft & the transmission
should be a net 2* (or more, depend on power output & suspension) pointing downward

saggy 40-50-60 year old springs "can sometimes"
cause a lack of pinion angle & vibrations too
tapered shims on the spring perches can correct it

could be bad balance on the torque converter (thrown a weight)

lots of things it could possibly be

could be just something like wheels/tires too,
sometimes it's the easiest things, check 1st

good luck

 

[69 GTX]

BTW my 440 with a RV cam was pretty much done pulling at 5000