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Re-Rebuilding the 440-493 in a 1970 Charger

The issue of stalling upon hard braking: It has been suggested that the rear float level may be too high. The Demon carburetors have these sight glasses in the bowls:

899 R.jpg

They have horizontal grooves to serve as a guide as to where the fuel level should be. I just checked mine. The fronts are above the groove between the top of the glass and the groove itself. The rear is almost at the top of the glass. I had to shake the car to get it to slosh enough to actually see the top. A simple float adjustment should help on this issue.

The guy in this video will never be awarded an Oscar for his work but he was helpful:

 
Oh no electric gremlins! All I know about the electrics, it’s a city of wizards that live in the various components, and decide weather it works or not. Sometimes they fart and you get a smoke cloud. That’s all I got for that :lol:
 
Oh no electric gremlins! All I know about the electrics, it’s a city of wizards that live in the various components, and decide weather it works or not. Sometimes they fart and you get a smoke cloud. That’s all I got for that :lol:
All you need to know...

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Rich....What are your oil pressure readings?
 
I had a factory pump, or at least I think it was factory, it read 75lbs most of the time, I really don’t think it ever dropped below 50 hot or cold. I replaced it with a standard Melling, I get 50 driving and cold idling, and 30 hot idling.
 
I had a factory pump, or at least I think it was factory, it read 75lbs most of the time, I really don’t think it ever dropped below 50 hot or cold. I replaced it with a standard Melling, I get 50 driving and cold idling, and 30 hot idling.
Hmmm...that seems to match what I'm seeing with mine. I'm just not comfortable with these numbers.
 
I'm glad you're back to the engine stuff that I can better relate. I think your oil pressure is just fine. I run the HV pump with a lower pressure red spring and see about the same pressure as you through the traps at 5800 and no problems.
 
Hmmm...that seems to match what I'm seeing with mine. I'm just not comfortable with these numbers.
Yeah, as long as it doesn’t sound like a tin can full of rocks being dragged down a gravel road, you should be fine…but you might want to take advice from someone smarter then me . :lol:
 
Bearing clearances are probably a little looser on your stroker build then most stock stroke builds.... What rockers are you running? Roller trunnion will allow more leakage... Lot of variables..
 
Hmmm...that seems to match what I'm seeing with mine. I'm just not comfortable with these numbers.
This is going to sound bad, but that's one reason I don't have a gauge. Back in the day I had an oil pressure gauge in my Charger and I was always checking it out, having pressure anxiety.
As they say, ignorance is bliss.
 
I'm glad you're back to the engine stuff that I can better relate. I think your oil pressure is just fine. I run the HV pump with a lower pressure red spring and see about the same pressure as you through the traps at 5800 and no problems.
Any time you push oil past a bypass valve you create heat... I've rather have a properly sized pump...
 
Bearing clearances are probably a little looser on your stroker build then most stock stroke builds.... What rockers are you running? Roller trunnion will allow more leakage... Lot of variables..
I wrote ....."My bearing tolerances were on the tight side. Each rod was .0015 and I had between .0015 and .002 on the mains."
The rocker arms are a generic set from Mancini Racing:

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They were cleaned and reassembled in the same manner as before.
 
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I saw this in another thread here:

They used stock Melling oil pumps, Stock, High Pressure, High Volume, and a race Billet (Milden) one. The only pump that lost HP was the race Billet pump. The stock Melling High Volume pump increase volume (4.9 vs 6.2 gpm), increase pressure at idle 18 psi over stock pump (31 vs 49) and 22 psi at peak flow (54 vs 76) over the stock pump and didn't use anymore horse power.

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I only chose this oil pump because I thought it used more HP to turn.
Son of a bitch.....

I went out in 48 degree weather and started up my Power Wagon. This was the only start of the day with it. 70-75 lbs at a fast idle. I run 10w40 in that truck too. I haven't looked close to see if it has a high volume oil pump but knowing the prior owner, it probably has one.

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I only use the HV for this eng because it has a 1/2" pick up, oversize drilled main feed passages and an 8 qut pan. I've had good luck with the standard pump and have only used them on my street engines with good success.
 
Curious on the Voltage Regulator starting issue...
When I originally swapped in a new Power Master alternator that puts out 70A, it gave voltage readings 15+ and fried a few gauges. I then swapped in an adjustable VR with the little pot adjuster on the back and I dialed it down to 14.0V and all was perfect after that. Are you running an aftermarket alternator that might require this?
 
I'm using a stock type 63 amp alternator.
My guess is that the battery wasn't fully charged and that the system just reflected that. I bled the brakes using just the key ON so the electric vacuum pump would run.
"No Start" issues always piss me off. Those have been the most common issues that I have had with this car. The wires to the VR are just the field wires from the alternator, right? Why would that kill the ignition?
 
Nothing wrong with your choices of either oil or filter, Greg - or the pressures you're seeing, for that matter.
Fred's decidedly less-hp 440 is right there on the same readings and he survives my limited beatings no sweat.
That's great oil and a darn fine filter, too - maybe even the best for a street engine.
Iffin it were me, I'd move on to "solving" your other issues.
 
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