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Whiplash

Ross

Ross

Well-Known Member
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Mar 23, 2014
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Location
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Hello everyone , I managed to find a 1972 440/727 out of a motor home and am looking around at different parts combos. I ran across the whiplash cam from Hughes, they say it is made for lower compression engines,and brag 450 to 500 horsepower with minor if any work aside from bolt on's (heads intake carb and headers) Has anyone heard of or tried this cam before?? Any input will be greatly appreciated
 
That's a love it or hate it cam. I suggest you do a search for the member, iq52. He's an engine builder that competes in the magazine competitions and has posted many of his dyno findings here on the forum, including a couple of pretty comprehensive studies of low compression 440's. He's not a fan of the whiplash and that's good enough for me. Check his posts out, they're fascinating if nothing else.
 
Decide on stock street strip full race etc then put a kit together in those parameters rather than building around the cam... a $200 cam may require $50,000 of related parts along with it to work properly... there's a million cams only a few choices on cranks pistons rods and bore....
 
sleepar said:
Decide on stock street strip full race etc then put a kit together in those parameters rather than building around the cam... a $200 cam may require $50,000 of related parts along with it to work properly... there's a million cams only a few choices on cranks pistons rods and bore....
Click to expand...

Thanks guys , I will look into iq52 and see what i can find.I am trying to put together a strong street motor for a daily driver. It will probably never see 6000 rpm , and never be raced . Just something to romp around town in and the occasional road trip. Maybe 400 to 450 Hp would be what im looking for. low rpm torque is important. Heavy 74 charger. I guess im just having trouble getting started because it is a daily driver and i dont want to get carried away and end up with a strip engine that does not fit my needs. any input or opinions are always a great help. This will be my first start to finish solo build.
 
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Do a search here and do some reading and draw your own conclusions, pretty simple really. BTW, Welcome to a bada$$ site!!
 
Has anyone here tried to convert the 440-3 (motor home)engine into a performance motor? I found one with only 16,000 miles on it for cheap. Stories online vary about putting aftermarket heads on it due to the extra cooling ports. Others say its a perfectly fine engine for performance rebuild.
 
Depends on your budget and definition of performance. I'm running a very low compression 413 out of a 72 motorhome (came with my car). It's not a slug, it has some get up and go but not exactly lighting the world on fire.

There's a guy here iq52 that has made over 500 hp with a low compression 440, and you've read the work that dunnick performance did with a whiplash cam. So it's possible, though expensive (jim and Cody (iq 52) are head porters and had a lot of time in those heads to get it done as I recall).
 
Thanks for the reply , I will soon be finished with a rough plan for the build and a parts list. As soon as I get finished with it I will post it for more opinions to be sure im on the right track.
 
Okay , I have finally got my hands on the 440/727 and tore it down to see what I have to work with. It is a 73 440RB block with 14,300 miles on it.(36988304408). Heads are 902 (3769902) And the 727 is the short tail shaft with the brake on the rear of it. Everything looks nice with the exception of rust inside the water jacket and on the surface of the block. The build must match the need , so this will probably be boring to most. This will be a daily driven car running on 87 octane pump gas. It will never see over 6500 rpm or 100mph and spend most of the time between idle and 4500. I am looking to build a strong torque monster 440 to have fun cruising and burn tires with. I decided the whiplash cam is not going to make the list. Mainly because I want a powerful "LUG LUG LUG" sound , that "BRRAPP rap rap" would annoy the **** out of me after 5 min or so. If anyone would like to give input on this i would love to hear any opinions. I an looking to use speed pro pistons L2266F and maybe shave to a zero deck. Only .086 to get there with these installed. About 8.94:1 with 88cc heads and a steel shim gasket.
 
kb184 piston is compatible with the open chamber heads and doesn't need .086" cut off the block, which is too much. 9:1 compression without good quench won't run on 87 octane, in fact it won't run on 87 with a good quench. a torque cam will build more cylinder pressure in the lower rpms so be careful with piston/compression ratio when choosing pump gas.
 
This is my first build , that is exactly the kind of things i am hoping to learn(hopefully before i buy the stuff lol) I will have to do more research on this.I used a compression calculator and as it is right now i believe it has 7.74:1. Thanks so much for the input. Im going to need quite a bit of help on the tech side i think. I am also posting pics of this as I go. I am still trying to get the hang of that so they are in my profile gallery.
 
Go with LEWTO piston choice and you will be happy. Do those heads have the exhaust valve rotators.
 
I have no idea honestly about the rotators , I have just started researching these and dont know alot about them yet. I am not starting the build till spring so i have this winter to plan and save. From most of what i am reading people are loving the stealth 440 heads or the rpm's over the stock iron...i am just not sure yet if that would be better for me or not. I have alot to learn yet.
 
Superbee-ski is currently building a pretty mild torque monster, perhaps you should look at his build thread for some ideas.
 
I just got finished running the numbers through a compression calculator(from summit site) After punching in KB184 pistons with 88cc iron heads and a .020 steel gasket they came to 9.2:1 with a .085 deck height. I also ran Icon Ic836-030 for closed chamber aluminum heads and came away with 9.51:1 with a .020 steel gasket , and .01 deck height. If this is to much compression to run 87 octane I am beginning to wonder if leaving a complete stock bottom end for this build would be better , and if that would even come close to meeting my expectations. Thoughts? Maybe my math is off or i am not taking something into account.AHHhh , with a .080 head gasket i can get it to 8;25:1 !!! better!!
 
Ross, i think that's cool that your getting into the nuts and bolts of engine building. There is a lot to it for sure. I also have a 74 440 wedge to go into my 67 in the spring. I'm not as adventurous as you though. I'm watching closely the thread that iq52 has going about getting horsepower out of an early 70's motor home slug 440. With the right head/intake/carb setup great gains can be made that will snap your neck when you punch the gas pedal. 400 HP is plenty for street use. For me i mean. 500 and up is not for me. I would never use it. I intend to let iq52 do the heavy lifting on the dyno and learn from him what will work for me. No guesswork. I no longer have the braincells for all of the details of engine building. Good luck with your build man.
 
i've used the kb184's in a couple of builds, want to do a 3rd build with them, with open chamber iron heads and have nothing bad to say about them. i use 93 octane and the compression ratio is usually around 9.3. currently i'm using icon 836 pistons with edelbrock rpm heads, 81-82cc's, with 9.75:1 compression and 93 octane; works fine. i don't push the compression ratio/cylinder pressure limits.
 
Thanks for the encouragement Ghostrider , it means alot. no doubt there is alot of awesome in IQ52's work. I must have read that thread 20 times. I guess the thing is that this is the car I have wanted since i was 12 , I found it under a tree in rotting pieces about 10 years ago. Never had the original engine or anything so I dont feel guilty about making it mine so to speak. Paid 500 bucks for it.I always wanted to build the motor from scratch so I get carried away sometimes.(easy to do) 400 is plenty , I totally agree , but i will rarely rev my engine past 4500. I need the torque down low with power to 5000 or so. Keep in touch and keep me informed on your build , I am curious about it now lol. Best of luck and have a great night man.

- - - Updated - - -

Lewtot184 , The pistons you recommend are ideal , no doubt. Trying to do this build for 87 octane , and being a newbie at engine building it will take time for me to get a solid plan together. Thanks alot for the advice and help in the right direction. It is much appreciated.
 
Curious on the KB184. I am in the process of putting a 440 together and I was planning on using the MP Aluminum 452 on top. What do you guys think about those pistons with that head combo?
 
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