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440 auto conversion to stick?

Sprad

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Hey guys! I bought a 440 out of a motor home which only had about 8k miles on it! My car is manual though.
What do I need to do to convert from the 727 to an A-833?
 
Check the end of the crankshaft to see if it was drilled from the factory. Or You can modify the transmission input shaft to use an adapter bearing. If you are doing a rebuild/overhaul, any competent machine shop can drill the crank.
 
Hey guys! I bought a 440 out of a motor home which only had about 8k miles on it! My car is manual though.
What do I need to do to convert from the 727 to an A-833?
First, find out if you have a cast crank or a forged crank and see if the crank has been drilled for the pilot bearing fully. Most auto cranks that are cast aren’t, forged is hit and miss from my experience. If it’s not drilled, it’ll need to be or some have had success with pilot bearings out of Dakotas.

Then it’s simple as a flywheel (again cast or forged play a part as cast cranks normally are externally balanced and forged are internal, gotta get the correct flywheel. Then you just need the bellhousing, trans and you should be good.

Oh make sure your motor home 440 doesn’t have the funky motor home heads where the water pump flows into, those can’t be used in a car
 
He said his car is already is a manual trans set-up. Assuming it's a big block, the crank situation, as the other guys said, is his only issue. And I don't think any 440 motorhome engine has any different head type, that would be the 413 motorhome engine, I believe.
 
And I don't think any 440 motorhome engine has any different head type, that would be the 413 motorhome engine, I believe.
Not true. Learned that the hard way. Cost nothing to look and double check.
 
Brewer's or Passon Performance can hook you up with anything you need.
All good advice in the previous posts.
I LOVE my "infinitely adjustable" stall speed, 3 pedal car!
 
So the block is a 76’ and the heads are 452s which were for 400-440 from 76-78. The shaft looks like it is drilled out or cast with a hole in the end. I tried to take a pic but it’s on the stand.
It was a gamble on this 440 because it had been sitting for many years. I was really happy when I opened it up and didn’t see much gunk!
I will try to post some pics.

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Check the end of the crankshaft to see if it was drilled from the factory. Or You can modify the transmission input shaft to use an adapter bearing. If you are doing a rebuild/overhaul, any competent machine shop can drill the crank.
I posted some pics. What do you think?
 
First, find out if you have a cast crank or a forged crank and see if the crank has been drilled for the pilot bearing fully. Most auto cranks that are cast aren’t, forged is hit and miss from my experience. If it’s not drilled, it’ll need to be or some have had success with pilot bearings out of Dakotas.

Then it’s simple as a flywheel (again cast or forged play a part as cast cranks normally are externally balanced and forged are internal, gotta get the correct flywheel. Then you just need the bellhousing, trans and you should be good.

Oh make sure your motor home 440 doesn’t have the funky motor home heads where the water pump flows into, those can’t be used in a car
I posted some pics.
 
Hi,

The end of the crank is not drilled for the regular pilot bearing on an A833. It's looks like your doing the "full monty" on this 440. The damper and the crank are externally balanced pieces. You have to decide how much HP/Trq you want to build and stay within the performance envelope of the bottom end. Trust me, it will be plenty fast!!!

So do your search on the adapter parts and see what the cost of having your shop drill the crank is. Just look at the chevy weenies with cast cranks, the upper limit is more than enough power.

Good rod bolts are important. Ask me how I know? LOL
 
Hi,

The end of the crank is not drilled for the regular pilot bearing on an A833. It's looks like your doing the "full monty" on this 440. The damper and the crank are externally balanced pieces. You have to decide how much HP/Trq you want to build and stay within the performance envelope of the bottom end. Trust me, it will be plenty fast!!!

So do your search on the adapter parts and see what the cost of having your shop drill the crank is. Just look at the chevy weenies with cast cranks, the upper limit is more than enough power.

Good rod bolts are important. Ask me how I know? LOL
Agreed. And honestly, these days, it’s cost about the same to just buy a new, balanced rotating assembly as it does to pay for machine work. Which is what I should have done. By the end of it, I was in only 150 bucks less than a 440 source 505 stroker kit
 
Hey guys! I bought a 440 out of a motor home which only had about 8k miles on it! My car is manual though.
What do I need to do to convert from the 727 to an A-833?
1. That is a cast crank motor (externally balanced)
2. The crank is not drilled for an A-833. You can cut about 1" off the nose of the transmission input shaft and use the Dakota roller bearing (works just fine)
3. No problem at all using the "motor home heads" in a car (they're actually better in my opinion & you're lucky if you have them). They may have an extra "cooling loop" around the spark plugs & extra cooling passage holes in the block (these can be drilled into a non motor home block). You'd need special head gaskets with extra holes to use these heads.
4. I "think" you can get a flywheel weighted correctly to balance a cast crank motor ??? (cast crank motors were never available with a 4 seed that I'm aware of)
 
452 heads have hardened valve seats.
My 71 440 steel crank, heavy rods engine, 292°/.509 cam has 452 heads with stock shafts and stamped rocker arms, BUT I have CompCams valve springs, locks and retainers and Mancini pushrods. Edelbrock/Chrysler aluminum 6bbl intake and 1 7/8" headers and it is an animal!
TF240S are high on "the list" but 452s aren't bad.
If that was my engine, I'd toss the rotating assembly and build a stroker motor.
 
4. I "think" you can get a flywheel weighted correctly to balance a cast crank motor ??? (cast crank motors were never available with a 4 seed that I'm aware of)
Yep, they did drill cast cranks for pilot bearings, but only those that were ordered for a manual. My 360 from my numbers matching W200, 4speed is drilled.
 
Yep, they did drill cast cranks for pilot bearings, but only those that were ordered for a manual. My 360 from my numbers matching W200, 4speed is drilled.
Interesting. For big blocks, I think in '74 (?) you would get a drilled, forged crank with a 4 speed and cast crank with an automatic
 
The Motor home head has the coolant holes next to the spark plug- you can see the bulges- as said needs the gaskets or you can punch/ drill (use a bushing to hold gasket)
you can drill any block for these heads but drilling the heads can break through and run the heads
The motorhome will have SIL-XB intake materiel and Inconel headed exhausts
both have industrial thickness hard chrome stems not flash chrome
If you price these valves you will see that they are $$$
not for racing as I'd use lighter valves- but for the street with Hyd cam...cannot be beat
new viton seals
advice is good on the Dakota roller bearing- it works better than a bushing
if you are going to keep the motorhome compression post back
should also have a roller timing chain and better valve springs (AFIK on that it's been awhile)
new springs recommended as your open valves will have taken a set
 
Thank you guys for all the great info! I’m doing more homework and will let you know what comes of all of this!
Again, thanks!
 
FWIW, As far a depth, I believe an un-cut input would need approximately 2.120" + some clearance into the crank. A steel "auto" crank I have is factory drilled to 2.225", it's deep enough, but the bushing bore area is not at finish diameter. No idea what's possible for depth/diameters on a cast. Don't open up any oil passages! ..…….
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