440 rebuild difficulty 1-10

I have been searching this forum all day and haven't found an answer to my question. I know I'm probably the 1000th person to ask this, so apologies in advance for having search skills that suck. Actual question is below in bold print.

Anyway..

Quick background for reference:
I've been building my own cars since 2001. I've taken multiple cars apart and put them back together. All were 90s cars and later, so classic car electrical systems (particularly Mopar sensitivities) are completely new to me. I've fabricated simple parts, customized others. I have a full garage with two tool boxes, an air compressor, and a lift. Blah, blah. I don't rebuild engines (90s-'00+ engines have crazy tolerances) or transmissions.

Anyway, I have a 440 in my car that has a limited build sheet, built by a shop I do not know, and has issues I can't seem to resolve. Unknown mileage since rebuild. I'm suspecting my issues are seeded somewhere inside the engine. But I digress. Engine was a basic rebuild with the only upgrades I can find are an aluminum intake

To the point:
How hard is it to rebuild these old engines? I'm under the impression it can be done with the Factory Service Manual, a decent machine shop, a good set of torque wrenches, and some plasti-gauge. I'm also a realist LOL. I have my hoist and engine stand ready to go, but don't want to pull this beast out if it's honestly going to be too far out of my wheelhouse. If that's the case, I'd rather just drop into the back of my truck and take it to a shop.

I'd rather do it myself and enjoy the process. I'd really like to start fresh and put everything together so I know it's right. New paint. New consumables. New gaskets and sealant. It's not rocket science but I do NOT want to start a project if there's a decent chance I can FUBAR it.

I just did the same with an olds 455. Dingle berry hone. New rings and bearings. Got my oil pressure back and runs better than it did for a few hundred bucks.

Micrometer to verify bearing journal sizes, plastigage, and I used a cheap torque wrench…

Bighouse said:

I just did the same with an olds 455. Dingle berry hone. New rings and bearings. Got my oil pressure back and runs better than it did for a few hundred bucks.

Micrometer to verify bearing journal sizes, plastigage, and I used a cheap torque wrench…

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I can score myself a decent micrometer. Which type did you use? I've used these in the past but don't want to spend $300 LOL

You can definitely do it. I remember my first build, I was nervous but it turned out great. Use solid information sources. Be meticulous. Check everything twice! In the end these motors are pretty simple.

I just built my first 440. Buying a stroker kit from 440 Source made it alot easier. I'm not saying it was easy as I used a lot of after market parts and had to make sure they all worked together. I bought a bore- gauge, set of micrometers, a burette and I'm sure a few other specialty tools. I wanted to personally check all the clearances. I'm very glad I assembled everything myself 'cause now I know the engine inside and out! If you want to learn, go for it! I could have trusted the machine shop and assembled it as everything checked out. It was fun!

This was us back in the day, so I’m pretty sure you are starting out well ahead of the ball game with a garage and engine lift.

If I can do it, you should be able to as well lol. I'm just a shade tree mechanic and I rebuilt my 383 in my mid-20's using the Factory Service Manual (FSM). It ran fine for 35 yrs. The internet makes it a lot easier now. Plenty of experts here to give advice and websites, videos, etc. that show how to do things.

I know a lot more know now and am going back through it again - it's actually one of my favorite things to do an a car. Started out as a gasket and paint refresh but I found some things in the heads from the original machine work that needed to be addressed so I'm glad I pulled it. This time I am taking a lot more measurements and documenting what was in it and how it's going back together.

Some suggestions that aren't necessarily covered in the FSM. Run a compression test before you pull it out. I also ran a cylinder leak down test. That's how I found the head issues - sticking/leaking valves. I borrowed a depth mic to measure how far down the pistons were from the deck at TDC and verified it had low compression pistons that I swapped out to increase the compression ratio. I picked up a graduated burette and cc'd the heads so I could calculate the CR and determine what head gasket thickness I needed. Most accurate way to determine bearing clearances is with a micrometer (not caliper) and a dial bore gauge calibrated to the mic. I don’t have those and didn't want to spend $100's to get decent ones so I used plastigage. Less accurate but works fine for most stock to mild perf builds.

Take a lot of pictures of everything, especially how the accessory brackets go on. I keep all the nuts & bolts organized in ziploc bags with index card labels. I clean them and use rethreader taps/dies to make sure the threads are good, or just replace them - rod bolts, head bolts, exhaust studs, etc.

Some will say the SBC is the easiest engine to rebuild, they are wrong. The BBDodge is the easiest engine to rebuild, if you have any mechanical aptitude at all it's a no brainer to build a 440.

RR Fan Dan said:

This was us back in the day, so I’m pretty sure you are starting out well ahead of the ball game with a garage and engine lift.

View attachment 1926251

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LOL.
Yes, the hoist and lift help TONS. It would be a bit easier if the car didn't take up 100% the length of the garage. I'll have to back it in and work on it with the garage door open. No worries unless it rains (not a lot where I live).

I'm basically told by the "old timers" the engine can be built with a crescent wrench and bubble gum. LOL. I think I'm probably worrying about it too much. On the bright side, I have a brand new set of 440Source aluminum heads to put on.

Once I measure my needed push rod length (though these heads are "same as OEM"), do I just pick a set that's closest to what I'm measuring? Would I want to go on the shorter or longer side? Also, where do I set the adjustment screw on the rockers when doing the measurement? Thinking out loud, I assumed to adjust the lifter screw all the way out, measure, then go to the next length shorter for the push rod.

Thanks for all the encouragement! I'll start collecting parts right away.

Yo from west of you! I'm going to be in your hood tomorrow picking up my 440 short block pieces from Mike Silva. Beanhead, Lloyd, recommended him as he and several other Mopar gents in your area have used him. I'm doing DIY too, other than the machine work which I have no skills/equipment for. Assembly is on me. The 440 in my wagon is an oil sucker/leaker that the PO put in. Most engines are not complicated but do have idiocyncracies to be mindful of. You can never have enough literature to peruse through to help or knowledgeable people around you in times of need. Its been since the late 80's since I did an engine, 360 for my Challenger, but I'm looking forward to refreshing my memory on procedures.

I'll be doing Source heads too but keeping my stock rockers.

A rebuild is straight forward enough, IF and a big IF. You need to know what to look for. What do I mean by this? If something is wrong and not listed in the service manual can you see it? Odd wear patterns, cracks, lack/excessive clearance on part's that aren't mentioned to be measured, aftermarket parts that look right but don't quite fit. There are many little items that an experienced builder (not an assembler) will find. Can you do that? It's tough without a mentor that has been there to help you. Can you screw. one together that will run? Sure. Will it be ok? Depends if there are abnomalities that exist and are found and corrected. It may not have any. In that case it would be fine. Do some guys go overboard and do more than necessary spending unneeded money? Yes to that as well. We all started with our first engine at some time. Boy was I raw. Mine ran and didn't smoke. It leaked and could've made much better power. That was 50 years ago. I'm still learning. Every one I build is better than the last. You have to learn sometime. Better information out there now than ever.
Doug