451 Stroker or 440 build?

[johnson0889]

I'm in the process of restoring my 68' Coronet 500 and im stuck between building a 451 stroker and a 440 upgraded build. I'm looking for any information that you can supply me in the build of both of these engines. I want the car to be a street/strip car but am trying to do the most cost effective build that i can, without sacraficing power and performance.:thinker:

Thanks,
Ian

 

[lewtot184]

440's probably cheaper.

 

[Propwash]

440's probably cheaper.

You got that right...


Wrapping up the build on my 512 stroker...Spent a ton of money and a ton of time researching all the parts and pieces to make myself a street/strip motor without sacrificing power and performance. A lot of great advice on here, other places on the net and a couple books. Well, never again. There's a fine line between street and strip. If you want a car that run's in the 12's-13's, build up a 440...more bang for your buck and still affordable, still very streetable. Quicker than that, open the billfold and prepare to play the more intense balancing game with idle, gearing, cam, vacuum...ect...ect.. Just my 2 cents.

 

[RustyRatRod]

If you aint hurtin for space, do the 440.

 

[wedgie]

I've got a bunch of bucks in my 496 inch stroker. If I had to do it over, I would do a 440 or even a 383. Both great, strong, reliable street engines with aluminum heads.

 

[Stumper]

Yup, a .030" over 440 is a 451ci - and a whole lot cheaper..

 

[SuperFlyTNT]

Four Five One

Yup, a .030" over 440 is a 451ci - and a whole lot cheaper..

Well, a 440 +.030 would be a 446, a 440 +.055 is a 451 ;)

SuperFly TNT

 

[Jeff_383]

If you do plan on a stroker, why not just do the 499 or 511. With a heavy B-body there is no replacement for displacement. I'm glad I did the 500", it is just plain fun. Now with that said a cheap, reliable 440 is a great bang fo rthe buck and runs great too.

 

[RustyRatRod]

If you do plan on a stroker, why not just do the 499 or 511. With a heavy B-body there is no replacement for displacement. I'm glad I did the 500", it is just plain fun. Now with that said a cheap, reliable 400 is a great bang fo rthe buck and runs great too.

You sure said a mouthful there. Long as you get compression up on a 400 they can be really great on the street.

 

[99ss]

How deep are the pockets? I think propwash said it best and lets face it just tackled the beast.

Unless you are with a lot of greenbacks I would stick to the 440

 

[RustyRatRod]

Lemmie play devil's advocate for a minute. ...and still I recommend the 440, BUT, really, how much more IS the 451? Probably not that much. There are off the shelf pistons for the long OR short rod. They cost no more than equal 440 pistons. Crank? Stock 440. Balance? I would hope you would balance the 440 anyway. The only other "extra" cost would be the crank work to fit the 400 block. That includes turning the mains down to the 440 size and machining 1/4" off the counterweights. Lets face it guys, those extra costs are not going to break the bank. I say from a financial standpoint, there's not but maybe 250 bucks difference between the two. So to me it really boils down to how much space you have. If you have enough, build the 440. If space is tight like in an A body, do the 451.

 

[Propwash]

I guess a good question for the original poster would be how deep or what level of stroker would he build? Or the another big question, what kind of track time is he looking for. Obviously RRR's way with cast parts is well within the realm of a comparable 440 build. A more premium stroker with forged parts is going to run $1500-$2000 more off the bat. Any block clearance work, line bore, oiling system and/or lower end stiffening would add to that. Crazy how fast it adds up..I'm digging the 512 going in my bird that's about the wreak havoc on the world, but looking back if I would have stuck with an around 500HP/TQ goal...man would it have been a ton cheaper. Take the 440, turn the crank, bore 30-40, decent set of ported heads, intake, carb and a cam to match...walla. Ah well...the machine shop gave me a nudey calendar for christmas so all is good.

 

[Jeff_383]

I guess a good question for the original poster would be how deep or what level of stroker would he build? Or the another big question, what kind of track time is he looking for. Obviously RRR's way with cast parts is well within the realm of a comparable 440 build. A more premium stroker with forged parts is going to run $1500-$2000 more off the bat. Any block clearance work, line bore, oiling system and/or lower end stiffening would add to that. Crazy how fast it adds up..I'm digging the 512 going in my bird that's about the wreak havoc on the world, but looking back if I would have stuck with an around 500HP/TQ goal...man would it have been a ton cheaper. Take the 440, turn the crank, bore 30-40, decent set of ported heads, intake, carb and a cam to match...walla. Ah well...the machine shop gave me a nudey calendar for christmas so all is good.

If he can afford it, go big or go home.

 

[747mopar]

I went the 451 route for one reason, it's cheap hp. I used mostly factory parts, 440 forged crank, 440 rods, 400 block, ported 452 heads and KB pistons all said and done I have about $4,500 in it. The only real cost difference is turning the crank to fit the 400 mains, machining the crank to clear the block (can be done in 15min if you have access to a lathe) and getting it balanced which you would likely do anyhow. Other than that they are about the same in price. Some of the things I did wouldn't be necessary like floating the wrist pins so I'm sure you could do it cheaper.

 

[Jasoncoronet]

why not a 360 stroker 409. Really that is the best bang for the buck. More parts and options than any other I think. Do a magnum motor and use the factory roller cam assembly minus the cam shaft. Good heads and intake you right up there with all the others minus weight and allot more space. Just thinking.

 

[IQ52]

I'm in the process of restoring my 68' Coronet 500 and im stuck between building a 451 stroker and a 440 upgraded build. I'm looking for any information that you can supply me in the build of both of these engines. I want the car to be a street/strip car but am trying to do the most cost effective build that i can, without sacraficing power and performance.:thinker:

Thanks,
Ian

440 or 451 street/strip is pretty vague. How much of a strip car? I saw a Prius drive to and run the strip this past summer. What is the goal and budget? Remember the three main secrets to making horsepower. #1 & #2 are cylinder heads. 3rd and most important is cylinder heads. The better the heads, the more power you can make with a milder camshaft and, dare I say it, compression.

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

In your original post you say 451 or 440 rebuild. Do you already have the 440? If so, build it. If starting from scratch with either choice, price is about the same.

I'm about 1/2 way through my 451 build, but my car originally had a 318. Doing the rough math, I think so far for machining, balancing, and parts (including forged JE pistons, stock forged 440 crank and rods, etc.) I have spent close to $2500 and when it's all done it will be close to $5K.

 

[383man]

Are you looking for an et goal ? Ron

 

[Garys1969RR]

I built a 451 with 6.768 440 rods last summer, and the thing runs great! If I had to it do again, I would start with the best heads I could get for my budget. Then use whats left for the block, pistons, machine work and internals. With the spare blocks, and crankshafts I have, I can build another 451, 440, or 400. But as IQ 52 has said, the cylinder heads are going to be the part that will really determine final power potential of the engine, with other factors such as cam, compression etc being equal.