64 Dodge 318 to 400 wakeup

[tubalcain]

I have a nice 64 Dodge 2 dr HT which is rust free, drives and handles very good, 90 MPH on the interstate and on curvy roads. The chassis is good to go. Problem is, 318, 2.76 open diff- not exactly fun to drive and I am intent on spicing it up. I have been keeping Dr Diff busy supplying parts for a 742, 3.55 suregrip. The tranny is in the bag, 65 b727, pushbutton valve body, internals from a 74 b727 to allow for a better torque converter. The400 is going to go in, but should I simply rebuild it (about 900 for parts) or go extra for the cubes. Rotating assemblies are available, around 2800. Then, of course, I have a 413 forged crank and set of LY rods stashed away that I keep looking at. Aluminum heads sure sound nice. It's all so confusing but many of you have tread this path and I'm humbly seeking advice.

 

[bearman]

Myself up the horse power. But keep it streetable so you can show it off.

 

[tubalcain]

Absolutely correct, streetable. I like the idea of big cubes and reasonable cam.

 

[toolmanmike]

Do your homework on the 400's. They were pooches.

 

[tubalcain]

Oh, yes I know, smog motors. Take away the EPA stuff and add compression, you've got a big B. And it's what I've got on the shelf.

 

[493 Mike]

Build what your budget allows. Go big or stay home!
Mike

 

[hunt2elk]

My opinion? Stroke that 400. Pick one of 440 Source's kits, guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

 

[tubalcain]

Yup been looking at the 440 Source assembly, lots of choices there. Starting to look like a 512 with their stealth heads, bolts and gaskets. Who's used their gaskets? Any opinions on my proposed combination

My opinion? Stroke that 400. Pick one of 440 Source's kits, guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

 

[ckessel]

For sure there are lots of ways for you to go. Getting the most out of the money outlay is a big factor.

 

[GASSR]

As you decide on which engine combo to go with, design with your use in mind. The 400 with good internals starts as a motor that will rev well for its size. Stroke it all the way to 512 and you may loose some of that .. may not matter if its mostly a street car. Also look at where the rings go on the piston for the stroked 400. Super light piston but pin is in the way of the rings. Good for a weekend car but may not be good for longevity. I built a strong 440 for a street car which I raced. Great motor. I ended up stroking it to 512". I never liked that motor as much as the 440. It just did not want to rev the same.

 

[Mackman]

Yup been looking at the 440 Source assembly, lots of choices there. Starting to look like a 512 with their stealth heads, bolts and gaskets. Who's used their gaskets? Any opinions on my proposed combination

Be aware that they suggest re- torquing the heads if you use their head gaskets. Also, I didn’t like their 440 valley pan.

 

[tubalcain]

I got the block back from the machine shop, only took 4 months to torque-plate hone and deck it! Back in the day I'd have it in a week. Meantime, I've been doing a 727 and the differential.

 

[493 Mike]

As you decide on which engine combo to go with, design with your use in mind. The 400 with good internals starts as a motor that will rev well for its size. Stroke it all the way to 512 and you may loose some of that .. may not matter if its mostly a street car. Also look at where the rings go on the piston for the stroked 400. Super light piston but pin is in the way of the rings. Good for a weekend car but may not be good for longevity. I built a strong 440 for a street car which I raced. Great motor. I ended up stroking it to 512". I never liked that motor as much as the 440. It just did not want to rev the same.

I built a 493 with Ohio Crank internals and it does rev much better than the 440 it replaced. A little less stroke and much lighter components.
Mike

 

[matthon]

I had a 383 built with 440 Source aluminum heads, I like it a-lot.
Especially with the tunnel ram.

 

[tubalcain]

I've got the 440 source 512 kit on the shelf. Soon, I'll order stealth ported heads and that should get me to 10.2 compression. Been thinking about that new Bluetooth connected distributer. Seems like a good idea. Re-set the timing with your phone. You don't know when, in this world, you might have to put 87 octane in her to get home. The Dremel tool rpms are no longer interesting as they tend to break stuff. Back in the day, I ran a 383 up to 7,500 in high gear many times. One of my high school, nerdy friends with a bamboo slide rule told me that it was 151 mph. Seemed like more to me!

 

[Dan64]

Lots of good heads out there but take a look at the Trick flow's

 

[matthon]

My tunnel ram 383 has efi, ran it first with a ready to run distributor, now with a locked dizzy and timing control.
Runs cooler now in all scenarios.

 

[Cranky]

I like big bore short stroke engines and the 400 fits that bill. Build the compression some and study up on cams for that combo and it'll run pretty dang good. If you want big power, build a 'big' engine but be prepared to spend big money.

 

[tubalcain]

My tunnel ram 383 has efi, ran it first with a ready to run distributor, now with a locked dizzy and timing control.
Runs cooler now in all scenarios.

Timing has a lot to do with overheating problems. Vacuum advance was always a good thing there. My best, all time, distributor was a W H Ducoil. It was 2 distributors in one body. It would fire an engine at 10,000 rpm, using stone age points. I've wondered why no one has re-popped it. I'd by a Chinese copy in a heartbeat!
I'm trying to abandon resistance to new things (with the exception of metric stuff), hence, my leaning toward the cell phone distributor.
Spending the kids' inheritance is fun.

 

[Cranky]

Timing has a lot to do with overheating problems. Vacuum advance was always a good thing there. My best, all time, distributor was a W H Ducoil. It was 2 distributors in one body. It would fire an engine at 10,000 rpm, using stone age points. I've wondered why no one has re-popped it. I'd by a Chinese copy in a heartbeat!
I'm trying to abandon resistance to new things (with the exception of metric stuff), hence, my leaning toward the cell phone distributor.
Spending the kids' inheritance is fun.

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