gotta rebuild the engine, need advice

[NavyNorm]

Well me and my buddy messed up my 440...we left the plug for the fuel pump access loose and started blowing oil outta it..anywyas the bearing are messed up and the engine build is unknown so we are going to go thru it to check compression and heads and all that good stuff.
My goal is to hit mid 11's in my street/strip 70 challenger here's the work done to it so far:
SS springs relocated inboard adjustable pinion snubber
3.73 gears in a 8 3/4 rear end sure-grip
new clutch centerforce dual-friction
MSD 6AL box
so now I have to decide what to do with engine..the shop is saying I should stroke it but that's lotsa money. if I can get my 440 to do the job then I won't stroke it. I'm gonna talk to don about getting a demon carb but could use advice on cam size and intake/ should I change my heads or just rework the ones already on it? tire size hasn't been chosen yet either
I know this is a lot of info but my engine is tore apart right now and I wanna get it outta the shop...I need to beat my boy's ford lightning running 12.4 he smokes me right now. Please help me guys can't have a ford truck beating me!

[hedgehog]

A 440 with iron heads will run in the 11's. How much are you looking to spend?

[ehostler]

Don won't recommend a carb until after he knows the cam specs. Don's gonna tell ya this as well - Call Jim over at Racer Brown. He'll get you setup with a great cam.

As far as the heads go, how much work are you thinking about. Considering the EB heads are about $1,300 they are a great choice.

[LA360Dart]

Hi NavyNorm

You might try to nail down the variables a little more before starting. IE, What tire size with 3.73's what cruise RPM you want to run at freeway speed (2800-3200) this will help with camshaft choice. 4 speed makes converter a moot point. Then how much does the car really weigh. That will then lead you how much horsepower you need, for the performance level your looking for. If you can buy the Edelbrock heads, they are a good choice. Most of the factory iron stuff is ok but porting is needed for real hp.

Spending money on quality machine work is money well spent. When your putting the engine together everything goes together as it should. I would not cheap out here. Oil system mods should be part of your plan, depending on RPM your planning on. Try to minimize weight on the rotating assembly. And asking questions is a good start. The more info the better.

The shop is correct a bigger engine will make more power all things being equal ( cam spec.s manifold carb header size ) for engine size. The displacement increase will process more air with more fuel to burn will make more hp. I don't have a lot of big block experience and would not begin to recommend a specific cam, but call Racer Brown and talk with them he can help you make a educated decision. Rather than guessing in the dark.

[goldfevr]

I don't have my desktop dyno yet, and I don't know if this is street/strip or just strip, but a set of 4.56 gears I am guessing would put you down at 12.2 or teens, just guessing. Two years ago my father in law took a 440 .30 over with a .590 lift cam, other specs I don't know, down to 11.45 et, and the car was a boat, and still is. Ehostler was right on the EB heads, I am running 10.7 in the quarter and I am looking at going with those to hopefully jump me down to 10.5. From what I hear very good head for the price. Go to www.//webspawner.com/users/goldfevr/index.html and It'll show u the boat, (well not so much now), that he did it in.

Jeff

[NavyNorm]

alright guys thanks for the info...
I don't think I"m gonna stroke it out right now, money is kinda tight and if I can get there with just 440 I can spend the money elsewhere. I'll have to give racer brown a call sometime today...said I'll need tire size? guess I'll look into that too! I wanna say my car is a beast at 3700 lbs or so...can't remember the exact specs and I don't wanna start ripping stuff out to make it lighter since I still use it on the street. Edelbrock heads are starting to sound like the way to go instead of working the factory heads. Well thanks again guys I'm off to the shop to empty my pocket book! It will be great though once she's done. I'll keep ya guys updated on how it's coming along. I'll get a pic of her up as soon as possible too.

[nhdriver]

I think stroking it , is uneccessary ,although it would definitly increase your H.P. Your goal could be reached with out the huge expense.You can get your 440 into the mid 11's with the right combination of parts. You didn't mention if your car is auto or stick. If it is an automatic you will need to have your camshaft matched to your convertor (too much cam & not enough convertor will really slow the car down) You have recieved some good advice on this thread But basically you mid 11's goal can surley be reached w/ your 440.

[dartswinger74]

What do you intend to do with this car? Race only or a cruiser.
If you are going to drive it a lot you may want to reconsider the stroker idea. Upping the displacement means it'll make more power and run faster with a lot less radical cam and more street friendly gears.

[ehostler]

Richardson Auto Machine/RAM Racing can get about 500 HP out of that engine, without stroking it for under $5,000. It will also run on 93 octane.

[mr.b]

personally i would spend the money elsewhere than on a stroker. such as: edelbrock heads with a mild port and polish.{do it yourself], solid cam[around 575 lift and 240's @ 50 dur] maybe a hyd. will do. the right intake. maybe an rpm or holley street dominator. running in the 11's you would probably want a single plane. do some work on the intake ports and etc.. then a 750 demon carb, maybe an 825. all this can be had for the same price as a stroker kit and mods. be sure your short block is right and that the compression in the cylinders are around 170-180 psi. your suspension looks ok. good street slicks are a big plus.

[Fury Boy]

Don't forget good headers and exhaust!

If it was me, I would save money and stroke it. A head swap is easy, but to stroke a motor it has to be completely rebuilt.

Pistons are about the same for them so you aren't gonna save any money there. I think Ohio crank has a stroker kit for like $1800 right now and it has pretty much everything, all you gotta do is balance the assy and clearence it.


My dad is running 12.50s at the moment, wishing he would have stroked the motor.

[chrisnben]

I run a 'Cuda both street/ strip with an 906 iron head that has a race port job/ 2.14 valves/ 1.6 roller rockers to up the lift a little; cam is Ultradyne- maybe you could use around 240 or 250@ 50 & 575 lift or so and still be streetable. The rule is more air in-- more air out equals more HP. Always remember additional oiling, as mentioned before. As far as tires, maybe an 10 x 28 w/ your gears. A nice Holley HP or Demon around 800 cfm will work. Use aluminum pieces up front as much as possible, IE- radiator, water pump, intake (M1 S/P), etc. My car goes 10.80's with 4.56's in back and weighs around 3300 dry. Of course their is always the little secrets here and there!! Hope this helps!!

[cuda66273]

Richardson Auto Machine/RAM Racing can get about 500 HP out of that engine, without stroking it for under $5,000. It will also run on 93 octane.

Bill builds a great motor ...sometimes his attitude needs adjusting and his ego needs a smack in the chops but his ability is unquestionable

I recommend him daily to people in that part of the country.

[NavyNorm]

well I think what i'll do is have the shop check the compression ratio of the engine and if I need to replace pistons to get the compression ratio up then I'll go with the stroker and save up for the edelbrock heads later. 28" tire is what I was looking at too so I'll be shopping around for them...BFG drag radials are pretty good from what i've heard. cuda what size/type of demon would I need to use or do you need a lot more info
I'll have racer brown grind the camshaft for me...from what you guys say it's good for performance and it'll be cool to have a "custom camshaft" like nobody elses
Well my head is swamped with ideas I'll let you guys know any other choices I make/how the buildup is going.

oh a quickee...anyone see that buildup in carcraft with the 535HP engine? anyone know if that's do-able or is it a "magazine engine" just looking good for the dyno? I know I couldn't afford a roller cam but maybe I could settle on something similar.

thanks again guys!

[cuda66273]

I'll need more info to choose the correct carb for your application