1973 440 engine build or go crate

[bollcreate]

I have a 1973 440 (J-code) engine in my '70 Bee.
Deciding whether to work it over, or sell it and go with a 550-600 crate engine.

Thoughts on how to build this engine up from the 275 HP, to 550 or so HP?

Looking at threads, some say best to start with new low- to zero-deck pistons.

Any thoughts on the subject is appreciated.

 

[Lionized]

440source.com

Everything you need. Give them a call.

 

[GetX'd]

I see your motor is not original to your car. Do you do a lot of the work yourself or have it done. Might be just as cost effective to buy a crate......

 

[Lionized]

Is your motor original to the car?

'73 440 in a '70 Bee. I'd say go to town.

 

[bollcreate]

The car was built in '83. Guy put in the "newer" 440.

 

[moparcrazy]

Use quality parts i cant stress that enough...Find a local reputable Builder...in my opinion Building a motor is the best part of the build ! my 440 has Aluminum Edelbrock heads, 525 lift Cam with 1.6 Roller rockers,K.B 9.5 Compression pistons, so a mild build and pump gas friendly dyno @ 550HP & 600TQ

View attachment 265450

 

[super-bee_ski]

Looking GOOD Jay!

As Moparcrazy says: build it your own way...
This is my recent 440 (.060 over) for the upcoming 67 GTX

 

[bollcreate]

Question: Is a '73 440 block the same performance of a 68-70 440 block?
A '73 is written up to have much less HP and torque specs than say the 1970 block.
Is this due to the actual block being drastically different, or the cam, pistons, etc that were changed for the gas $ issues of the time and the need to lessen the HP for that reason?

I want to make sure that if I spend the $ on this engine, I can get to the numbers I am hoping for.
Thanks for the aid folks.

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By the way, nice engines gents.

 

[super-bee_ski]

Mine is also a 73
The "Blue" one that is going into the 67 GTX that I stumbled upon...

You can get great performance, almost the same as a 68 - 71 but perhaps not quite as much "Nickel" in the Iron, Im not sure but dimensionally?
All the same.
And, its Mopar
By that I mean compare a Chevy 454 or a Pontiac 455 to a Mopar 440 and the Mopar is much more "ROBUST"

 

[71airgrabberRR]

As mentioned above the block is the same except for the thrust bearing. They changed the design in 73 and it stayed that way until the end of the production run in 78.

Some of your 440's in 73 will have a forged steel crank and HD rods. This is normally found in HP stamped blocks and truck / motor home engines.

The 440 source website has a TON of great information posted that goes into the details. Some people scoff at the later blocks, but I've never had a problem with them. There are some threads here on FBBO dealing with late model blocks.

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This is my 73 HP 440 engine that came out of my old U code SE Charger. It has a forged steel crank.

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These are the HD rods that came out of my latest engine build. It's a 74 engine out of a motor home / truck. These are stout rods but heavy.

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These are the HD rods that came out of my latest engine build. It's a 74 engine out of a motor home / truck. These are stout rods but heavy.

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[Matrix2]

my build

This is my recently completed 440 build on the way to the dyno. .030 over, 74 block, steel crank, SRP pistons, eddy heads and intake, TTi headers, 10:1 built to run on pump gas for the street. 500 HP!
Building your own this way is a lot more fun and you know exactly what you have. A little more expensive compared to a crate.

 

[71airgrabberRR]

You guys have some nice builds posted.

Here is my 74 block. Before and after:

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Just after I pressure washed / disassembled everything. Years ago I worked in an automotive machine shop and I didn't like it when people brought in absolutely filthy stuff. We would clean the parts before they were allowed inside. So I try to do the same. When it comes to engine work you can't be Too clean.

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Use good parts and choose everything that will work in harmony with each other. As stated above, it may cost you a little more money but you know what you have when your done.

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I still need to assemble & run it on my engine test run stand.

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This one will end up in my 73 Challenger.

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This one will end up in my 73 Challenger.

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The last pictures show my engine run / installation stand. This engine was put in my Duster. It's a warmed over 340 / 4 speed.

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[383man]

Myself I have always built my own engine as I like to build what I want and that way I know whats in the eng. Being a tech all my life eng building is one of the things I started learning before I even took auto shop in high school. My latest eng is this 440/493 in my 63 as I built it so I could have a pump gas street car that I could drive to the track and run 10's through the pipes in full street trim just as I drive it and it met my goal. I use a 4.15 stroker crank and the basic Indy EZ heads and its a solid flat tappet cam with 10.6 comp and good quench as it runs good on 92 pump. To me if I ever got a crate eng I would still tear it down and make sure it was built right so I always like to build my own and then I know just what it is and if something goes wrong I can only blame myself. If you dont build your own engines it is good to have an eng builder you trust to do your work. That said there are some good crate engines out there but some crate engines I have heard horror stories about also. Make sure you know just what you want out of the eng and dont scimp on cheap parts. Good luck with yours who ever builds it. Ron

 

[71airgrabberRR]

Nice looking setup there 383 man.

 

[GetX'd]

Sweet looking heartbeats.....

 

[Ghostrider 67]

Hey, IQ52 has a thread here somewhere that details a build with a 74 440 wedge that is a stock 7.5-1. He takes the build all the way up to 600 something horsepower and dyno'es all the way. He lists all of the changes so you can duplicate his effort. I have a 74 440 wedge motor from a motor home that I intend to build following his thread. I expect to get 500 + HP with a modest payout.

 

[Bruzilla]

I guess the bigger question is why do you need 550HP? Generally speaking, the more HP you have the more cooling, braking, traction, and handling you're going to need. You're going to need a high-end rear end, a new torque converter, disk brakes with bigger rotors and better calipers, better ignition, bigger torsion bars, better tires, better radiator, etc., to capitalize on it. This is no big deal if you're going to be taking your car to the track every weekend and running it in competition, but if you're just driving the car on the streets and want 550 HP just so you cay you have 550 HP then it's a total waste of money.

 

[383man]

Nice looking setup there 383 man.

Thank you. Ron

 

[moparcrazy]

Hello there Ghostrider if you dont mind find the thread and post a link i would love to read it...Thanks

Hey, IQ52 has a thread here somewhere that details a build with a 74 440 wedge that is a stock 7.5-1. He takes the build all the way up to 600 something horsepower and dyno'es all the way. He lists all of the changes so you can duplicate his effort. I have a 74 440 wedge motor from a motor home that I intend to build following his thread. I expect to get 500 + HP with a modest payout.

 

[Ghostrider 67]

Look for IQ52 and his posts. It,s called building Pop's 440 I think.

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Sorry,...it's called " 440 Motor home engine swap".