440 cast crank! can it handle 500 plus HP and be reliable ???

[ma mopar nutz]

Hello all this is my question I picked up a 73' 440 all stock and in good shape! This is the first 440 I have purchased that has a cast crank! Have a bunch made during the good old days of forgeged cranks! So I'm wondering can a cast crank handle 500 ponies and be reliable ?? I have a set of aluminium 440 source heads laying around so I'm thinking of just rebuilding the bottom end and throwing on those heads along with a ebelbrock performer RPM intake a 750 holley and a mild cam nothing to outrageous gonna punch it .30 over and upgrade the ignition! All this will easily make 500 horse so that said can the cast crank hold up?? The application will mostly be street but I'm sure I'll have to stomp a few 5.0 cruststangs with it said what does everyone think?? Wanna keep this build as low buck as possible so I'm using parts that are just laying around the shop ! Thanks

 

[moparmarks]

I've always heard over the years that the cast cranks were good for around 600hp. I guess a lot depends manual or auto tranny, rear end gears, sticky tires, etc.

- - - Updated - - -

Factory never put a 4-spd behind a cast crank.

 

[lewtot184]

may depend on 500 or 600 real horsepower or magazine/internet horsepower,....lol.

 

[super-bee_ski]

I went through 3 different Cranks before my machinist found the "one he liked"
I cant remember the specifics but this was in 1997, things were not "RARE" then.
I remeber, we found a forged crank.

 

[MikeyT]

Cast will hold up just fine to 600 hp. In fact, back in the day this used to be away professional drag racers lightened up there reciprocating assemblies.

Mike

 

[moparcrazy]

I built this 76 block with a cast crank, Dynod @ 550HP/600TQ RPM Heads, 525 comp-cam from 440 source, 1.6 rockers, Keith black pistons 8.5 compression... haven't dropped it in yet but i will this summer !

 

[partmopar]

The cast crank should work fine, a lot Depends on the parts connected to it. Those HP numbers are not that easy to make. I am just saying that real life 500 HP number may be a little bit harder to get. Don't be disappointed if the motor doesn't make that kind of power.

 

[ma mopar nutz]

Wow with 8.5 compression that's awesome ! Totally pump gas friendly! I wasn't gonna go any higher then 10.1 but seeing what yours did might go a little lower !

- - - Updated - - -

What were you running for intake and carb when you dynoed it ?

- - - Updated - - -

Actually 500 horse is pretty easy to get to with a 440 its 600-700 and higher that can be tough to hit! I have built plenty of 500 plus horse 440's just not using a cast crank!

 

[moparcrazy]

Carburetor is a "Mighty Demon" 850 CFM with with a Mopar Performance Dual Plane Intake part #5153525, its mopars Newer style looks like the Air Gap but has cool mopar logos on it.

Wow with 8.5 compression that's awesome ! Totally pump gas friendly! I wasn't gonna go any higher then 10.1 but seeing what yours did might go a little lower !

- - - Updated - - -

What were you running for intake and carb when you dynoed it ?

- - - Updated - - -

Actually 500 horse is pretty easy to get to with a 440 its 600-700 and higher that can be tough to hit! I have built plenty of 500 plus horse 440's just not using a cast crank!

 

[tonys65belvedere]

Carburetor is a "Mighty Demon" 850 CFM with with a Mopar Performance Dual Plane Intake part #5153525, its mopars Newer style looks like the Air Gap but has cool mopar logos on it.

Also, which balancer is that you are running?
Thanks
Tony

 

[Budnicks]

Hello all this is my question I picked up a 73' 440 all stock and in good shape! This is the first 440 I have purchased that has a cast crank! Have a bunch made during the good old days of forgeged cranks! So I'm wondering can a cast crank handle 500 ponies and be reliable ?? I have a set of aluminium 440 source heads laying around so I'm thinking of just rebuilding the bottom end and throwing on those heads along with a ebelbrock performer RPM intake a 750 holley and a mild cam nothing to outrageous gonna punch it .30 over and upgrade the ignition! All this will easily make 500 horse so that said can the cast crank hold up?? The application will mostly be street but I'm sure I'll have to stomp a few 5.0 cruststangs with it said what does everyone think?? Wanna keep this build as low buck as possible so I'm using parts that are just laying around the shop ! Thanks

yes if it's assembled & machined correctly, with proper oiling system, bearings, proper balancing & clearances, use a quality Harmonic Damper too...

 

[440ronnie67]

X2 balancer???

 

[IQ52]

I dunno, when Mopar built 350-395 HP 440s they put in forged steel cranks, when the went to 220-275 HP 440s they went to cast iron cranks. Build it with what ever kinda crank you want.

 

[Cranky]

Had some experience with cast cranks in that hp range and they worked. As with any crank, polish it well but cast cranks are more porous than forged so I like to polish cast cranks to a mirror shine. And as for compression, why give up horsepower with a lower static. It's possible but harder to go with 11-1 on pump gas but more easy to do with 9.5 to 10-1 compression. The better your combination, the better you'll be with higher comps and the more power you'll be able to make.

 

[69RRGTX]

Run that crank, at that level there is no reason to buy a steel crank.

Proper machine work should be considered, regardless of material.

Mark

 

[bigblock]

You will have to get the hole drilled for a pilot bushing.

 

[Cranky]

You will have to get the hole drilled for a pilot bushing.

Or...if the input shaft is already shortened, you can run a bearing that fits into the converter fit and go with that. I don't like to cut the input shaft but many have already done that....

 

[Meep-Meep]

I have heard 500 HP is no problem for a cast crank.

I'm a little puzzled by the 8.5:1 CR with such a big cam but I guess the numbers don't lie. Seems to me you will have to put a ton of timing in it to make it run, or just lock out the distributor at full advance.

 

[moparcuda]

Hi, at 8, 5 comp do yo go with a blowerr

 

[Cornpatch MO]

Or...if the input shaft is already shortened, you can run a bearing that fits into the converter fit and go with that. I don't like to cut the input shaft but many have already done that....

I used a cast crank with 4 speed. I didn't want to cut off the end of the input shaft, so we hand drilled the crank to be a little bigger than the input shaft end and used the bearing that registers in the Torque converter hub.......................................MO