440 refresh/assembly - Questions, questions, questions

[miller]

How much would I need to mill of the heads to bring the CR up? I have it at around 8.6 CR with the exsisting head gasket. Say I wanted to take it to 9:1, about how much would need to be taken off?

Depending on what heads you choose to use...none. Those 516s are old school, okay, but a lot of work to bring them up to speed. Small exhaust valves.

Play with one of those compression calculators, and your numbers. Even without cutting your heads, getting the pistons up in the hole, and using a thinner gasket will make fairly big changes in your CR. Just my warped way of thinkin'.

 

[Banzaiii67]

Yeah I figured there might be a way to check it myself. I did read that the 516's where prone to more variation. I might pop a head and measure them both tomorrow night if I get time. Thanks for the run down.

I'm pretty sure that stroke is right, but I will remeasure. Actually now that I think of it, I measure from the deck to the piston top at its lowest point. that wouldn't have taken into account the amount it was in the hole. Basic math would put it at around 3.77" then? But I will remeasure tomorrow night as well.

FWIW my 516 heads were 82cc with .010 cut on them. This was measured by my machine shop. I believe they run anywhere from 80-84ccs. Advertised they were supposed to be 78cc.

 

[Malicious]

Measured the heads last night, I'm looking at about high 70's for the between 76-78. The Exhaust valves on the combustion chamber face look a bit scared up though. Like the carbon has eaten at the face? Never seen it before, but then this is the oldest engine I've worked on. I've previously worked on late 80's early 90's engines. So alot of the is new to me.

to be honest, I'm kind of looking for the best make do. I'd always planed to build a engine properly, but I'm looking to get the car on road while I do that so I can enjoy it and it doesn't become shed locked waste, if you catch my drift.