Big Torque 499' Stroker with stock manifolds

[Dodge Bros]

I think you could likely get past that 500 hp goal and manifolds using a stock crank, well chosen cam and stock type heads with 2.14/1.81s and some bowl work, but not easy on pump gas.. Personally I prefer the solid flat tappet cams over a roller in combo’s like this, and without a ton of port work the gains are small from the bigger lifts. In a 440 with manifolds the old 528 purple cam was a contender. Bigger cubes I think I would go bigger yet though.

Back when we built circle track engines there was a class of hobby stock that had to run stock exhuast manifolds, carb, no roller rockers.. ect...allowed very minimal porting, but with no cubic inch limit. One of the guy’s built a 452, 400 with a 440 crank, flat top pistons, it had 452 with 2.14/1.81, the bowls were basically cut straight down from the last 3 angle cut then blended into the port. It had a Engle mopar design solid flat tappet cam, 250s at .050 tappet, sold by Hughes at the time. Nothing fancy by today’s standards, I think it was a little over 500hp IRC.... Man did it run. Up against some high dollar engines it made them all look slow. But it took race gas.

That being said, I think it is a little easier to hit that 500 mark with a bigger crank than a 440 crank. We have had a number of different combo’s in that range, usually with headers though. Our most outrageous bb combo with HP manifolds is a 542(4.5” crank in a 72 400). 2.14/1.81 ported 346 heads, HP manifolds, stock intake, and a thermoquad in a 72 Satelite. Bullet solid flat tappet cam right around .6 lift. We built it to run in stock type (F.A.S.T.) class’s, but as a driver on pump gas. No interest in doing a roll bar, will be content with low 11s...with 3.23 gears and a tight 3000 rpm converter. Going together right now with it. Looks like it is a stock 400 with A/C.

One thing we have noticed going with the big cubes is will make a good sized cam in a 440 act like almost like a RV tq cam in the 500+ engines. To small of a cam in a cast iron headed open chamber, doesn’t take much compression to push the limits on pump gas, the HP manifolds probably don’t help either.

 

[PRHeads]

On the dyno here, a street friendly stock stroke 440 that gets into the 500hp range is more like this:
-flat tops, zero deck
-rpm heads
-sd intake manifold
-850dp Holley
-xs282s cam
-1 7/8” headers

That’ll put you at about 520tq/500hp.

In stock appearing trim using a single 4bbl manifold-
-low deck 400/511
-12:1
-solid roller cam
-ported big valve 906’s that flow 280
-Ede 800 carb
-ported stock intake
-race gas
-ex manifolds
Went 11.58@118 @3650lbs on G70-14 bias ply repo tires.
That made 565tq/525hp

 

[Dodge Bros]

Got to thinking this morning, anyone ever even made 500 hp in their BB with cast iron heads and HP manifolds on pump gas?

I know AndyF had the old article that made 550-570 in the stroker B engine with aluminum heads, rpm intake, 528 solid purple cam, and HP manifolds with the 3” head pipes. But you take away the aluminum heads and replace them with a ported cast iron set and adjust the compression for friendly pump gas. That engine would take a HP hit.

To me for a naturally aspirated engine the most bang for the buck when approaching 500 hp from exhaust manifolds is going to be headers. Right behind that is aluminum heads.

Our 510 in our 69 Charger has ported 452s, m1 single plane and headers, never had it on a dyno, but had a previous 440 engine dynoed in it at 557 HP @6100 567 lbs@ 4500. The 510 in it now comes very close on HP, likely 530-540 hp, but runs on 87 octane pump gas, previous 440 took race gas. If you pulled the M1 and headers for a six pack and HP manifolds, guessing it would might be down around 480 hp. Compression is 10.2 to 10.5 IRC, been a few years, it has a lazy Crane SFT 310/320, 248/258 @.050 112 lsa cam I think would be friendly to manifolds, but the compression might not be. If the 542 from the previous post won’t work on pump gas, the first thing we will change is manifolds for headers.

 

[Challenger340]

We've exceeded 500 Hp and and well over 500 Ft/Lbs on the Dyno using Factory HP Manifolds/mufflers/Factory Air Cleaner and it looked like this in a shortdeck 400 Block using an oem 440 Forged Crank to make a 451 cubic inch

Criterion: The Customer wanted absolutely NO underhood appearance changes from stock, and it had to run dead nuts quiet, 91 Octane etc.

451/400 B Block based
* A Custom long skirt Piston was used with std length B Engine H-Beam Rods(quiet)
* Ported Stealth Heads(painted)
* Bushed Lifter Bores and a Hydraulic Roller Camshaft ~240'ish @ .050

If I remember correctly I think it started out up around 570 hp with 560 ft/lbs using Dyno headers for egt's etc.
and by the time we'd switched back to the HP Manifolds, 2 1/4" pipes and installed the Air Cleaner, etc in was down to 520-525 H/Power and I forget Ft/Lbs but still well above 500

 

[1KoolBee]

I had Dwayne Porter spec a similar comp grind, solid flat tappet, 113 separation for my 451. He said that mp .528 cam would make a little more power but this cam would work better with power brakes.

Had him rework my stealths too.

 

[68 HEMI GTS]

I don’t get the whole stay stock stroke to save money. He’s already got the stroker crank on the shelf. Good rods and pistons cost the same for a 440 as they do a stroker. Personally I’d use cnc stealths and paint them orange. That’ll keep the stock look with more potential. Port the six pack manifold by hand. If using manifolds have them Extrude honed as mentioned and spec a cam to work with them. If headers, adjust the cam accordingly. Shoot for around 10.5:1 with the alum heads and prem pump gas. I’ve ran 10’s with a six pack on my 400/511. Car has headers and Indy heads though. Dwayne would be my choice for a custom cam.