First time racing my Charger

[BSB67]

I didn't read all the other comments but to me, it looked like you did pretty dad gum good for a first time out!!!

And if you want to go faster. I'd start with tuning, tuning, tuning. There is always at least a couple of tenths there.

 

[POMONAMISSEL]

11.8 through the muffers and bf ta drag radials 4.56 re , good fun around town , no fun on the freeway

 

[Darter6]

Old saying,"Gears make 'um go !"

 

[blue69runner]

Feel the power you go brother.

 

[70383ChargerSE]

Thank you everyone for all the replies,

@Kern Dog @BSB67 @directconnection @Canadian1968 @davek @Cranky @496 polara

I have the icon forged flat top with valve relief pistons for a .040 440. I'm not sure which one but it's whatever one will get you slightly above 10:1 compression with an 84cc 440source head chamber and a .041-.05 head gasket at 0 deck.

All that was done to the heads was a valve spring change to make sure the correct springs and retainers were used for the roller cam.

The cam I have is a hydraulic roller from Howard's cams. It's the one on 440sources website. It is 231/235@50 with .545/540 lift. I am also using 440sources 1.5 ratio rockers.

Yes this is a full 2.5" exhaust with dynomax ultraflo mufflers. This has an H pipe and goes all the way to my bumper. My local meineke did the exhaust so it is nothing fancy. Schumacher ceramic coated headers.

This is my time slip.

 

[70383ChargerSE]

@Kern Dog I was worried about power brakes but this has enough vacuum to drive in the stop and go bay area traffic as well as the usual flowing of traffic and then everyone panic stops. I am happy with this cam. It pulls very hard, but this my first 440 so I can only compare to my old 360 in my Dart.
I also have power steering and classic air and I have not had any problem in traffic running everything at once. Here's a small clip of it idling.

 

[70383ChargerSE]

Howards cams cam card

 

[33 IMP]

I would NOT change the gears, it runs great as is. Especially for a timeslip for a car that sees the strip once in twenty years.

 

[furious70]

For a street car I think you'd be happier around town and possibly a tenth or 2 faster to 330' with an rpm performer intake instead of the Holley. And with that engine I doubt you give up any trap mph

 

[cosgig]

The bottom line is the fun part, and I’m glad you had fun. I miss those days too, although the long drive home in the middle of the night was never my favorite part.

 

[furious70]

And back in the day with a stockish cam (you have more cam for sure) we tested 3.23 to 4.10 with no other changes on a fully laden 69 charger and it made absolutely no difference.
Typical Holley, intake, and headers.

 

[Cranky]

And back in the day with a stockish cam (you have more cam for sure) we tested 3.23 to 4.10 with no other changes on a fully laden 69 charger and it made absolutely no difference.
Typical Holley, intake, and headers.

Wow....I've done gear changes lots of times without making other changes to the stock engine and always saw a change in ET's.

 

[RemCharger]

In my 67 street 383 charger, with 323s I'd go 6500 in 2 gears at 13.70-80
With 456 , 6500 in 3 gears at 13.19.

BUT, it's a different political and climate environment up here. We also have French as a second language.

 

[Danomt]

In my 67 street 383 charger, with 323s I'd go 6500 in 2 gears at 13.70-80
With 456 , 6500 in 3 gears at 13.19.

BUT, it's a different political and climate environment up here. We also have French as a second language.

In my day the guys with 3.23 gear were usually quicker that the 3.55 or 3.91 guys. The 3.23. were rapped up in second gear and the 3.91 guys were lugging along in third for the last half of the quarter. Now 4.56 word well, but then you needed slicks.... This was my experience..

 

[Cranky]

BUT, it's a different political and climate environment up here. We also have French as a second language.

 

[cosgig]

In my day the guys with 3.23 gear were usually quicker that the 3.55 or 3.91 guys. The 3.23. were rapped up in second gear and the 3.91 guys were lugging along in third for the last half of the quarter. Now 4.56 word well, but then you needed slicks.... This was my experience..

That was my experience too. I had 3:23 stock in my GTX, but I thought I could do better with 3:91’s. Nope, actually slowed down by a couple tenths.

 

[Cranky]

That was my experience too. I had 3:23 stock in my GTX, but I thought I could do better with 3:91’s. Nope, actually slowed down by a couple tenths.

My first car did that with a 383 and 2.94 gears....ran a 14.80 with those but did pretty much the same thing with 3.91's on street tires. Crossed the stripe in top of 2nd with the 2.94's but ran through almost in the top of 3rd with the 3.91's. Think I was losing traction off the line and shifting into 2nd. Sometimes the loose of traction isn't enough to feel it but it's enough to scrub off ET. Also didn't have an LSD in it....

 

[70bigblockdodge]

A 340 or warmed up 318, gears will make a good difference, you need to twist the rpm hard.
A 440 with stockish heads, rpms are not your friend.
383/400 with the stock stroke and basically same head as 440 the rpm range will go up, again gears will not hurt. These short stroke combos are the heavy car smallish engine mentioned before.
I agree with whoever said earlier that I would spend the money porting the heads not a gear change.
Or just enjoy for a while.

 

[RemCharger]

A 340 or warmed up 318, gears will make a good difference, you need to twist the rpm hard.
A 440 with stockish heads, rpms are not your friend.
383/400 with the stock stroke and basically same head as 440 the rpm range will go up, again gears will not hurt. These short stroke combos are the heavy car smallish engine mentioned before.
I agree with whoever said earlier that I would spend the money porting the heads not a gear change.
Or just enjoy for a while.

Well worded. A 440 is a grain truck engine, a 340/383 is a race engine.