Help me build my 440 (please)

[Greygoose]

Hi all-
Starting with a bare block on a 1977 Motorhome 440 with 452 heads and stock cast crankshaft (both of which I would like to use).Just honed the cylinders (checked them with a bore gage) and they seem fine to go ahead and use standard pistons again.Was planning on using some KB 236 pistons to get the compression up.Already have the Hedman 1-3/4" headers.Can someone suggest an intake,cam,lifters,double roller camchain,carburetor and anything else?I am hoping to get this engine in about the 475 HP range.Thanks very much,
Mike

 

[brandon64]

Hi all-
Starting with a bare block on a 1977 Motorhome 440 with 452 heads and stock cast crankshaft (both of which I would like to use).Just honed the cylinders (checked them with a bore gage) and they seem fine to go ahead and use standard pistons again.Was planning on using some KB 236 pistons to get the compression up.Already have the Hedman 1-3/4" headers.Can someone suggest an intake,cam,lifters,double roller camchain,carburetor and anything else?I am hoping to get this engine in about the 475 HP range.Thanks very much,
Mike

how much taper or wear is there on the cylinders?

 

[67 B-body]

You could have the block decked and heads shaved a bit to get the compression you want. Building a good quench engine with flat top pistons is a big bang for the buck combo. As far as camshafts,,, boy there's alot to choose from! I'm sure you'll want a Hyd type. It could be a hyd roller setup, or standard flat tappet hyd camshaft. Your wallet will dictate that one! I would think something around 284 to 288 advertised duration would be close, and maybe a lift somewhere in the 480+ range. Remember the trade off between torque and HP in the lower RPM range. Also be mindfull of lobe centers and overlap. You dont want a cam that bleeds off all your compression if your already fighting to get what you have! A little reading on your part will help make this decision. And for Gods sake,,, if you call a cam manufacture and ask for help, have them tell you WHY he or she suggests a certain camshaft! Have the person on the other end of the phone tell you in detail of how the cams specs change its behavior and how it applies to your build. A little work on those heads ports will help you out too! You can buy a set of guages already shaped for you to use as a Go - No Go guage for porting. Gasket matching the intake and heads helps too.
Choose a good piston ring to seal up those pistons to the cyl walls! If you get file fit rings, you can match them up to each specific cyl and have the same gaps between all. This can help with keeping pressures balanced between cyl's. It's pain staking to file each ring to its respective cyl, but I think it's worth it in the end. A good dual plane intake and a Carb in good working order is very important. You'll probably want a Mopar Performance ing module with your electronic ign Distributor. Run a good coil and make sure your wiring is up to par when hooking everything up.
As you can see, the points I have touched on is a package,,, your actual build should be a complete package too, not just a few nice parts shoved into a block.
Good luck with your project, and I'm sure many others will chime in as well..
Cheers!

 

[ga66mopar]

I just built my 440 with comp cam xe274 hyd and I am very pleased with the bottom end torque and mid range power. Plus it has a very nice idle. I also used the 452 heads.

 

[Greygoose]

how much taper or wear is there on the cylinders?

Hi Brandon-
They are all between .003 and .0045 clearance,taper under .004.Thanks very much,
Mike

 

[Greygoose]

You could have the block decked and heads shaved a bit to get the compression you want. Building a good quench engine with flat top pistons is a big bang for the buck combo. As far as camshafts,,, boy there's alot to choose from! I'm sure you'll want a Hyd type. It could be a hyd roller setup, or standard flat tappet hyd camshaft. Your wallet will dictate that one! I would think something around 284 to 288 advertised duration would be close, and maybe a lift somewhere in the 480+ range. Remember the trade off between torque and HP in the lower RPM range. Also be mindfull of lobe centers and overlap. You dont want a cam that bleeds off all your compression if your already fighting to get what you have! A little reading on your part will help make this decision. And for Gods sake,,, if you call a cam manufacture and ask for help, have them tell you WHY he or she suggests a certain camshaft! Have the person on the other end of the phone tell you in detail of how the cams specs change its behavior and how it applies to your build. A little work on those heads ports will help you out too! You can buy a set of guages already shaped for you to use as a Go - No Go guage for porting. Gasket matching the intake and heads helps too.
Choose a good piston ring to seal up those pistons to the cyl walls! If you get file fit rings, you can match them up to each specific cyl and have the same gaps between all. This can help with keeping pressures balanced between cyl's. It's pain staking to file each ring to its respective cyl, but I think it's worth it in the end. A good dual plane intake and a Carb in good working order is very important. You'll probably want a Mopar Performance ing module with your electronic ign Distributor. Run a good coil and make sure your wiring is up to par when hooking everything up.
As you can see, the points I have touched on is a package,,, your actual build should be a complete package too, not just a few nice parts shoved into a block.
Good luck with your project, and I'm sure many others will chime in as well..
Cheers!

Very good points 67-Thank you!
Mike