Re-Rebuilding the 440-493 in a 1970 Charger

[Geoff 2]

Crane cams claimed that if you wanted the butt-meter to feel a difference, a cam should be adv/ ret a minimum of 4*.

 

[Wietse]

If you would use the calculator and go by expected cylinder pressures at certain cam advance/retard positions.
Then you select a pressure that will work with the fuel you intend to use.
That would get you were you want to be, right?

 

[PRHeads]

Ive found that as I get older, my tolerance for the engine to be on the “rowdier” side, as opposed to something being more civil, especially if I’m planning on actually driving the car.......has lessened quite a bit.

I don’t know which set of gears KD’s trans is equipped with, but I’d be looking pretty closely at the 6th gear cruise rpm, and making sure the cam was at least somewhat into its happy place at that rpm.
I suspect the 528 cam was probably barely into that sweet spot....... and that the lunati won’t be...... unless you’re going like 90-100.

 

[Kern Dog]

I have a .64 overdrive in the Tremec 5 speed. The diff is a 3.55 for a 2.27 final drive. I don't see the need for the 6th gear which is often a .050 gear.
I did have the Lunati in place when I had a Gear Vendors. Back then I had a 3.91 and with the .78 Gear Vendors, it was a 3.04 final drive. The loose converter I had then made throttle response in overdrive soggy and unsatisfying. The pedal felt like mush until I was at the floor.

 

[PRHeads]

What’s your rear tire diameter?

 

[Kern Dog]

Currently, approximately 28". I have some shorter tires that I plan to install once these wear out. They are 26 1/4".

 

[Fran Blacker]

ve found that as I get older, my tolerance for the engine to be on the “rowdier” side, as opposed to something being more civil, especially if I’m planning on actually driving the car.......has lessened quite a bit.

Say Amen to that!

 

[Kern Dog]

Yeah, me too.
I never had a really fast car. The closest to this one was a 76 Camaro that maybe ran a low 14 at best.
The Charger was meant to be the best of all aspects that I could afford. Power, handling and appearance.
I love the looks of these cars and this one is actually relatively comfortable. I added the 5 speed and A/C to make it a better driver in all seasons and all conditions. A rowdy cam probably doesn't fit into that theme. It seems with nearly 500 cubes, I should be able to reach a 500-550 HP mark without it being uncomfortable to drive, right?

 

[INTMD8]

Ive found that as I get older, my tolerance for the engine to be on the “rowdier” side, as opposed to something being more civil, especially if I’m planning on actually driving the car.......has lessened quite a bit.

I don’t know which set of gears KD’s trans is equipped with, but I’d be looking pretty closely at the 6th gear cruise rpm, and making sure the cam was at least somewhat into its happy place at that rpm.
I suspect the 528 cam was probably barely into that sweet spot....... and that the lunati won’t be...... unless you’re going like 90-100.

I agree, mega rowdy and low end surging is really not enjoyable.

I'm sure I put much less miles on my car than KernDog puts on his so I push that a bit.

I think what makes a huge difference is if you have access to E85. I have a [email protected] cam with only 438ci but runs super smooth down low with higher compression on E85.

 

[INTMD8]

A rowdy cam probably doesn't fit into that theme. It seems with nearly 500 cubes, I should be able to reach a 500-550 HP mark without it being uncomfortable to drive, right?

That and more for sure. I would want to put effort into cylinder head flow so you can make the same power with less cam.

 

[Kern Dog]

The heads were ported by some guy locally but I don't think that the level of work was that extensive.

 

[PRHeads]

Cruise rpm for a 2.27 final drive ratio and a 26.25” tire:
65 = 1890rpm
70 = 2035rpm
75 = 2180rpm

 

[PRHeads]

It seems with nearly 500 cubes, I should be able to reach a 500-550 HP mark without it being uncomfortable to drive, right?

From about 20 years ago........
10:1 493, stage 1 RPM heads(less porting than whats done to KD’s heads), SD intake, regular 850DP Holley(4781), 2” headers, .550 lift SFT cam(duration just about splits the difference between the lunati and the 528), 1.5 Crane ductile iron rockers.
Went in a 70 Coronet wagon.

 

[Kern Dog]

That is impressive. I didn’t think that I was off the mark in my goal.
In reality, the HP number isn’t much more than bragging rights. In 2005 it registered a 369 HP at the tire on a chassis dyno. This was with the 509 cam and almost 11 to 1 squeeze.
If I ever drag race it, it would only be to establish a known E.T. and not for any competition. While I love to hammer on the car out on the road, it has been a long time since I lined up against another car anywhere except against the Wife's 2015 Challenger R/T.
Yeah, I walked away from a stock 5.7....Wooooo!
I raced a motorcycle in 2001 after installing the first 440. 3.23 one wheel peel spinning up to 80 mph dang near running the guy down as I was gaining traction. Drag racing is exciting, no doubt.

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

Shoot I’m 25 and I agree. Building a cruiser is much more fun, then a rowdy space ship hp level engine, that’ll you’ll never use to its full potential. And if you do Roscoe P. Coltrane, or Buford T justice will be there to collect your car.

I was going down that path when I was building my car. Then I realized living with my parents sucks, and dropped a junkyard 440 in. Best choice I made! Although the stroker crank kinda hurts when you forget it’s on the floor.

 

[Kern Dog]

I never set a strict schedule for this project but I had hoped to have the car and other components ready by the time the engine was done at the machine shop. For the past week, I've been cleaning the K member and front end stuff. The wire wheel on the angle grinder throws wires everywhere....pants, shirt, legs, face.....Yeah...I had wires sticking out of me....I also looked like I was ran through a coal mine for as black speckled my face, arms and legs were. The painted K member and steering components threw dirt, grease, paint and primer all over.
I decided to go over some of the welds the factory did for the motor mount pedestals and the steering box mount.
For comparison, here is what a stock 1970 K member looks like below the steering box mounting bracket:

Notice the open voids around the steering box mount.

Look at the bare minimum areas where it is solidly welded.

All that open space allows the bracket and the steering box to flex. This may not be a problem with skinny tires and a slant six but if you want steering response and have wide tires and a heavy engine, it pays to add reinforcements here....like this:

Forgive the rough appearance. I knocked down the welds with a die grinder and barrel stone bit before dressing it with a flapper disc on the angle grinder. Note that the entire bottom section of the steering box mount is not tied to the K member.

 

[Kern Dog]

On the front side, there is one more area that can use a couple of gussets.

A sprayed etching primer on the K member, then 3 coats of Basecoat black, followed by 2 coats of matte clear.

I like this matte finish a lot more than the gloss it had before.
All the steering linkage, LCAs, front sway bar, spindles and caliper brackets have been cleaned, sandblasted and covered with the RPM paste.
After I'm confident that the paint is dry enough to not deform or scratch, I'll start reassembly of all the K member and front end parts.
I did make a mistake though....I forgot which tie rod assembly was right and which was left as well as inner and outer. I already figured I'd need an alignment anyway but I would prefer it to track as straight as before for the trip to the shop.
How can a man identify which end is which? Is the inner tie rod end LH or RH thread?

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

Kern Dog, you’ve mentioned looking at other ignition systems, and would like a rev limiter. I was looking for the same thing, and people suggested wiring a gm hei module in place of the orange box, some aftermarket ones even have rev limiters. Idk if you’ve looked into it, but I thought I’d throw it out there. You can even use the coil that goes with it, and eliminate the ballast resistor, which is one less part to fail.

 

[Kern Dog]

Thanks.
FBBO member "Beanhead" sent me a FBO box and "Flamethrower" coil that he had laying around. What a great guy!
I'll start the car using the existing ignition setup, then switch to the other system after the car starts and runs.

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

Thanks.
FBBO member "Beanhead" sent me a FBO box and "Flamethrower" coil that he had laying around. What a great guy!
I'll start the car using the existing ignition setup, then switch to the other system after the car starts and runs.

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