SB or BB

[HemiOrange70]

 I love the 340's. With a small block ouu don't need to buy new brackets, etc. But, having a car that came with a factory big block (70-71) that  is something the 72-74 guys can't have so.......go big or go home

[svitaks]

i was hoping there would be more stroker sb guys out there but guess not. well i think its settled then 440 and 727. bye bye 318/904.  this will be a fun school project this year.  thanks

[moper]

There's a bunch of strokers running around. In any case, it's your choice. A 440 swap will require more money than a small block of factory displacment. You could stroke the 318 to a 390 also. The small block stroker is the way I'd go, for ease of swap. You will need the 904 trans upgraded and rebuilt. but you have it, as opposed to buying a 727 core, then doing the same thing with it. Same with the engine. The least cost 440 route would more than likely be a running late model (73-78) 440 and 727 out of a passenger car. Hear it run  (preferably in a parts car...) You'll need mount plates and mounts, radiator, and exh manifolds or headers plus hoses, belts, prob some non ac brackets, kickdown linkage, driveshaft (assuming the car has an 8 3/4..if it has a 7 1/4, the axle needs to be replaced before the driveshaft gets measured and made). Stuff like that. The torsion bars may not like it, but you can get away without swapping them. You'll have to lengthen some wires from the 318 harness, but no big deal. Paint it, toss in new freeze plugs, a tune up, toss them in and drive it. If you can do it all yourself, it should cost around $3K turn key to turn key. Any rebuilding of parts or replacing with performance parts will add a bit money wise.

[Follicly Challenged]

SB Stroker !

No dis-respect to the BB camp, I was "one of 'em" for years, raced, drove, and built(mid 8 second), too numerous BB's. Very capable engines. Better 'eye candy" to boot !

But,
 unless I owned a FACTORY BB Car today, I just couldn't ever be bothered again for myself, especially if I were contemplating a street friendly driver/bracket basher type deal.
WUFFORE ?
More "fun" trouncing BB ego's with a mouse !  And cheaper if you already own a SB Car.
Doing a 340 based/iron 308 headed stroker for pump fuel now, stay tuned.

[Chryco Psycho]

either are good engines & very capable & reliable , but I still prefer the big block for a # of reasons , essentially it is a better design & I have never figured out why with the LA engines designed well after the B/RB why a lot of the features were not used in the small block as well ? The features I prefer are the deep skirted block / raised crank which allow the use of the stud girdle & better pan gasket design , the external oil pump , the angled & front located dist , the removable water pump while leaving the housing in place , the natural air gap intake & lack of water / extra heat in the intake & the correct lifter / pushrod angle , the small block retained the awkward angle used in the earlier A engine design & is only corrected in the latest R series & Nascar blocks 

[Follicly Challenged]

No Doubts about some of the design features of the BB, very well thought out.

I'm guessing the SB got some of it's problems from a "size" criterion ?
Keep the lifter angle, and squish the heads closer together ? Same for the lack of the crank skirt, "height" ?, get the oil pump internal with nothing "sticking out" ?
Weight ?
They still ended up with a "goofy" looking SB ?

Seems the BB guys "dropped the football" in one area though, as compared to the SB, Why not open the Valves "on center" like the Wedge small blocks ?
They had enough Valve angle built in ?
Never corrected !
Thats been one area on the BB engines, that's always presented a "wall", scavenging, flow, plug wash, ignition tuning, etc., etc.  Would've gladly traded some lifter angle for the "centered" wedge valving on the BB !

Sooner or later EVERYBODY bangs their melon on it !

To my knowledge NOBODY ever corrected that on the BB until the "predator" head, which quickly topped 500 cfm ! YOUSER !
Just think "what could have been", if the factory had ever supplied the "big wedge" with a iron head "centered" valve setup ?
They did "toy" with a "canted valve" version like BB Cheb, "ball stud hemi" as it was called, but that got ****-canned in '72 ?  NOT very fuel friendly, bad velocity/low rpm's !

 

[svitaks]

well guys after much debate and headaches, the bb is an amazing design but i'll try the underdog.  i'm plannin a 360 bored 30 over w/ a cast 4.0 stroke crank. magnum, or stock heads p+p. 2.02 valves, roller rockers (if stock) and lifters. stock rods w/ stroker pistons 10.5:1. tti headers. don't know on the cam specs or stall yet. but i figured that i am 20 there is plenty of time to improve the engine/tranny. i'm shooting for 400-425 w/ this engine and hope the 904 holds up.  i hope i won't be disapointed.  but since i'll build it, i'll love it anyhow.
thanks again everyone

[matt63]

Sounds pretty good and 425 hp shouldn't be hard to get at all.  10.5:1 compression is pushing it with iron heads especially with a milder cam as you won't need anything radical for that combo.  I would look at Hughes Engines and the Mopar magazines web sites to see what their engine builds dyno'd at and with what cam. Once your heads are selected and combustion chamber volume is known, I would then select pistons to give you perhaps 9.5:1 compression with a zero deck height.  An Edelbrock Air Gap RPM intake should be good too.  The TTI headers are great.  You can use the stock rods refinished with ARP bolts.  The block will need clearance notching with the 4" stroker crank.

[70nos340 barracuda]

small block!