stock '73 340 rebuild...my first rebuild.. I need direction

[greenzeppelin]

I have a 340 in my '73 Challenger & have no idea when the last time it had any rebuild attention! Ive had the car for just over 2 1/2 years now & have only driven it for about 20 mins before i realized I had no signals..So back into the garage! The engine was running okay, just felt tired.. So not expecting any major internal issues.

Anyways so far I have bought: 4 core aluminum rad, part#180 Flex-o-lite 3300cfm electric fan, part#1806 650cfm eddy electric choke carb, part#8877 eddy water pump, part#9-3103 Cloyes True Roller timing chain set, Elgin Brass frost plug kit, I have the tranny (4spd) pulled & am almost done a complete rebuild, along with all new McLeod/ Brewers/ Hurst Comp clutch items, newly rebuilt original starter..

Now I am thinking its geting pretty late in the year anyway to bolt all my other new stuff to a tired engine... So why not rebuild it over the winter & start fresh in spring, right?

So my budget is $2500-3500 for my engine build. I have never rebuilt an engine before, this will be my first (i will be seeking help from local Mopar Club members).

I would like to achieve as much horsepower & torque as possible without losing engine reliability & driveabilty...Maybe 350-400hp?? hopefully

I dont really know if I can afford a "roller" setup within my budget or if its even nessecary @ this point.. I have found some decent deals on bare RHS heads($340 each)...Are these worth the extra money for the 2.02 valves or should i get my low compression valve heads recut? I have no idea about what cam i would need either.. I know a local guy that put a set of stainless PRW 1.6 roller rockers on his 440 that he is very happy with..

So as you all can tell I have no idea of where to even start...

If anybody could chime in with what there SPECIFIC suggestions would be that would be great!

thanks in advance everyone

[moparmaniac59]

There is a lot of good information in the "Proven Engine Combo" section. You should be able to do a decent rebuild for your budget and be able to obtain 350-400 HP. The best place to put your money is your heads. Hyd roller cam is a great choice. It sounds like you've already obtained a lot of hardware! I would suggest finding a good experienced engine builder (maybe someone from your club could recommend someone) and sit down with him and let him know your budget and what your looking to achieve. That's exactly what I did & was able to stay in my budget and get the motor I was looking for. Once you know the cost for a build, then you can play with the different engine combos and figure out what you want for what you can afford. 

                                                                     Matt B.

[PlumCraZRT]

I have a 340 in my '73 Challenger & have no idea when the last time it had any rebuild attention! Ive had the car for just over 2 1/2 years now & have only driven it for about 20 mins before i realized I had no signals..So back into the garage! The engine was running okay, just felt tired.. So not expecting any major internal issues.

Anyways so far I have bought: 4 core aluminum rad, part#180 Flex-o-lite 3300cfm electric fan, part#1806 650cfm eddy electric choke carb, part#8877 eddy water pump, part#9-3103 Cloyes True Roller timing chain set, Elgin Brass frost plug kit, I have the tranny (4spd) pulled & am almost done a complete rebuild, along with all new McLeod/ Brewers/ Hurst Comp clutch items, newly rebuilt original starter..

Now I am thinking its geting pretty late in the year anyway to bolt all my other new stuff to a tired engine... So why not rebuild it over the winter & start fresh in spring, right?

So my budget is $2500-3500 for my engine build. I have never rebuilt an engine before, this will be my first (i will be seeking help from local Mopar Club members).

I would like to achieve as much horsepower & torque as possible without losing engine reliability & driveabilty...Maybe 350-400hp?? hopefully

I dont really know if I can afford a "roller" setup within my budget or if its even nessecary @ this point.. I have found some decent deals on bare RHS heads($340 each)...Are these worth the extra money for the 2.02 valves or should i get my low compression valve heads recut? I have no idea about what cam i would need either.. I know a local guy that put a set of stainless PRW 1.6 roller rockers on his 440 that he is very happy with..

So as you all can tell I have no idea of where to even start...

If anybody could chime in with what there SPECIFIC suggestions would be that would be great!

thanks in advance everyone

It's best to tell everyone what your intentions are before asking for advice (otherwise we all have nothing to argue about).  Is this purely for street use?  Or racing?  Or just a grocery getter?  Do you have vacuum operated equipment you need to work (power brakes, heater box)?  What transmission/gears are you running?  Desired RPM range?

The key to a great engine (in my opinion) is a well designed combustion chamber (compression height, compression ratio, quench area), good flowing heads, and a cam to match.  I'm glad I dumped my factory heads for my aftermarket aluminum heads.  This helped me get the combustion chamber right (with good flow to boot).  I had my engine builder order a custom cam for me after that and the rest is history.  I'm sure Chryco could recommend a suitable (Lunati) cam for your setup.

[greenzeppelin]

As one member put it...I need to advise my intentions before asking for advice..

So I am looking to build a streetable engine that will give me as much HP & torque as possible while still keeping it reliable & not a pain to drive(wount idle)... i have never drag raced a muscle car before, so is that going to be its main use..not by any means..would I like it to make enough power so that I can try? Yes absolutely!


Equipment: yes I have factory power disc brakes & the original heater system, so vacuum is needed yes.

As I said I am running a 4 SPD A833, which is original to the car & rebuild will be complete on Friday... the 8 3/4 is running 3.23 gears

I hoping chryco chimes in...as he has steered me through my clutch& accessories purchase thus far!!!

Desired RPM range.....? Uhm I want it to idle well & still be able to go for a drive on highways once in awhile as well..

[Chryco Psycho]

buy the RHS heads , cam we can figure out solid may be the best bet ,  hyd or solid roller are very expensive

[greenzeppelin]

Will bars RHS heads @ 340$ be better than trying to find /buy loaded heads? Or will I be reusing most components off of STK 73 heads? Other than the diff size valves...

Is than a good $ on the RHS head?

[bandt]

Here is a link to the top end I put together, which sounds similar to what you are looking for.
 
http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=85302.0

I wouldn't reuse any of your old valvetrain.

You can buy the heads assembled but you will need to know your cam specs to get the correct springs. Also if its a stock bottem end you may want to consider new pistons to raise the compression. Stock pistons in 73 were only about 8.5 to 1.

Basically there is a lot to consider to get anywhere close to the power numbers you are looking for. You are going to need to bump the compression, and match the heads, cam, and pistons. You start to get into some tight valve to piston tolerances that can be catastrophic if not calculated correctly. Not to scare you off of trying it yourself, just be sure to have all the information you need before you start ordering your parts.

Good luck with the build,
Brian