Looking for a HP increase for my 440 advice please ( heads cam)

[angelo78]

Gday Guys,

My Story is

My current set up is

1965 440 block
.040 oversize pistons (not sure on Brand),  bores still in Very Good condition.
Pistons .100 down the Hole,
906 Heads
.050 though head gasket
Approx 8.3:1 Comp Ratio
Adjustable Valve Gear
MSD pro Billit distributor
1 3/4 inch Hooker Pro comp (i think)
Twin 3 inch mandrel bend exhaust with x pipe
Factory 1970 Cast iron six pack intake and factory carbs
Hemi spline A833 4 speed with a centreforce clutch.

So now i want to get a bit more power out of it.

My plan is Edelbrock performer RPM Heads  75cc and .020 though gasket to bump up comp to about 9.6:1 ?
And Camshaft ? read good reports on Lunati ??  Suggestions would be great !!

I really don't want to rebuild the bottom end if not required.  I would love to change pistons to up the comp but i want to keep costs and upgrade time to a minimum if possible.

Will i see much benifit from the above mods or am i wasting my time. And advice on camshaft selection will be Awesome as from from what i can gather Breathing is the Key with these engines.
My goal is 500 to 550 Hp.

Posi 3.23 3rd member

Thanks in advance
Angelo




 

[PlumCraZRT]

You would be best to get the pistons to 0.000 deck (whether that's decking the block or new pistons), then get some CNC'ed Stealth heads and a Lunati cam.  Should get you in the range of power you're looking for.  If you don't get the pistons up to the heads, you may have troubles with detonation while trying to acheive that power level.  Depending on the age of the rings, you might blow them out swapping to a new head as well.

[djw383]

3.55's?

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

[73restomod]

Get Trick flow heads, better than eddys' for the price range they are both in.

[rUNCHARGER]

In a perfect world you would want to zero deck the pistons but that is a major project and .1 is alot better than most. I think the small chamber aluminum heads and a good camshaft will work great for what you want. Finalize your head choice and call a cam manufacturer to get their suggestion. My son runs a Lunati Hydraulic in the 440 in his truck and it really cooks for what it is. It's a true 9.5-1 with some 452's I ported, headers and Performer RPM.

Sheldon

[Chryco Psycho]

Without hanging compression the results will be mediocre at best 
 with low compression you will want wide lobe separation & shorter duration to build compression so something around 220* @ .050 & a 112* CL
 I agree that the trick flow or stealth will yield better results for the $ spent .
 of course replacing  the pistons or building a 512 CI stroker is a better option but more costly

[73restomod]

Give me all the cubes!! 
Your biggest hurdle is that .1 down thou, you may be able to pop one piston and check comp height on pistons, if you don't have a ridge than swapping in new ones is an option.

[angelo78]

Thanks for the replies,  its not looking great without the comp.   The bores are good but if i swap the slugs over then i need to get the whole lot ballanced.  Would 915 heads be a better option with my comp ratio ?  Aim was to not end up with a full rebuild as machining costs in australia are out of control.  I have a set of 516 heads but dont want to waste too much money on them.

[Chryco Psycho]

516 heads are very under rated  ut for larger 1.81 exhaust valves & ported they work very well , I was running mid 11s in my street driven 440 duster back int he mid 80s using them , you will have the advantage of quench assuming you change the pistons & 10 cc smaller chambers

[angelo78]

Well looks like i might have to bite the bullet and look into changing out the pistons.  I will have a look around the site for some proven engine combos as there seems to be a few around. 

I wouldn't think it would take to much to get to the power levels i am after. Thanks a lot for the input.

Would love to put a stroker in it but that would blow the budget big time.  The days of the good aussie dollar to US conversion is long gone now, and the ridiculous postage costs are not helping either.

So back to the drawing board for me

[Chryco Psycho]

If you have the 516 have them built & swap them , put in a cam & see what you get , the heads are good anyway , you might lose on the cam if you change the pistons down the road

[angelo78]

Have you got a recipe for the 516's,  if those heads have the capability for 500hp with the right Comp and cam it may be worth doing them up.

[Chryco Psycho]

Sure port match them , use larger valves 208 or 214 & 1.81 exhaust , I enhance swirl while porting by making a long & short side around the guide like a wing shape , I raise & widen the exhaust port .
 My duster was making 460 RWHP based on MPH & weight in the 1/4 mile but this was at 4000' altitude as well with a 440 using 516 heads

[angelo78]

Thanks for the tips.  You wouldnt have any images or links by any chance ?

[Chryco Psycho]

Nothing  , I had lots of pix but they all disappeared when my wife bent my computer over the end of the kitchen counter for some reason