78' 440 stroker

[Bearguinn]

I have a 78' 440 that came out of a motorhome (completely stock) and i want to stroke the engine to 543 from 440 source
what is the best way to get some good power out of that engine ? any proven 543 combos that you guys know of
I want it to run on a pump gas and be able to take it to the strip for some action.

the motor is going into 1970 cuda 
I want to use the ported 906 that i have now for 2012 and buy new ones in 2013 (saving money for indy 440-1 heads)

and what cam is the best for those cubics?. 440 source are selling comp cam cam with the specs :
.549/.544" lift and 242 intake and 248 exhaust duration at .050

do you recomend other cam'? I am gooing to use 1.6 rockers

I will post up some vids after the build

[HP_Cuda]

Before buying anything get the block tanked and magnafluxed.

That will save you some money if you find a crack....

[Chryco Psycho]

There is a lot of proven combos to do this , firstly more CI is not always the answer , it builds shorter rod ratio / more of a race engine than a street brusuier , I prefer the 512 for street , tons of torque everywhere , very drivable .
- fOR OIL PAN i WOULD USE THE 6 qT hEMI PAN & PICK UP KIT FROM mANCINI
 - oil pump should be a Melling HP /not high volume
 - Water pump there are a lot of choices , Do not use the 440 source housing it is restrictive & causes heating problems
-  the Victor intake is great but will not clear under hood , the Holley Street Dom is the best low intake .
- Heads are the big decision , Stock iron will limit the powerband to about 5500 rpm max , Indy Ez are a better choice & you can use the big indy dual plane intake with them .
 Camshaft is a tough call , I use a custom ground flat tappet Lunati grind in most 512 builds , great vacuum & idle & over 400 ft lbs tq from 2400 -5400 rpm at the tires . between myself & Lunatis tech line we can narrow down a grind to suit your needs . The big thing is everything has to match so the intake cam heads , torque converter if auto , gearing all have to work together to get the most out of the $$ spent

[moparmaniac59]

I built a 543 stroker using the 440Source stroker kit. The motor produced well over 600 horsepower on an engine dyno. If you click on the "Engine on Go Fast Goodies" tab there is a heading/post with the specifics on the engine build. Yes, it's a lot of rotating mass, but produces peak HP at a much lower rpm than other engine combos. Not a bad trade off for a great "grunt" engine. Tons of torque. And for those folks that never truly understood good 'ole muscle car era old school torque, well it's that feeling that pulls your butt cheeks to the back of the seat. This motor will do it!! 

                                                                          Matt B.

[TinCuda]

Let me just say welcome to the site, I see you have not posted very many times.  Listen to everyone on here, but Chryco Psycho was instrumental to my 440-->512 stroker build.

If I have any advise, don't mess around with bigger 1/2 inch oil pickup tubes.  Stick with the 3/8 stock one.  You don't need the bigger one and you are setting yourself up with a lot of problems that you don't need.

I am also a big fan of Rhoads lifters.  They make flat tappet or roller for whatever you are building.  They will let you use a bigger cam and still keep a manageable idle.

I will list every part of my build by part number if you need me to, just ask.

My rotating assembly came from 440 source.  Read my thread for fun if you want...

http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=77799.0


.,

[HP_Cuda]

Mancini pan = This item is currently out of stock!
Got an email in to see when it will be back in stock.

There is a ton of debate around HP vs HV pumps and it comes down to how well your block can get oil from the heads back down to the pan. If you have a restrictive block then HV might not be your best bet.

There is a lot of proven combos to do this , firstly more CI is not always the answer , it builds shorter rod ratio / more of a race engine than a street brusuier , I prefer the 512 for street , tons of torque everywhere , very drivable .
- fOR OIL PAN i WOULD USE THE 6 qT hEMI PAN & PICK UP KIT FROM mANCINI
 - oil pump should be a Melling HP /not high volume
 - Water pump there are a lot of choices , Do not use the 440 source housing it is restrictive & causes heating problems
-  the Victor intake is great but will not clear under hood , the Holley Street Dom is the best low intake .
- Heads are the big decision , Stock iron will limit the powerband to about 5500 rpm max , Indy Ez are a better choice & you can use the big indy dual plane intake with them .
 Camshaft is a tough call , I use a custom ground flat tappet Lunati grind in most 512 builds , great vacuum & idle & over 400 ft lbs tq from 2400 -5400 rpm at the tires . between myself & Lunatis tech line we can narrow down a grind to suit your needs . The big thing is everything has to match so the intake cam heads , torque converter if auto , gearing all have to work together to get the most out of the $$ spent

[Bearguinn]

There is a lot of proven combos to do this , firstly more CI is not always the answer , it builds shorter rod ratio / more of a race engine than a street brusuier , I prefer the 512 for street , tons of torque everywhere , very drivable .
- fOR OIL PAN i WOULD USE THE 6 qT hEMI PAN & PICK UP KIT FROM mANCINI
 - oil pump should be a Melling HP /not high volume
 - Water pump there are a lot of choices , Do not use the 440 source housing it is restrictive & causes heating problems
-  the Victor intake is great but will not clear under hood , the Holley Street Dom is the best low intake .
- Heads are the big decision , Stock iron will limit the powerband to about 5500 rpm max , Indy Ez are a better choice & you can use the big indy dual plane intake with them .
 Camshaft is a tough call , I use a custom ground flat tappet Lunati grind in most 512 builds , great vacuum & idle & over 400 ft lbs tq from 2400 -5400 rpm at the tires . between myself & Lunatis tech line we can narrow down a grind to suit your needs . The big thing is everything has to match so the intake cam heads , torque converter if auto , gearing all have to work together to get the most out of the $$ spent

does someone know if the indy 440-2 single/dual intake manifold is worth the extra buck over the edelbrock victor

thanks for the answers, and i have a huge hood scoop so the victor will clear it,

[Bearguinn]

Before buying anything get the block tanked and magnafluxed.

That will save you some money if you find a crack....

it is in a great shape and have never been bored out,

[HP_Cuda]

Looks like you are ahead of the game.

A lot of folks use the 906 heads for stroker builds before going aluminum. Tons of info on builds here...

Do a search.

it is in a great shape and have never been bored out,

[Bearguinn]

the motor is going into my gal over here.
tf-727 3 speed with 9" 4000 stall converter
and dana 60 with 4.56:1 gearing

I was woundering if i need external oil pump for the 548 stroker

[Chryco Psycho]

I cannot help with the intake ? I do not hve dyno sheets using the Indy intakes
 I would say yes you need the external oil system over approx 520 CI ,I think 4C has a system for sale from his build

[moparmaniac59]

I have the external oiling system with my 543. The stroke on the crankshaft will interfere with the oil pickup tube, so it's got to be removed and the external oiling system installed. The 543 I think is the largest stroker kit for the 440 available thru 440-Source. My external oiling system is a Milodon system. I had to make a very small notch in part of the K-frame to clear one of the fittings. I tried several different fittings (45, 60, 90 degree ect.) and orientations. The small notch worked best with the least amount of retro-fitting. The notch was very small and not in a place that would effect the K-frame structural integrity. I also found that the braided hose provided by Milodon was too short for the way I routed my oil line. I simply went to the local hydraulic shop and had a hose with fittings made for about $35 bucks. It wasn't braided, but it's not in a place that's easily visible, so it worked out fine. Just some tips that may help if you opt for the larger 440 motor stroker kit! 

                                                                                Matt B.

[Bearguinn]

I have the external oiling system with my 543. The stroke on the crankshaft will interfere with the oil pickup tube, so it's got to be removed and the external oiling system installed. The 543 I think is the largest stroker kit for the 440 available thru 440-Source. My external oiling system is a Milodon system. I had to make a very small notch in part of the K-frame to clear one of the fittings. I tried several different fittings (45, 60, 90 degree ect.) and orientations. The small notch worked best with the least amount of retro-fitting. The notch was very small and not in a place that would effect the K-frame structural integrity. I also found that the braided hose provided by Milodon was too short for the way I routed my oil line. I simply went to the local hydraulic shop and had a hose with fittings made for about $35 bucks. It wasn't braided, but it's not in a place that's easily visible, so it worked out fine. Just some tips that may help if you opt for the larger 440 motor stroker kit! 

                                                                                Matt B.

what oil pan are you running.

[moparmaniac59]

I have a Milodon 7 QT. low profile pan. It's part number MIL-30931 and is 7" deep, has angled sides (that's how they obtain the low profile) and is drilled for external oiling & is also baffled. It's a great pan, but expensive. They also make an identical pan for a stock oiling system. I think Summit sells it for around $265.00 bucks. 


                                                                        Matt B.

[Bearguinn]

I have a Milodon 7 QT. low profile pan. It's part number MIL-30931 and is 7" deep, has angled sides (that's how they obtain the low profile) and is drilled for external oiling & is also baffled. It's a great pan, but expensive. They also make an identical pan for a stock oiling system. I think Summit sells it for around $265.00 bucks. 


                                                                        Matt B.

Thanks for that, i will prolly buy this pan
but when you said the braided stainless hose was too short on our mildon external oil setup is that this kit ? http//www.summitracing.com/parts/MIL-21010/

sorry for the endless questions but what windage tray did you get with our pan