A few Q's for adding muscle to a 440

[brandboZ28]

Im big into the 4th gen f-bodies but about to start a 68 RoadRunner project with my uncle. It was originally a 383/4 speed car but he wants to step up to a 440 so Im looking for some info. I understand the general idea of building and blueprinting a motor but really dont know what to look for as far as what the Mopar engines like when it comes to the hp's and more importantly, tq. Are there any websites or books that might explain what to look for when choosing heads/cam/ bottom end combinations for the 440. We are looking to build a pretty high compression street machine with an aggressive idle with good low end to mid range hp and tq. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

[PeteRR]

Chuck Senatore wrote a book called Big-Block Mopar Performance. It was written right before Edelbrock released their BB heads, so it doesn't mention them, other than that it's a useful book.
Another good book is Don Taylor's How to rebuild Big-Block Mopar Engines.

There a few recipes to make a street 440. When choosing a 440 to start your project, you'll want an earlier year rather than later. The earlier ones came with forged cranks.

Since the car came with a low-deck big block, you might want to consider a low-deck stroker motor. Here's a great article that discusses building a 451 Stroker: 451 Manifesto. 470 and 499 are also good stroker combos.

I'm running a 451 in my '68 Road Runner. It made 502 hp and 569 ft/lbs of torque on Ray Barton's engine dyno.

[JohnClark318]

Well...440s respond well to the usual formula of more air/fuel/spark, but they have a few advantages. Go with a '69-'71 block, as they have a good nickel content and last. .030 overbore is great, and turn the forged crank .010. Use either new steel rods, or N.O.S. Six-Pack rods. Only problem with the Six-Pack rods is that they weigh over 900 grams each. Several companies produce good hypereutechtic and/or forged pistons in standard bore and several sizes overs, but keep the compression ratio to a max of 9.7:1 (10.5:1 if you spray the pistons and chambers with a temp coat) for street use. Cam selection is critical here. I'd recommend the Comp Cams XE-274H hydrualic flat-tappet cam, and at least 3.91 gears. Go with the Edelbrock Performer RPM or Victor Jr. minifold and at least an 850cfm carb. Heads should be at least well ported #906 stock heads, or Edelbrock Performer aluminum heads. You'll smoke, bro!
Or buy a Mopar Performance crate engine - 500ci. and minimum 500hp, out of the box...Hotter mills are available (545hp or a 610hp 528 Hemi!?!)

have fun!!!

[brandboZ28]

Wow guys, thanks for all of the info. Ill definatly look into those books and read into that article further. Since my original post, my uncle has bought a mid-70's style Plymouth ??? that has a 440 in it. Is this going to be a decent starting point? Im fairly positive that the block will be the only part used. I will try to get the casting #'s on the block and heads when he rips that engine outta there. Its going to be hard to get started since I am living in Florida and he is in Tennessee but when I get up there, it should start happeneing fairly fast. Thanks again guys, youve definatly helped us get started in the right direction.