I'm going to look at a 1974 dodge truck with a 440 in it. this will be my first big block,carb, hopefully blown project. I'm coming from a 94 Dakota 360 swapped procharged multiport injection. how boost friendly are stock 440's? what should be done to it to handle boost? from a d1sc procharger if i can find a bracket/tensioner set up to hold it. I'm guessing it will see 12-15psi. is that due able on a stock engine or should i run less. i know ill have to get a blow through carb. what kind of power will it make? what are some good upgrades to plan on doing when money allows. it will also have meth injection to help cool the charge. what does it take to make one of these trucks or engines to a low 11 sec 1/4 pass? are 10's possible with out breaking the bank? this will be a low budget biuld. i allready have the D1SC.

thanks. Dan.

 

Really depends on what you do to the 440. If it is something basic like my motor bolt on a set of 440 source heads and 9 ish compression hit it with some boost and it will run 11s very easily. 10s with some work. I am hoping for high 11s on 7 psi from my motor. 400... That is at 2200 feet altitude pump gas and a cam with only 224* duration. Other guys have gone faster with small blocks and basic combos.

 

thats all im thinking heads down the road and a cam. how are the cranks, rods, pistons, on the 440's can they hold 12psi? i dont know hoe much psi the d1sc will put on a 440. what is the stock compression on a 440?

 

If the tune is correct, then it will live all day long on 12 psi. I don't have a 1974 FSM but my 75 FSM lists the CR at 8.2:1. In reality it is more like 7.5:1. I'm guessing 74 would be the same since it is a "smogger era" engine where all the CR were reduced from the 71&72 levels (depending on engine).

 

wow, i didn't think compression was that low. is there any thing that is prone to going bad boosted on these? i know on magnum motors its the plenum that blows out, also you have to use differenbt head gaskets and head studs. is that something that has to be done?

 

what kind of power is to be expected from a 440 with 12-15 psi?

 

The first thing to go will be the steel head shims, even with the world's best tune. I'm on my third junkyard-hotrod longblock, and the second one spit them out N/A.

Okay, so quick surface + MLS gaskets + ARPs, you think, right? While the heads are off, do valvesprings. You could probably pull the stock valvesprings off and get them to bind with your bare hands. I know some jamoke company used to sell the take-offs from Edelbrocks they used to do. They're cheap and would do a much better job. Oh, do a timing set, a good oil pump, and a good oil pump driveshaft, no matter what you do.

The next thing to go will probably be the rings, or the rings butting together and snapping the pistons out. Junkyard longblocks 1 and 2 (both N/A) had broken rings, sometimes in more than one place. It may be from previous-owner abuse, or just from being old....I don't know. You might get lucky with the "natural" overbore of a worn-out motor giving the rings the room they need to grow, and ultimately dodge that bullet. Maybe.

I can't even remember what year they stopped putting forged cranks in these things. '73? I want to say '72. I'm not even going to look it up, hahahah. Either way, if that crank is cast, it may like the additional torsional/lateral loading the blower will impose even less than a forged number. Food for thought.

 

Definitely between 500 and 1600HP.

 

so you suggest not putting the procharger on it stock? so i should pretty much do a full rebuild before i attempt to do so?

 

P.S. Search for posts by Gordon aka "Blown440sst."

 

If you're in a hurry to finish the car, or don't have the money, or both, there's no reason you can't get everything together and working with the JY motor. That's pretty much how my car has been for the last...11 years? HAHAH!! Everyone's time & money tables are different. Eventually, something will blow up...if you're lucky, it will be a chipped piston / shattered ring and you can keep the block.

You may find people who have successfully run cast cranks and blowers. I'd be a little worried (seeing as how guys tear the snouts off forged ones....in other camps, but still...). Stock rods? I would try to 800HP (boost) with a re-bushing, careful magging and ARPs (translation: how much is a new set of decent rods?). I wouldn't bother with a flat tappet cam or stock heads. And see? There, I just blew your budget for the next 3 years, hahahah.

 

yeah my budget is pretty low. and you seem to hit that right on the head. 800bhp is even more then i was thinking. i was thinking 500 at the wheels. so i guess thats not to far from that. like i said i would love to make this truck a low 11second 1/4 ride. i have to find the curb wieght of the truck.