440/520 Stroker with max wedge exhaust manifolds question

-
You don't need a forged 400 crank, a 383 forged is the same stroke and dimensions.
You are gonna have it balanced, so bobweight difference is meaningless.
 
If its cast, I'll build it for hi torque, and put some 452 heads on it, and sell it to help fund my 62 413 max wedge engine. I'm looking for a 62 Savoy now
 
Brooks James said:
I will if I can find a stock 400 forged crank, been told by several members that their 77 400 truck block had forged cranks. I'm picking up a 77 truck -3 block next week. I'll keep you posted
Click to expand...
Absolutely not, never ever ever never ever made a factory forged steel crank specifically for a 400.
383 crank was the only forged from the factory,
RRR is right, a stock stroke 440 with good compression, right cam, good porting on your 906 heads, intake carb and headers, you have a rippin *** a-body.
By the way, you'll never kill a cut 440 steel crank.
You may cut the induction harness down off of the mains, but it is still hard as hell forged steel riding on oil in soft bearings and people have been doing it trouble free for 40+ years maybe.
 
Brooks James said:
I will if I can find a stock 400 forged crank, been told by several members that their 77 400 truck block had forged cranks. I'm picking up a 77 truck -3 block next week. I'll keep you posted
Click to expand...
That 3 on the block is meaningless, same with the HP on 383-440.
The block is not the part that's HP, it was the parts inside and outside which made the HP.
 
MOPARMAGA said:
That 3 on the block is meaningless, same with the HP on 383-440.
The block is not the part that's HP, it was the parts inside and outside which made the HP.
Click to expand...
Yep. As I understand it, the number after the part # just indicates which revision/renewal of the casting cores. Might be an indicator of core shift, but not necessarily . I've got a -12 block, no shift.
Building a big inch/big power stroker? You're gonna sonic check the cylinders for thickness, and check for cracks anyway.
 
MOPARMAGA said:
Absolutely not, never ever ever never ever made a factory forged steel crank specifically for a 400.
383 crank was the only forged from the factory,
RRR is right, a stock stroke 440 with good compression, right cam, good porting on your 906 heads, intake carb and headers, you have a rippin *** a-body.
By the way, you'll never kill a cut 440 steel crank.
You may cut the induction harness down off of the mains, but it is still hard as hell forged steel riding on oil in soft bearings and people have been doing it trouble free for 40+ years maybe.
Click to expand...
Im still hopeful, ive read the same other places, if it is forged 383 unit I still am a winner
 
Brooks James said:
thats funny every motor home bb ive seen was -3
Click to expand...
I have a 3 block also, I also have a 68 block.
There's absolutely no difference except a different looking area where the oil sensor goes on the back of the block and thicker motor mount bosses. If there was something really special about the 440-3 don't you think everyone would want them? Besides the reason people get them for being cheap. I'll have to go out and measure the main webbing I believe it also got a little bit bigger but it's only to make up for strength taken away from the cheaper (less nickel) metal used for casting. I know this because it is a visual difference in what comes out of a bore while boring it. Later blocks just grey cast iron, early blocks had shiny blued shavings and also less dust during boring.
 
Brooks James said:
Im still hopeful, ive read the same other places, if it is forged 383 unit I still am a winner
Click to expand...
Yeah, but if you want a real ripper, I don't think a stock stroke 400 is going to be what you want, stock stroke 440 yeah probably a bit better for rippin much much more torque, a little more forgiving with a bigger camshaft and a little bigger port. Since you were also talking about building a 413 max wedge, you might wanna use the 440 block it will be cheaper and you can put 413 stickers on the valve covers and nobody except Mopar guys will think to check the pad and nearly all will agree it's a better starting point.
 
Whatever you want to do, just do it because it makes you happy.
 
Brooks James said:
I will if I can find a stock 400 forged crank, been told by several members that their 77 400 truck block had forged cranks. I'm picking up a 77 truck -3 block next week. I'll keep you posted
Click to expand...
The cast cranks will hold 550HP prepped and balanced good. If you just gotta have a forged one, get a 383 crank. Plenty of them around.
 
MOPARMAGA said:
Absolutely not, never ever ever never ever made a factory forged steel crank specifically for a 400.
383 crank was the only forged from the factory,
RRR is right, a stock stroke 440 with good compression, right cam, good porting on your 906 heads, intake carb and headers, you have a rippin *** a-body.
By the way, you'll never kill a cut 440 steel crank.
You may cut the induction harness down off of the mains, but it is still hard as hell forged steel riding on oil in soft bearings and people have been doing it trouble free for 40+ years maybe.
Click to expand...
Check out 400 forged crank @ moparts
 
MOPARMAGA said:
Absolutely not, never ever ever never ever made a factory forged steel crank specifically for a 400.
383 crank was the only forged from the factory,
RRR is right, a stock stroke 440 with good compression, right cam, good porting on your 906 heads, intake carb and headers, you have a rippin *** a-body.
By the way, you'll never kill a cut 440 steel crank.
You may cut the induction harness down off of the mains, but it is still hard as hell forged steel riding on oil in soft bearings and people have been doing it trouble free for 40+ years maybe.
Click to expand...
Well I can tell you this. I have seen first hand several factory 400s with forged cranks from the factory and I owned one. 1977 date coded Chrysler bearings. In trucks with manual transmissions, they got the forged crank right to the end of big block production.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Well I can tell you this. I have seen first hand several factory 400s with forged cranks from the factory and I owned one. 1977 date coded Chrysler bearings. In trucks with manual transmissions, they got the forged crank right to the end of big block production.
Click to expand...
I was hoping u would chime in
 
RustyRatRod said:
Well I can tell you this. I have seen first hand several factory 400s with forged cranks from the factory and I owned one. 1977 date coded Chrysler bearings. In trucks with manual transmissions, they got the forged crank right to the end of big block production.
Click to expand...
I did some digging around and found the only possible time a forged crank was installed at the factory was between 72-73.
So I guess I was wrong, just assumed from the 20 or so I've had apart in my life of all years, I never seen a forged crank 400.
 
Last edited:
The 400 never had a forged crank.
440 trucks and cop cars got the forged units.
But then again, who knows with Ma Mopar.
 
fishmens67 said:
The 400 never had a forged crank.
440 trucks and cop cars got the forged units.
But then again, who knows with Ma Mopar.
Click to expand...
That's what I always thought myself, there's a couple websites like darkside says different.
 
MOPARMAGA said:
I did some digging around and found the only possible time a forged crank was installed at the factory was between 72-73.
So I guess I was wrong, just assumed from the 20 or so I've had apart in my life of all years, I never seen a forged crank 400.
Click to expand...
Never say never
 
Brooks James said:
Never say never
Click to expand...
Well, as I said in my post "I never seen one"
As a matter of fact I've seen E noted on the number pad of a 73 satellite Sebring plus 400 magnum 4 speed ( numbers matching) People on moparts say all 400 4 speeds had a forged crank. E is the code for cast crank.
 
Just curious brooks do you know how to tell the difference between the cast & forged crank when you see it ? Does it have a balancer on it ?
 
MOPARMAGA said:
I did some digging around and found the only possible time a forged crank was installed at the factory was between 72-73.
So I guess I was wrong, just assumed from the 20 or so I've had apart in my life of all years, I never seen a forged crank 400.
Click to expand...
Yes sir. All the manual transmission trucks had them, AFAIK. I've seen others on here post similar findings.
 
fishmens67 said:
The 400 never had a forged crank.
440 trucks and cop cars got the forged units.
But then again, who knows with Ma Mopar.
Click to expand...
Yup, manual transmission trucks got them all the way to the end of the big block run.
 
I'm sure the next 400 I find will be a forged crank & I'll lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top