ATK 5.9 Magnum crate motor horse power

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A few random thoughts...
Magnum heads crack, never seen or heard of one that went into a cooling jacket.
The aftermarket heads are to address other things - fitment and upgrade costs mostly. Johnny's right in saying it's a waste to use a brand new iron head combo.
Personally I've never run a roller cam in my own engines, and seldom in customers', and there's no reason aside from a racing application where I'd consider it. Especially a hydraulic roller. That's on par with the waste of money on a new iron head IMO. That being said - when you can't control the cam break in and have to warranty the engine, it makes sense only for the builder - not the guy paying the bill.
 
A few random thoughts...
Magnum heads crack, never seen or heard of one that went into a cooling jacket.
The aftermarket heads are to address other things - fitment and upgrade costs mostly. Johnny's right in saying it's a waste to use a brand new iron head combo.
Personally I've never run a roller cam in my own engines, and seldom in customers', and there's no reason aside from a racing application where I'd consider it. Especially a hydraulic roller. That's on par with the waste of money on a new iron head IMO. That being said - when you can't control the cam break in and have to warranty the engine, it makes sense only for the builder - not the guy paying the bill.
I think that's the first time I have ever heard someone call a roller cam a waste of money. Having built both roller, and non, engines myself both inside and outside of BluePrint, I'm in the complete opposite camp where if I never built another flat tappet engine I would be fine with it. Zinc oils aside, I do admit a flat tappet can out HP a hydraulic, but the snappiness, profiles, and steep ramp with a roller sets me firmly in that camp. Unique perspective tho. Just shows there are always differing ways to look at something.
 
Be nice if Blueprint offered in addition a few steps down from the 408(318,340 360engines) It is getting harder to find quality machine shops lots of people want
more stock type rebuilds.
 
Blueprint does offer a flat tappet iron head motor already as the entry level. I think they would say the cost difference between a stock 360 stroke (3.58") and the 408 stroker crank (4") is quite small now days, so why not take the cubes? It doesn't cost that much and most people would happily pay the small difference for 13% more displacement.
 
Blueprint does offer a flat tappet iron head motor already as the entry level. I think they would say the cost difference between a stock 360 stroke (3.58") and the 408 stroker crank (4") is quite small now days, so why not take the cubes? It doesn't cost that much and most people would happily pay the small difference for 13% more displacement.
Thats pretty spot on. we aren't a reman company, we're a performance engine manufacturer. So we don't reman cranks, other than on a few low end fords and 350's. There's always a way to do something cheaper. Way of the world is we have to sell more of the current offerings to show the viability of exploring others. And engine combo's that are more labor intensive, with less profit margin, doesn't help me move that needle.
 
If you're interested in building one, here's a Hot Rod magazine article.

How to Add 129hp to a 5.9l Mopar Magnum - Engine Buldup - Hot Rod Network

I just picked up a low mileage 5.9 and am getting ready to build it. For now just intake, carb, headers, torque converter and timing set. Should get it to around 320 hp. Headers are the biggest expense since it's going into a 66 Barracuda. Hopefully I'll do it for around $2k.

@Keith Mopar update for you and others.

The engine is done and in. Runs like a raped ape compared to the tired 273 Commando!

But...as all builds go I more than doubled my budget.:BangHead: I stripped the engine and took it to a machine shop for a hone, new rings and bearings, polished crank and hot tank the block, and had him install crank and pistons.

I got a black Friday deal on Edelbrock 2.02 heads and Doug's headers (not a lot, but every little bit helps). Sent the OE cam to Oregon Cam Grinding for a regrind, .216/.224, .517 on a 110. Air Gap intake and bought a Edelbrock 750 off a member here. Went with a Carter electric fuel pump. Got a 9.5" converter from PTC.

I kept the v-belt setup and painted it factory 66 engine red.

So far I've put 750 miles on it. I'm loving it, but I kinda miss the old 273. But not really cause this thing pulls and pulls. I'm running 3:55 gears but I have an open diff so I'm saving coin for a Sur-Grip. And...I'm going to need wider than 215 tires!!

It was my first build. If I had it to do over, I would have done the rings and bearings myself also.

IMG_20200623_160005.jpg
 
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Thought it was a dry crack on the magnum heads when they crack. Thought the fix was to put harden seats in the head.
They crack BETWEEN the seats, I think I have a pic of a magnum head I cut in half, let me see if I can find it
 
This is a OEM magnum 5.9 head I sawed in half. It was cracked from the exhaust seat into the water jacket you can clearly see between the seats. Seat inserts wont fix the issue, it can be repaired by pinning, but its definitely NOT cost effective
20200820_191950.jpg
 
@Keith Mopar update for you and others.

The engine is done and in. Runs like a raped ape compared to the tired 273 Commando!

But...as all builds go I more than doubled my budget.:BangHead: I stripped the engine and took it to a machine shop for a hone, new rings and bearings, polished crank and hot tank the block, and had him install crank and pistons.

I got a black Friday deal on Edelbrock 2.02 heads and Doug's headers (not a lot, but every little bit helps). Sent the OE cam to Oregon Cam Grinding for a regrind, .216/.224, .517 on a 110. Air Gap intake and bought a Edelbrock 750 off a member here. Went with a Carter electric fuel pump. Got a 9.5" converter from PTC.

I kept the v-belt setup and painted it factory 66 engine red.

So far I've put 750 miles on it. I'm loving it, but I kinda miss the old 273. But not really cause this thing pulls and pulls. I'm running 3:55 gears but I have an open diff so I'm saving coin for a Sur-Grip. And...I'm going to need wider than 215 tires!!

It was my first build. If I had it to do over, I would have done the rings and bearings myself also.

View attachment 1715581396
looking good!!!
 
@Keith Mopar update for you and others.

The engine is done and in. Runs like a raped ape compared to the tired 273 Commando!

But...as all builds go I more than doubled my budget.:BangHead: I stripped the engine and took it to a machine shop for a hone, new rings and bearings, polished crank and hot tank the block, and had him install crank and pistons.

I got a black Friday deal on Edelbrock 2.02 heads and Doug's headers (not a lot, but every little bit helps). Sent the OE cam to Oregon Cam Grinding for a regrind, .216/.224, .517 on a 110. Air Gap intake and bought a Edelbrock 750 off a member here. Went with a Carter electric fuel pump. Got a 9.5" converter from PTC.

I kept the v-belt setup and painted it factory 66 engine red.

So far I've put 750 miles on it. I'm loving it, but I kinda miss the old 273. But not really cause this thing pulls and pulls. I'm running 3:55 gears but I have an open diff so I'm saving coin for a Sur-Grip. And...I'm going to need wider than 215 tires!!

It was my first build. If I had it to do over, I would have done the rings and bearings myself also.

View attachment 1715581396
What's your total build $ on something like that, including base engine, the labor farmed out, the parts purchased. You may mention it in the linked thread, sorry if so. Would just like to know for comparison sake.
 
What's your total build $ on something like that, including base engine, the labor farmed out, the parts purchased. You may mention it in the linked thread, sorry if so. Would just like to know for comparison sake.

Sure @Johnny Mac I seriously considered going with a Blueprint engine but I wanted to do one myself.

spent between $5500 - $6000 includes pushrods and roller rockers, timing chain and gear set, oil pump, harmonic balancer, etc, etc.

I paid $400 for the engine (ppwk showed 60,000 miles)
$900 for the machine shop ( the best shop around) (included rings, bearings and freeze plugs)
Doug's were not cheap ($800 ish)
That stinking air gap with Magnum bolt pattern was $400. The converter $525. Cam regrind with shipping both ways $230.

Remember, this was my first (almost) total build and I didn't have any gaskets or such laying around. I also bought some tools such as a cam degreeing wheel.

I took my time and got some great advice from FABO members. Thankfully it fired right up and runs well.
 
Sure @Johnny Mac I seriously considered going with a Blueprint engine but I wanted to do one myself.

spent between $5500 - $6000 includes pushrods and roller rockers, timing chain and gear set, oil pump, harmonic balancer, etc, etc.

I paid $400 for the engine (ppwk showed 60,000 miles)
$900 for the machine shop ( the best shop around) (included rings, bearings and freeze plugs)
Doug's were not cheap ($800 ish)
That stinking air gap with Magnum bolt pattern was $400. The converter $525. Cam regrind with shipping both ways $230.

Remember, this was my first (almost) total build and I didn't have any gaskets or such laying around. I also bought some tools such as a cam degreeing wheel.

I took my time and got some great advice from FABO members. Thankfully it fired right up and runs well.
Thank you! Was curious how it stacked up vs one with a warranty, and dyno tested. That is NOT a dig at all, so please dont think it is, I'm just usually preaching how you probably cant do one yourself for the same money unless reusing some used components etc, and that seems pretty accurate. I'm in the boat now where I wont build another street engine myself vs what we sell crates for. Just not worth my time at this stage in my life as a working family man. Maybe in retirement :p
 
Thank you! Was curious how it stacked up vs one with a warranty, and dyno tested. That is NOT a dig at all, so please dont think it is, I'm just usually preaching how you probably cant do one yourself for the same money unless reusing some used components etc, and that seems pretty accurate. I'm in the boat now where I wont build another street engine myself vs what we sell crates for. Just not worth my time at this stage in my life as a working family man. Maybe in retirement :p

Agreed from a time perspective buying a blueprint engine is a no brainer. And one would have to shop pretty carefully and get some deals to beat it price wise. That said, there are still a few of us that actually enjoy building our cars, including the engine. There is no right or wrong answer about crate v/s build your own. Different strokes for different folks.
 
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