Any advice on my 440 recipe?

[standup303]

Hey All,

About at the point of ordering up a bunch of parts. This is my first engine build. Pretty mild. Can you please chime in with any advice some of you experienced builders see on this? It’s going in a Dart.

78 Motorhome 440
-Previously bored .030 over (not sure on piston specs)
-New rings, main, rod bearings
-Hughes Whiplash cam .518 lift 232/245 duration
-Stock 452 heads with Hughes springs
-Performer RPM Intake
-2,500 stall torque converter (not 100% sure on brand/model, still researching, recommendations would be great, not looking to spend over $600. Hughes recommends stock TC but I have seen posts recommending a bit higher?)
-High pressure oil pump
-High volume fuel pump
-Street Demon 750cfm carb
-3.73 rear end
-275/60/15 rear tires
-Schumacher headers
-Pypes Street Pro 2.5” exhaust with H pipe

Please let me know if I am missing any information.

Mainly looking for good, very peppy street manners, will be cruising about 50-60 mph often. Might see the strip once or twice a year.

 

[413]

Your piston specs are critical. Check them out.

Get a standard oil pump

 

[fishmens67]

Your piston specs are critical. Check them out.

Get a standard oil pump

I use a standard pump with a high pressure spring.
The oil pressure doesn't go below 50 psi at hot idle.

 

[MOPARMAGA]

If your pistons are worn and the clearance is big send them off to "line 2 line" coatings. $300.00 and they make em fit perfectly again.
The rest sounds just fine.

 

[standup303]

All I can see on the pistons is “424P” which pulled up these Sealed Power pistons.

 

[fishmens67]

All I can see on the pistons is “424P” which pulled up these Sealed Power pistons.

View attachment 1716042902

Are you committed to using this low compression piston? Is the bore in good shape @ 0.030 over?

 

[GTX JOHN]

If the piston skirts are very worn = It is likely that the
ring lands on the piston are also work which will destroy the
ring seal! New cast pistons are not expensive.
Also if the pistons are are more than 50 down in the hole (I have
seen them 100 plus in late engines) it will really hurt performance!

 

[standup303]

Are you committed to using this low compression piston? Is the bore in good shape @ 0.030 over?

I do want to re use these since this is more of a budget build. How do you know they are low compression?

 

[thesiren74]

I do want to re use these since this is more of a budget build. How do you know they are low compression?

Piston compression height to deck height. Crank throw ÷2 + connecting rod length + piston compression height subtract from block deck height gets you in the ball park.

 

[jas0162]

With those pistons and your 452 heads you are going to have 8:1 compression or maybe less. Get some pistons with 2.062 compression height and you will be much happier with it

 

[67Dart273]

CC'in heads and pistons is not all that difficult, especially in this day and age of help and videos on the internet, and easy availability of materials IE off egag, etc. It's just not that hard. You are not blueprinting it, you only need to do one to establish CR

 

[496 polara]

3.73 gears may not be your friend for prolonged highway driving.

 

[thesiren74]

3.73 gears may not be your friend for prolonged highway driving.

It ain't that bad. I did it with 225/70-14 tires in 2019 about 3,000- 4,000 rpms

 

[Dcuda69]

It ain't that bad. I did it with 225/70-14 tires in 2019 about 3,000- 4,000 rpms

I agree. I have 3:73s in my B'cuda...at 60mph It's a tick under 3000 rpm. Would I want to do that for 8 hrs? Likely not. But running around country roads etc it's perfectly comfortable

 

[Brooks James]

I read that if you run a whiplash cam and your compressor ratio is more than 9:1 you will need premium fuel (whiplash cams are designed for low compression engine)

 

[fishmens67]

I read that if you run a whiplash cam and your compressor ratio is more than 9:1 you will need premium fuel (whiplash cams are designed for low compression engine)

with those pistons it will be lucky to make 8.1

 

[fishmens67]

With those pistons and your 452 heads you are going to have 8:1 compression or maybe less. Get some pistons with 2.062 compression height and you will be much happier with it

likely less with a .038 compressed head gasket.

 

[standup303]

these KB at 2.067 for $535 wouldn’t break the bank. I’ll have to mess with this calcs and see if these would be a good fit.

 

[fishmens67]

The Speed Pro L2355F with 2.061 CH would be a better choice.
$ 373.00 at Summit.

 

[standup303]

The Speed Pro L2355F with 2.061 CH would be a better choice.
$ 373.00 at Summit.

Awesome thanks for looking into those. I just sent Hughes and email to see if they have any recommendations with their cam as well.

 

[Bewy]

Cam is about the worst cam you could put in a mild, low compression engine. Especially a 440 with it's large rod/stroke ratio.
Something like 226/226 @ 050, 106-108 LSA would be much better.

 

[GTX JOHN]

The Speed Pro L2355F with 2.061 CH would be a better choice.
$ 373.00 at Summit.

Those would be an excellent choice and well worth the investment!

 

[Gr8polarbear]

3.73 gears may not be your friend for prolonged highway driving.

Mine with 225/70/14 and 3.91 gears cruises 55 mph, at about 2800rpms. No problems on back roads but dont really take it on the highway.

 

[standup303]

I must be screwing something up on calculating compression. If the pistons I have are 1.192” CH and potential new ones are 2.061” that’s a difference of .868”. The 1.192” are .19685” below deck height now, so the new pistons would then be sticking past the deck by .66115”? I have to be looking at that wrong.

 

[thesiren74]

1.912, so new would be .015" in the hole.