Need big block help

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LJ67barracuda340

LJ67barracuda340

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I'm new to BBC (been SBC for life to far) and I'm trying to sort out a friends FiTech system. Also trying to figure out his engine. He thought the shop built him a stroked 440. They called it a 501. I found 246 8330-M on the block casting number. My research keeps coming up the block was born as a 426 Hemi.

Now my question is, it has AFR EZ 440 heads on it. Can a 440 head be bolted to a Hemi block? Is this common? The M doesn't show in the charts, what might that mean?

I also found G111 482XAB on the pad at the water neck. I'm still searching for the numbers by the starter. I think the cast date is dec 71.?

Is this combination possible,,, Thanks Larry I'll take pics if that'll help but we're not going in too deep for now.
 
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sure it isn't a 426 wedge block? chrysler made a 361,413 and 426. all non hemi. or is it a mega block?? pictures would help.
 
abodyjoe said:
sure it isn't a 426 wedge block? chrysler made a 361,413 and 426. all non hemi. or is it a mega block?? pictures would help.
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No I'm not sure, every web site I looked at said 426 Hemi. The engine is built and running for a few years now in the car (63 Sport Fury Convert) What pics would help?
 
It’s not a hemi block.
Heads won’t bolt on and they don’t have wedge style motor mount ears.

440-EZ heads are from Indy.

However, None of what you’re asking about will have anything to do with tuning the EFI.
 
PRH said:
It’s not a hemi block.
Heads won’t bolt on and they don’t have wedge style motor mount ears.

440-EZ heads are from Indy.

However, None of what you’re asking about will have anything to do with tuning the EFI.
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I am aware that the EFI is totally separate. We were just doing detective work on the engine. I'll post the dimensions and dyno numbers from the builder soon, I didn't think they were looking like a 440. I thought maybe they stroked a 400 for him but then I found the casting numbers. I'm just not up on my big block stuff, but learning. thanks
 
The "M" does indeed mean that it's an aftermarket Mopar block.
Why do you think it was cast in '71???
 
Lefty71 said:
The "M" does indeed mean that it's an aftermarket Mopar block.
Why do you think it was cast in '71???
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I thought it was 71 because I found 12-6-1 cast on the block. After reading the Mega Block write up I'm sure that's what the block is and it is a 2001 cast. Going to look later and I hope I don't find MOPAR over the numbers.
 
440 and 400 blocks are different deck heights.
If not using Stage 6 heads(which apparently you’re not), then which intake manifold is on the engine will tell the tale as to whether or not the block is a “RB”(tall deck), or “B” (low deck).
 
If I remember right.....
Mega blocks could be had drilled for hemi or wedge heads, on the same casting number.
The PART# will tell which is which. (You obviously have the wedge version.
 
PRH said:
440 and 400 blocks are different deck heights.
If not using Stage 6 heads(which apparently you’re not), then which intake manifold is on the engine will tell the tale as to whether or not the block is a “RB”(tall deck), or “B” (low deck).
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So just to finish the info on this mega block engine. It isn't a siamese block which is good for us. I dont know if the pics of the dual plane manifold are good enough but it is a Indy piece. (I just looked back at my original post mistake where I said it had AFR heads instead of Indy, My Bad).The car has a 3500 converter which is something I would change by looking at the dyno sheet and I like it as a convertible cruiser not a race car.
Thanks for every bodies input.

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Looks like a 440 with EZ heads and an Indy dual plane intake. It should pull past 5000 RPM even with that cam. That cam is 230/236 so it is small for 500 inches, but it should still pull to 6000 or so. Maybe the EFI system isn't working right, or maybe the ignition wasn't up to snuff.
FI tech stuff can be really flaky. I've stopped using it and switched all customers over to Holley Sniper or Terminator X.
 
Larry, my 500 dyno'd at 550 HP and 610 TQ with iron heads, and one step larger comp cam. The same shop built another engine after mine using the same comp cam as your friends, but with Edelbrock heads and it made similar horsepower but torque increased to 650. It could just be the different dyno, but those numbers appear pretty low. And yes it would pull to 6000 RPM, but power peaked around 5500.
 
I’d be looking at valvetrain stability issues, and/or some EFI unhappiness.

Cam is quite small for that ci…….. but should still be more than enough to make a solid 1hp/ci.

We did a 505 a couple years ago, ez295 heads, same intake, brawler 1050 carb, 245/251-110 HR cam, made 640/640, peaked at about 5900.

The bsfc numbers on the dyno sheet are way off…….which could just be how they were reading the fuel flow with the EFI.

I don’t know what the elevation is at the dyno facility, but the sheet is showing a 7% correction(which isn’t really unusual for July)…….. so the uncorrected power was barely over 440hp.

Basically, it’s a situation where the engine is way down on peak tq……. And is never able to recover from that…….. and as a result, the hp is also low.

It could just be the different dyno, but those numbers appear pretty low.
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I agree.
 
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LJ67barracuda340 said:
The car has a 3500 converter which is something I would change by looking at the dyno sheet and I like it as a convertible cruiser not a race car.
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depending on the quality of the converter it could be fine and cruise like a stock converter.

all that stuff just for a convertible "cruiser? **** i'd be selling that motor and building a stockish 440 and probably still have money left over and less headaches in just a cruiser.
 
PRH said:
I’d be looking at valvetrain stability issues, and/or some EFI unhappiness.

Cam is quite small for that ci…….. but should still be more than enough to make a solid 1hp/ci.

We did a 505 a couple years ago, ez295 heads, same intake, brawler 1050 carb, 245/251-110 HR cam, made 640/640, peaked at about 5900.

The bsfc numbers on the dyno sheet are way off…….which could just be how they were reading the fuel flow with the EFI.

I don’t know what the elevation is at the dyno facility, but the sheet is showing a 7% correction(which isn’t really unusual for July)…….. so the uncorrected power was barely over 440hp.

Basically, it’s a situation where the engine is way down on peak tq……. And is never able to recover from that…….. and as a result, the hp is also low.



I agree.
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Looking at the invoices the one thing I don't see is valve springs. I know my on my combo, I had to change to heavier springs due to the increased mass of the hydraulic roller lifters.
 
There is mention of a “spring kit” in the labor ops for the heads, but I see no mention of what that spring kit might be.

It’s probably worth pulling a couple of springs and checking the installed height/pressures if that info isn’t in the paperwork.

It’s not only the added weight of the lifters you have to deal with. That family of cam lobes are fairly aggressive, so the spring also has to overcome the increased valve opening/closing velocities.

Looking at the Comp catalog, the recommended spring for that cam is a 925-16.
Imo, that spring is not a very good match for that cam with those heads.
For example, It’s way less spring than what would come on a set of Ede RPM’s that are fitted with their HR spring.
 
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Right under the plug wires in this area of the head, next to the manifold…….. it’ll say either “440EZ”, or “440EZ-1”.

Be interesting to know which you have there.

image0.png
 
PRH said:
Right under the plug wires in this area of the head, next to the manifold…….. it’ll say either “440EZ”, or “440EZ-1”.

Be interesting to know which you have there.

View attachment 1716232048
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i'll look tomorrow but right now I think its Indy EZ. The dyno sheet was run with a carb not the EFI and the timing is locked out and set to 30*. When I'm done reconfiguring it'll be controlled by the EFI. I have FiTech on my own 340 and it runs well so I was elected (volunteered) to try and sort this one out. I thought the numbers were low for the cubic inch. I just dont like the RPM to go up when you drive away and not even be able to feel the shift under normal driving. That's why I mentioned the converter. The cam sounds a bit bigger than it's specs. Ill update. thanks again.
 
Well 30 degrees of timing would kill a bunch of power but even with the retarded timing it still seems like something else is wrong with that engine. Be interesting to see what you find out.
 
If the engine was tested with a carb, then the fuel flow(and bsfc) numbers make no sense at all.
There are parts of the fuel curve where the sheet is showing nearly 800hp worth of fuel being used.

That’s not saying the TQ/hp numbers still can’t be correct, but fuel flow is an important piece of data to be able to look at when the TQ/hp numbers seem out of line for the build…….which is def the situation in this case.
And on that sheet, that data is absolutely not correct.

I’m not trying to be critical, but I’ve been involved with dyno testing since 1990, and when there’s bogus info on the sheets like that, it jumps off the page at me.
 
Here’s a build for a similar street cruiser type application-

-505ci, 9.8cr
-RPM heads with bowls blended and seat work
-original Torker with Holley 850VS
-1 7/8 x 3 headers
-232/237-112, .483/.483 HFT cam

Everything is too small to make big power.
My prediction was 600tq/500hp, knowing it would peak early.

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What is
AndyF said:
Well 30 degrees of timing would kill a bunch of power but even with the retarded timing it still seems like something else is wrong with that engine. Be interesting to see what you find out.
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a general total timing Big blocks like. 34* like a Small block? Every engine is different, I know.
 
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