Real dumb newbie 440 questions

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shadango

shadango

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Ok...so its a dumb newbie question....LOL

Have been looking at getting my first A body and I keep going back to a couple cars that have had 440s shoehorned into them.....

They BOTH have no heater blowers installed.

Is this a limitation of having the 440?

Are there drawbacks to having headers that go thru the fender wells versus not?

What should I look for when looking at 440 A bodies? Any issues to watch out for?

Lastly, how much extra $$$ should a 440 in an a-body bring?


Thanks for your patience folks...I'm learning. LOL
 
depends on valve covers you can have a blower motor and also how low the engine is sitting in the car.

headers can limit turning radius ie tires rub
 
shadango said:
Ok...so its a dumb newbie question....LOL

Have been looking at getting my first A body and I keep going back to a couple cars that have had 440s shoehorned into them.....

They BOTH have no heater blowers installed.

Is this a limitation of having the 440?

Are there drawbacks to having headers that go thru the fender wells versus not?

What should I look for when looking at 440 A bodies? Any issues to watch out for?

Lastly, how much extra $$$ should a 440 in an a-body bring?


Thanks for your patience folks...I'm learning. LOL
Click to expand...

I have a small block but this is what I know or think.

Yes you can have a heater with a 440, I have classic Auto air on my car, heater box completely inside the car, no blower sticking thru the firewall. A stock blower I believe will work, but not 100%

Fenderwell headers will limit turning radius and wheel size, TTI under chassis is best

How did they mount the engine? engine plate across the front of the engine to frame rails, modified K member, BB K Member, aftermarket mounts for whatever K member to BB, New K member.

It is hard to use 440 with power steering. Herb Beers has power on his 67 dart with RB but had to modify the gear box to move left.

How nice and complete a job will determine the value/cost. There was a 70 in Detroit area for $8500 and kept dropping. It looked OK in the pictures.

When I was getting ready to build my Dart I had everything to install the 440 I had. BB K member, TTI headers but went with SB to install ps making better for the wife.

Look for the best car you can afford. With the economy as it is you should be able to get a good car at a reasonable price.
 
There's no such thing as a dumb question. toolmanmike
 
WildCat said:
When I was getting ready to build my Dart I had everything to install the 440 I had. BB K member, TTI headers but went with SB to install ps making better for the wife.
Click to expand...


What! Are you crazy?

You had everything for a BB install (even the TTI headers) in your Dart and you went SB for the wife?

We know who wear the pants around your place. :angry7: :-D
 
mullinax95 said:
What! Are you crazy?

You had everything for a BB install (even the TTI headers) in your Dart and you went SB for the wife?

We know who wear the pants around your place. :angry7: :-D
Click to expand...
Thanks God my wife is afraid of my cars.
 
They BOTH have no heater blowers installed.

Is this a limitation of having the 440? you can have stock blower motors and still fit a 440 in the car. depends on the valve covers really.

Are there drawbacks to having headers that go thru the fender wells versus not? only limitation would be tire size up front and turning radius

What should I look for when looking at 440 A bodies? Any issues to watch out for? its a bolt in deal. biggest decision is headders.

Lastly, how much extra $$$ should a 440 in an a-body bring? are you starting with a slant 6 car? if so the price difference will be very slight compared to a small block.
 
What valve covers fit best to worst?

TTI's do not limit tire size or turning radius right? Because they have 4 tubes under the chssis? Correct?
 
rumblefish360 said:
What valve covers fit best to worst?

TTI's do not limit tire size or turning radius right? Because they have 4 tubes under the chssis? Correct?
Click to expand...


i used a cheap chrome moroso valve cover and they cleared everything fine in the 64 a-body and the 67-up abodies i did.

your correct witht he tti headdrs i was talking about the limitations of the headders that go through the fenderwells.
 
I have heard about a heater blower motor that's shorter than the factory one that works, but real race cars don't have heaters.
 
Power steering fits fine with a big block, although it is tighter around the block/mounts. I am putting power steering back into my Barracuda with the 440 so that my wife can drive it (when we bought our GTS convertible back in '83 it was her daily driver).

Stock valve covers clear everything fine, BUT it is a pain to pull the right side cover. You can even run factory air with a big block, but that can get even more interesting with clearances.

Some of these are things you put up with to have the car you want.
 
Working on 440 to go in my 71 Scamp. It was a slant 6 car with disk brakes, A/C, and power steering. I would like to keep the P/S and A/C. The good folks at Bouchelon performance (bouchelonperformance.com) said clearances are tight but can be done pretty easily.... They also make all the brackets and pulleys I need and would love to sell them to me (about $600.00 with new P/S pump). Has anyone attempted this in a 440 Abody? Any pictures? Any help appreciated
 
If you are not building a race car I would use Schumacher headers.
Easier starter install,plug install,wiring routing.

Runs 11.70's off the juice.
IMGP1289.jpg
 
shadango said:
Are there drawbacks to having headers that go thru the fender wells versus not?
Click to expand...

While some cars have inner fenderwells that are just splash guards, on an A-body, the inner fenderwells are structural, an extension of the front subframe. It doesn't mean you can't cut them, you just have to be careful. I've seen a couple Darts that had fenderwell headers with too much metal removed and some pretty visible signs that the front end was sagging from a bad installation job. Things like what had to be minus ten degrees of camber and the like. Be careful with how much metal you trim out, and keep the corners round instead of square for best results.
 
MadScientistMat said:
While some cars have inner fenderwells that are just splash guards, on an A-body, the inner fenderwells are structural, an extension of the front subframe. It doesn't mean you can't cut them, you just have to be careful. I've seen a couple Darts that had fenderwell headers with too much metal removed and some pretty visible signs that the front end was sagging from a bad installation job. Things like what had to be minus ten degrees of camber and the like. Be careful with how much metal you trim out, and keep the corners round instead of square for best results.
Click to expand...

I agree don't cut more than you need, take your time and cut as small as possible. Use a torque strap if you make the clearance real small, and using a torque strap is a good idea regardless on a high hp car.
 
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