What Can Be Dome With a Chrysler 400?

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supercharged

supercharged

Supercharged Scottsman
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I am about to take ownership of a 1974 Dart Swinger that is running a Chrysler 400 “B” engine, a Edelbrock Streetmaster 383 intake, Holly 4 bbl carb, race cam (unknown duration), a 727 Torqueflite transmission, headers and dual exhaust all feeding into a 2001 Dodge Durango posi-trac rear end (4.11). I have not yet driven the car so I am going on what the current owner says versus what my friends have told me!

The current owner claims the car runs like a bat out of hell and idles well.

I have been told that the Streetmaster is a less desirable vintage intake and the 4.11 rear end on this intake-engine combo will be a low end performance dog and gas hog.

First I would like some experienced advice/opinions if all this I have heard is true and if so what should be my first steps in putting some pep in this car’s step?

ENGINE LEFT.JPG


ENGINE RIGHT.JPG
 
There are lot better intakes like the Edelbrock RPM Performer and M1 and what size carb is on it. A lot of people are stroking the 400 to 452 (440 crank), myself included, and turning it into a barn burner with the right cam and valve gear of course. Your's however, if it's stock, is a low compression engine but still should go good especially with the 411's.

Terry
 
With 4.11 gears it will have plenty of low end if the engine is in any kind of tune. There are better intakes for sure and if the cam is large you might benefit from changing it. We are probably going to need a little more info to realy make any reccomendations. Like intended use of the car, is gas millage important at all, what holyy carb, what compression ratio,and it wouldl realy help to find out exactly what cam is in the car also what the torque converter is. The 400 is a good performer short stroke means it will like to rev and big bore helps breathing it will be very similar to a 383 just a bigger bore, also can be stroked for some serious displacment.
 
Welcome to the board.

See this article here, should be all the convincing you need to build a low deck stroker.
 
Streetmaster is a good intake. 400 motors were pretty low compression, but basically a bored 383. If the stock pistons are in there, you can bump the compression by putting on some #915 heads off a '67 only 440" motor. They had big valves and small, closed combustion chambers. Then make sure you have a good street cam with around 230 degrees @050. I' ve seen some crazy mis-matched cams that guys just label "race cam" or the famous "3/4 cam" .I'd add a MP electronic distributor too. Very few ( if any) Durangos had 4.11 gears. I've sold tons of them and never seen one yet. That rear has an inspection cover, or you can just jack it spin the wheeels to figure the ratio. The lowest stock ratio was a 3.92 that came in a R/T. The rest had 3.55's. I'd choose 3.92 for kickin' butt or 3.55's for a more cruise friendly ratio. Make sure the carb (a 750 vacuum would be best)is tuned good and you should have great package. Looks like a clean install!
 
That engine oughta make that little car scat. I remember the first mopar I had as a kid, had the 400. 72-3? Fury III land barge, would fly! even with that long plume of blue smoke, that seemed to follow me wherever I`d go:-D
 
Here's the charity project car our club (Inland Mopars) built last year. We ran a 400 in it and it was a great car. RMS AlterKtion front and Street Lynx rear suspension -it cornered like a slot car.



2008Valiant400.jpg
 
A stroked 400 is a strong combo, but a stock stroke can run fine as well. The problem with the 400 is compression. A set of KB240 pistons with closed chambered heads will take care of that, or if you are building a no-budget car, then run a set of smog type (.040") over 440 pistons. They will raise the CH roughly .100" over stock in a 400.
 
I'll vouch for the 400. My dad's running one with home-ported iron heads and an Edelbrock RPM...I think he's running the Mopar .509 cam. He put it together around 25 years ago and he's had it apart twice to change bearings, which it didn't really need either time. He did this back before you could get high-compression pistons for it, so the deck and heads have been shaved quite a bit to get the compression up. He consistently spins it to 6500, though it's seen 7000 more than once. It pushes his Challenger to low 12s, though I think that 11s are in the cards this year.

I love 400s 8)
 
Either step up to a 440 or stroke the 400,they're dogs in stock form thats why big block guys stroke them...
 
Back when I was a kid I owned a couple 400's and they ran real good. One was a 74 dodge Monaco ex-cop car (just like the one on the Blues Brothers) and it was a heavy pig to get rolling but at about 35-40 it came on hard and was downright scary at 140 mph. My Grandpa owned a 74 Chrysler NewYorker with a 440 about the same time and it didn't run nearly as good as my Monaco and the weight was close to the same. I say drive the car first and see how you like it. The Edelbrock Streetmaster intake was a good intake for it's vintage but as mentioned there are better now.
 
fishy68 said:
Back when I was a kid I owned a couple 400's and they ran real good. One was a 74 dodge Monaco ex-cop car (just like the one on the Blues Brothers) and it was a heavy pig to get rolling but at about 35-40 it came on hard and was downright scary at 140 mph. My Grandpa owned a 74 Chrysler NewYorker with a 440 about the same time and it didn't run nearly as good as my Monaco and the weight was close to the same. I say drive the car first and see how you like it. The Edelbrock Streetmaster intake was a good intake for it's vintage but as mentioned there are better now.
Click to expand...

Fishy...
I agree. I took ownership this weekend and it runs like a striped ape!
First I will just enjoy it for awhile and see where that takes me....too much power can be dangerou$. lol

She need some cosmetic attention first, and after that is finished I look into the engine bay.\\:D/

Thanks for everyones advice and encouragement.:cheers:
 
I was just going to say, get it, drive it, then ask about what you dont like.
 
supercharged said:
Fishy...
I agree. I took ownership this weekend and it runs like a striped ape!
First I will just enjoy it for awhile and see where that takes me....too much power can be dangerou$. lol

She need some cosmetic attention first, and after that is finished I look into the engine bay.\\:D/

Thanks for everyones advice and encouragement.:cheers:
Click to expand...

Good deal Supercharged. I figured it should run pretty good even if it was stock.
 
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