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Wow... some pretty outdated info in here.

400HP is too easy for a 440. By my 1/4 mile times i was pushing over that in my last 440. Unrebuilt, 140K mile 76 New Yorker engine with the usual junk: 7.6:1 CR, 452 heads. I will admit to this one having a very mild non-stock cam though... something like a 6-pack cam. You could only really 'hear' it when it was cold.

I pulled that from the car, installed it in my wreck with some Hooker Comp headers (also a 3" mandrel bent X-pipe Spintech exhaust), a mildly plenum-ported Holley Street Dominator intake, Holley 750 vac secondary, 1" 4-hole spacer, slightly modded stub stack (no air cleaner), , recurved stock electric ign dist, small clutch fan, really... i think that was about it. The car had no PS, no AC and no other power options save PDB. That engine was a piece ov junk (burned a bit ov oil, wasn't terribly smooth) and it made well in excess ov 400HP, by gross standards anyways (think my speed calc was in net?)

Easy peasy, no build necessary.

- DONT buy a junk intake. Stick with the classics (RPM, Holley SD). Block the heat crossover when you swap it. There is a LOT ov power in the right intake.

- Dont try and make a thermoquad work... 99% ov guys cant. If you're that 1%, go nuts, but most guys that think they're in that 1% are not. Holleys rule the strip for a reason... cheap, easy, and they work.

- Long tube headers are not optional.

- Build a real exhaust (read: what was fun or cool in the 70's and 80's is costing you power now)

- Put a good cam in there, preferably from a company that knows the difference between Mopar and Chevy (most dont). Hughes makes a cam that is both modern (FAR more efficient at making power) and actually builds cylinder pressure to help out these asthmatic low comp engines, its called Whiplash.

- head porting is actually pretty simple and easy to do, even made easier by kits you can buy. No need to go nuts, just a few hours work could net you a LOT ov power. Shave .030" off while they're out for a bit more squeeze (just dont lose sleep over making up that horrid mid-7's CR... you cant).

- windage trays are what? $50-60? (milodon, not that MP junk). Crank scrapers are free if you're crafty.

- stick with tried and true combos... many out there.

If you're going to build it. BUY PISTONS. And i dont mean that 60/70's junk (TRW/Speed Pro, stock crap). Buy modern pistons with ZERO DECK, and scrounge up a pair ov closed chamber heads... even 516's (put bigger exhaust valves in) would be preferable to the best open chamber head. This is the most important thing you can do by far. Zero deck/closed chamber heads allow real quench. 70's technology that should not be even optional... yet still people (stuck in the 50/60's) dont seem to bother.

Better yet, buy aluminum.

The only other non-negotiable thing is have it balanced. Mopars were awful from the factory. Its cheap to fix.




Great info

Thank you!!

I guess I should test for compression. I will start there.

Any one know which headers will fit in a 70 Challenger BB with firm feel fast ratio steereing?