After many hours of reading about the capabilities of the 440 and junkyard builds and so on, I've decided to sell my BBC and give the 440 I have a try. Its going in a 2800 lb 1954 Studebaker Champion. I have a 1978 440 from a RV with under 60,000 on the clock.
I recently sold a 413 and kept the front sump pan, pickup, windage tray I'm assuming these all fit the 440.
I do have a few questions. I have never run a bb Mopar, the car weighs 2800 lbs. Its going to be a fun cruiser, will never see the strip. I'd like it to blaze the tires at will, put me back in the seat when I hit the gas. I want it to be respectful and fun. The motor has been extremely well taken care of, very clean inside. I will be running the 727tf the funky brake drum/emergency brake thing does fit in /under the car. So is there a benefit to removing it? Is it worth swapping tail shafts, is it that simple as switching t/s housings? I'm sure a shift kit would be beneficial.
The motor has 452 heads. I have a TM7 intake.. I assume this is similar to a Former? Is this a decent manifold? I do expect to do a cam change..my goal is a little lump, healthy sound but I know its a very low compression motor so this may not be possible? Any recommendations?
I will be upfront. I am extremely limited in funds. I'm disabled on social security supporting a family of 3, so buying heads, pistons etc is out of the question.
A majority of my 440 funds come from saving, selling chevy parts on eBay, a majority from selling my BBC. I can do a few hundred at a time.
Embarrassing to say publicly but I'd rather get info that can help. Also maybe a diff torque convertor?
I do have 3.08, 3.55, 3.73, 3.91 geared rearends but I live about 30 miles from nearest cruise in spots, so hopefully 10 mpg at minimum.
Also I have a 650 DP holley on the shelf, 750, 780 and a couple thermoquads. I've read with 440s bigger the better? Which has been opposite with the Chevy's I've run in the past. Sorry for the ignorant sounding or repetitive to the Mopar gurus, this is my first time ever lifting a valve cover on a Mopar with the intention of running it. I've just decided to be different than the typical Studebaker builds with a mouse or rat under the hood.
Maybe this experience will convert me!

The most important thing for your cam choice is going to be what converter you're running, I assume that you want to run a stock converter?

The TM7 intake is more of a high end intake, you may be better off with a stock piece, depending on converter and cam.

Are you planning to run manifolds or headers?

If it were me and you didn't need it - swap the mainshaft and tail housing from the motorhome transmission. The convertor will be a high stall unit in your car so I'd keep that.
The intake isn't what I'd prefer to see either. Find an aluminum dual plane of some sort or as a stand by a factory like Matt said.
I would run shorty type headers as the manifolds are heavy.
For a camshaft - anything in the 220° to 225° at .050 duration, and lift around .480 and you're good. Err to the smaller side.
Carb - bigger is not always better. I would use the 750cfm one. Or whatever you have that's in good shape or good rebuildable shape.

What was the BBC and what was done to it? It will help make sure the 440 will be faster.

I'd get a factory hi stall and headers 1st thing. Then stick the 780 carb on it. You will have all the tire smoke you want.

The TM-7 is the Mopar RB model in Edelbrock's Tarantula line from wayback. It is strictly a top end intake, no place on a street car. I'd suggest trying to find an Edelbrock CH-4B or even a Performer would work. Also worth finding is the Holley Street Dominator.

I'd go with a 750 vacuum secondary carb, like an 80508 or 3310. I'd prefer the 80508 because it has more modern metering calibrations and I don't mean jets, rather internal passage diameters and air bleed sizes, things that are not easily changeable on either carb, for the novice.

If my family's 1969 Olds Delta88 with a 455 could knock down 16mpg, you should be able to match it. The Delta was 4200lb.

Don't mess with the transmission if it'll fit the way it is. The 452 heads are like every other open chamber head and will do what you need, although if you stumble into some money later there are many upgrades that suggest themselves.

A light car with a big engine doesn't need gears. I'd suggest low 3s, 3.23 as a start. 3.55s and up will just buzz the engine and you won't be able to hook it anyway.

The camshaft is the key and whoever said no more than 220 intake degrees at 50 lift gets a gold star.

Here are three:
Crower 267HDP 32241 $157.60
Hughes SEH2024BL11 $165.00
Lunati 10230702 $137.23

Bullet Cams' catalog is down but they will regrind a cam for you for $60 and have a couple of new camshafts for $100, others are $185. They have a zillion lobes in their catalog.


R.

I would run that motorhome motor the way it is with maybe swapping the output shft and tailshaft housing to go to a conventionl slip yoke driveshaft.I would use the stock Thermoquad intake and carb and sell the other parts to use towards a camshaft and lifters, I recently put a pump gas 440 motor together with more compresson(9.60 to 1) and C.I.(46 C.I., 3.90 stroke) with a Comp Cams XE275HL cam and lifters. It made a tad over 500 HP and 540 ft lbs torque on the local Studka engine dyno on 91 octane non ethanol pump swill, that is the smallest hydraulic cam I've used in the last ten years for a pump gas motor so don't be afraid of using one a little bigger I really like the low body styles of the early Studebakers like the Starlight coupes, is yours a sedan or hardtop?

Thanks for all the input! My first priorities are to reseal the motor. I go nuts if I see 1 drip. Of course detail, my upgrade plans are the typical intake, headers, carb, and cam, a convertor if needed.

dogdays- yes the trans firs. I parted a 53 hdtp this year that had a motorhome 413 with with one if the same 727s, luckily I can use some of the custom mounts from that car and the oil pan etc to make this 440 fit in mine.

Cab Burge mine is a Lwey Starlight "C" series coupe aka Champion the V6 Commander. Its a solid Southern CA car, my father and I have had 11-12 or so in the last 2 years mostly parts cars, buying one just to get those nice grill shells. I have mine apart. Its Its ready to start on. My plans are
A nice reliable family cruiser, that puts a evil smirk in my face. I have factory bucket seats look same 62-4 impala) 64 impala as console, tilt column, I have torq thrusts, it will be a 53 commander clone, Turner disc brakes, Ford 8.8 db rear, satin black Dp90 for a while.
Its been a bucket list car for many years, my parent got married and had one, it was one if nt Dads favorites and we always had one in the driveway, I remember riding to Mt 1st day if school in one around 1978-79.
My Dad recently picked up a 61 Hawk 289 4spd 99% rust free, beautiful loaded car. Its going to end up being a '53 and a getting a factory Paxton supercharger, unless he changed his mind again. Might be a 6.0 LS but a blown 392 is going somewhere... Maybe the 33 Students now, Anyhow he gave me the Stude I've always wanted

At 2800 lbs the TM7 will be fine (you already have it, give it a try, if it's to soft on the bottom end, sell it and buy a Holley Street Dominator or a Performer RPM). For a bucks down cam that supposedly works well with low compression 440's is the Summit 6401 cam. I think it's $67. The suggested Trick Flow springs are about $80 (also from summit). Again at 2800 lbs you won't need much to make that 440 perform. I've got the same engine in a '67 Coronet (probably 3700 lbs) that's bone stock except for headers and an Edelbrock 800 Thunder Series and it moves out decently. 1000 lbs less weight is significant. Put the biggest Holley you have on it and a set of headers (long tube preferably). Again, at 2800 lbs and what you're looking for, a 3.08 gear would still dance pretty well.
I had a rebuilt 440 (9:1 compression, .450"/282 Crane Cam, headers, stock intake, no porting) in a 1978 1/2 ton reg cab short box, and with a 3.23 gear it would still burn rubber at a 20 mph roll. Again, at 2800 lbs you don't need much to make a 440 put you back in your seat

The Summit cam is a really old chevy lobe which has too much duration for the lift. It's only 224 at 50 lift, less than I thought, and it has a 114 LSA which will close the intake earlier. So it might work out okay.

But beware of 230+ duration at 50 intake cams for your low comp 440. A long time ago I was building engines in a school shop and another guy was building a 440 and used a 230+ degree at 50 lift intake duration cam. He started it up, broke in the cam, drove away and a week later was back in the shop pulling the transmission to install a higher stall speed converter. That was in a B-body. Gutless, he said.

R.

Thanks for the info, after speaking to a local Mopar nut. He suggested I ditch the TM7 go with a dual plane, add a Thumper series cam, headers, no more than 3.23
Since my car is 2800 lb what do you think 3.08, 3.23, 3.73
It will be my cruiser. I live in the mountains with miles of open highways. 3.73 probably more fun but, mileage and cruising I suppose he's right. I do want it to hit hard when I hit the throttle from a stop, he said it will its a 440! I guess I've never experienced anything but BBC

I pulled the valve covers off she's really clean inside other than some carbon build up inside the valve covers. So far I'm thinking order a gasket set, a new oil pump,new timing chain, the thumper series cam sounds interesting, also the Hughes Whiplash sounds pretty sweet for my low compression n motor. If this was for a big block Chevy I wouldn't be asking these newbie novice questions. Its never too late to convert over is it ?
Anyone need a 396 roller cam/lifters,steel crank,performer intake. Its apart trade for 440 parts lol! Hopefully I can get 400 on Craigslist and buy the cam and intake I want for this motor! Time to make this think fit !

I'd agree- I ran one in a 3800 lb GTX and it ran like a scalded dog even when I popped in a set of 3.23 gears.

For this application I'd go with a classic Edelbrock CH-4B or Performer RPM. The regular Performer is no better than the best factory cast iron in my opinion.

A 750 CFM carb would be a good choice, not much more as you don't wish to over carb. For best street manners and fuel MPG one of the new Street Demons would be the way to go.

The 3.00 or 3.23 will do you just fine- 440 engines are torque monsters.

My GTX with a '74 low compression 440, 508 cam, headers and TM7 intake would run 12.6's all day.

Don't overcam or over carb and the thing will have more torque than you can shake a stick at and get fairly good mpg.

If you were to build this low compression motor as mild as possible with the tallest gears you have, it will do a fine job for you. The dual plane aluminum manifold with the smallest carb and one of the Whiplash cams would give you the look and sound you want with mileage.
When I first built my Polara with a PAW 440, "346" heads (stock 2.08 x 1.74 valves), L2355F .030 pistons,etc. I put a 284/.484 MP cam in it and the MP low rise Aluminum manifold. Eventually I went to a stock Road Runner cam and finally an E-brock #1406 (600 cfm carb) and that was the best mild combination. It was civilized and economical, with all the low end torque you could imagine. I even got 14 mpg on a cruise!!