Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
440 SOURCE CAPS #2553866
09/23/18 10:51 PM
09/23/18 10:51 PM
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,176
East Coast
A
A/MP Offline OP
super stock
A/MP  Offline OP
super stock
A

Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,176
East Coast
Has anyone used their Billet Steel Main Caps? Looking to see they require additional machining to work. They are half the price of Pro Gram.

Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: A/MP] #2553869
09/23/18 10:54 PM
09/23/18 10:54 PM
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 4,457
Washington
M
madscientist Offline
master
madscientist  Offline
master
M

Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 4,457
Washington
Never seen a cap that didn't need machine work. They ain't bolt on for sure.


Just because you think it won't make it true. Horsepower is KING. To dispute this is stupid. C. Alston
Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: A/MP] #2553872
09/23/18 10:56 PM
09/23/18 10:56 PM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,243
Charlotte, North Carolina
sgcuda Offline
master
sgcuda  Offline
master

Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,243
Charlotte, North Carolina
Steel, aluminum, or even caps from another block will all need to be honed or bored to a block for proper sizing. No such thing as just a drop in main cap.

Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: sgcuda] #2553882
09/23/18 11:06 PM
09/23/18 11:06 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,116
PA.
pittsburghracer Offline
"Little"John
pittsburghracer  Offline
"Little"John

Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,116
PA.
I would personally buy a set of aluminum Caps off our ember that sells girdles or see if Best Machine has them. Way better choice if you ask me. I ran a set of their (440 source) Billet caps and they of course needed Machine work. My block made 275 eight second passes and was split up through the mains when I took it apart to freshen


1970 Duster
Edelbrock headed 408
5.984@112.52
422 Indy headed small block
5.982@112.56 mph
9.42@138.27

Livin and lovin life one day at a time




Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: A/MP] #2554095
09/24/18 02:35 PM
09/24/18 02:35 PM
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,399
Aurora, Colorado
451Mopar Offline
master
451Mopar  Offline
master

Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,399
Aurora, Colorado
The machining costs to install (align bore and hone) the main caps is the expensive part. I think around $500-$800 for machine work last time I checked with most places at the higher end. I have the BCR aluminum caps and 1/2" girdle on my 400 block.

Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: A/MP] #2554137
09/24/18 04:40 PM
09/24/18 04:40 PM
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,176
East Coast
A
A/MP Offline OP
super stock
A/MP  Offline OP
super stock
A

Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,176
East Coast
Line boring of course, sometimes twice. Just looking to see about the quality of the parts. Trying to make a poor part work is wasted money. Gotta plan and keep on budget.

Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: A/MP] #2554140
09/24/18 04:45 PM
09/24/18 04:45 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,421
Balt. Md
3
383man Offline
Too Many Posts
383man  Offline
Too Many Posts
3

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,421
Balt. Md
I use the 440Source billet steel caps in my 63 which is mainly a street car. And of course I had the machine shop install them with main studs and line bore and hone it. Ron




Last edited by 383man; 09/24/18 04:46 PM.
Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: 383man] #2554261
09/24/18 10:22 PM
09/24/18 10:22 PM
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,176
East Coast
A
A/MP Offline OP
super stock
A/MP  Offline OP
super stock
A

Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,176
East Coast
[quote=383man]I use the 440Source billet steel caps in my 63 which is mainly a street car. And of course I had the machine shop install them with main studs and line bore and hone it. Ron



[img]http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1620/1011563/2193145/410079761.jpg[/

Did your machine shop say anything about the quality?

Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: A/MP] #2554277
09/24/18 11:16 PM
09/24/18 11:16 PM
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 877
ky
68roadrunner Offline
super stock
68roadrunner  Offline
super stock

Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 877
ky
put them in my 440 in the roadrunner, they was a little wide to fit in the registers, then the normal bore and hone like any cap change. didnt notice any quality problems

havent run the car enough to know how it will hold up

Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: A/MP] #2554334
09/25/18 01:59 AM
09/25/18 01:59 AM
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,262
New York, USA
Chargerfan68 Offline
pro stock
Chargerfan68  Offline
pro stock

Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,262
New York, USA
Im getting ready to finish a build that has them also and my machinest also had to set them up and slightly mill the sides, as they were also to wide to fit in the registers. He did a good job as they are nice and tight. He didnt breakdown how much extra for that machine operation, and just charged me one total for that, align bore and hone. I guess this can be expected as im not the only one that needed end milling.


1.50 60Ft. , 10.75@ 127MPH Hauling 3900 LBS.
Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: A/MP] #2554347
09/25/18 03:09 AM
09/25/18 03:09 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,421
Balt. Md
3
383man Offline
Too Many Posts
383man  Offline
Too Many Posts
3

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,421
Balt. Md
Originally Posted By A/MP
[quote=383man]I use the 440Source billet steel caps in my 63 which is mainly a street car. And of course I had the machine shop install them with main studs and line bore and hone it. Ron



[img]http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1620/1011563/2193145/410079761.jpg[/

Did your machine shop say anything about the quality?



No they did not say a thing about them. I have been running them in this eng since June 2011 with many street miles and some passes at the track. So far this eng has been flawless and still running like brand new. Ron

Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: Chargerfan68] #2554349
09/25/18 03:12 AM
09/25/18 03:12 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,421
Balt. Md
3
383man Offline
Too Many Posts
383man  Offline
Too Many Posts
3

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,421
Balt. Md
Originally Posted By Chargerfan68
Im getting ready to finish a build that has them also and my machinest also had to set them up and slightly mill the sides, as they were also to wide to fit in the registers. He did a good job as they are nice and tight. He didnt breakdown how much extra for that machine operation, and just charged me one total for that, align bore and hone. I guess this can be expected as im not the only one that needed end milling.



Mine fit real nice also when I got it back from the machine shop. They only fit them and did the machine work as I assembled the complete eng and my crank turned nicely when all the caps were torqued to specs after I put the crank in and the machine work was done. They did not tell me if they had to machine them much. Ron

Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: 383man] #2554521
09/25/18 03:33 PM
09/25/18 03:33 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,376
D
dogdays Offline
I Live Here
dogdays  Offline
I Live Here
D

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,376
To a practiced eye, there is nothing much to a 2 bolt main cap. It's not rocket science by a long shot. The caps themselves are quite easy to make, so any competent machinist should be able to make a main cap that works.

It's a rectangular prism with a half of a cylindrical section removed and two holes drilled and one end of the holes spotfaced. Even a poor quality 4340 steel main cap is 50% more rigid and at least twice as strong as a gray cast iron cap.
So this question is kind of bogus.

As mentioned above, the important part of replacement main caps is the installation machine work. That is what assures the holes line up and are pointed in the right direction. That is what assures the bores are co-linear and the right size.

If I was a machine shop operator I'd charge more for steel caps than for aluminum or cast iron, because the high tensile strength steel is much harder to machine.

The BCR system appears to be well engineered and would be my choice if I were to need block strengthening.

R.

Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: A/MP] #2554727
09/25/18 09:11 PM
09/25/18 09:11 PM
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 43,007
Bend,OR USA
C
Cab_Burge Offline
I Win
Cab_Burge  Offline
I Win
C

Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 43,007
Bend,OR USA
Are you working on a 440 block or a 400 block?
The reason I'm asking is that the difference in materials from cast grey iron to steel would make me , and I don't, not use steel tsk twocents
I have used ductile iron main caps with great success on my 400 builds, same on aluminum caps from 440 Source, no steel though ever shruggy
The 440 block will and do crack the main webbings before breaking the main caps, not so on the 400 blocks I've seen confused work
The steel material will transfer the harmonics into the block more so than either aluminum or ductile iron is what I have been told by several machinests work
I have cracked one M.W. 426 block and seen several 440 blocks with crack main webbing with the stock caps on them in one piece shruggy

Last edited by Cab_Burge; 09/27/18 01:47 AM.

Mr.Cab Racing and winning with Mopars since 1964. (Old F--t, Huh)
Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: Cab_Burge] #2554754
09/25/18 10:04 PM
09/25/18 10:04 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,116
PA.
pittsburghracer Offline
"Little"John
pittsburghracer  Offline
"Little"John

Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,116
PA.
I’ve seen enough cracked 400 blocks in my life to sink a barge. Concrete, girdles, both. But then again we have a lot of high horsepower Mopars in Pennsylvania that race the crap out of our stuff. Not dyno queens. lol 😂


1970 Duster
Edelbrock headed 408
5.984@112.52
422 Indy headed small block
5.982@112.56 mph
9.42@138.27

Livin and lovin life one day at a time




Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: pittsburghracer] #2554755
09/25/18 10:05 PM
09/25/18 10:05 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,116
PA.
pittsburghracer Offline
"Little"John
pittsburghracer  Offline
"Little"John

Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,116
PA.
Most have wised up and moved on to after market blocks with zero block issues now.


1970 Duster
Edelbrock headed 408
5.984@112.52
422 Indy headed small block
5.982@112.56 mph
9.42@138.27

Livin and lovin life one day at a time




Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: A/MP] #2554800
09/25/18 11:24 PM
09/25/18 11:24 PM
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,096
Australia
O
ozymaxwedge Offline
super stock
ozymaxwedge  Offline
super stock
O

Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,096
Australia
Gets back to your HP target, up to 500 stock caps, up to 750 aluminum caps and over 750 aftermarket block, around that anyway.


1963 Plymouth Max Wedge
1971 Barracuda
Re: 440 SOURCE CAPS [Re: A/MP] #2555255
09/26/18 10:40 PM
09/26/18 10:40 PM
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,176
East Coast
A
A/MP Offline OP
super stock
A/MP  Offline OP
super stock
A

Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,176
East Coast
Yes, i'm looking at a 440 rebuild.







Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.1