Having finally managed to get my finances in order, the option of finally getting a big block into the Fury is drawing closer and I'm just looking for a little input from those who have been there. The lil 318 is great for cruising around in but just has too much trouble getting out of it's own way. The plan so far...

Stock 400 block/crank/rods.
KB240 pistons
Lunati Voodoo 301 or 302 hydraulic flat tappet.
452 or 915 heads? Mild head work? Stock valve train.
.020 head gaskets or ?
Double roller chain.
DP4B intake manifold.
71 440 auto thermoquad or ?
MP electronic ignition.
Aluminum water pump.
Stock oil pump.
Stock C-body oil pan/system.
Windage tray.
Stock fuel pump.
Stock rad & cooling system.
HP exhaust manifolds w/2.25 exhaust/Dynomax turbos.
Warmed over 727/2500-2800 stall.
9.25 rear w/3.23 sure grip.
28" tall tires.
Car weight approx. 4000 lbs.

Certain things I already have, like the rear, carb, oiling system, cooling setup and an NOS 400 short block still in the crate coated in cosmoline. I HAVE to stick to minimum machine work, because I don't want the money balance to crash again. So, thoughts/ideas? A ? above means if there's a better option, I'm listening. I'd love to get into the 375-400 hp range.

Suggest you measure the height of the short block pistons... how close to the top of the deck do they come at TDC. If they are not too far in the hole, you may be able to build a decent engine with the pistons in there now. A bit of a long shot but worth measuring.

Have you tried budgeting out what it would cost to do a 451 instead? You're already buying new pistons, so scooping up a used 440 crank shouldn't add that much to the final total and gain you 50 cubes!

This is going to be a great car. I love full-sized cars and big blocks. I have another brand full-sized car with just about the biggest motor ever made. For a big car, it's shockingly fast. With your build and the lighter Fury, this thing should really move. Any reason in particular you're not going to do headers?

Thanks for the replies thus far guys. Pistons are sitting about .115 in the hole and getting into the whole milling of the block/heads/intake thing is something I'd like to keep at an absolute minimum. A 451 would be sweet but I've done some investigating and my budget just doesn't support it. I've tried to work good headers into the equation too, but TTI's are out of my $$ range and they seem like the only option when it comes to C-body headers. That and I've already got the HP manis' too. No track runs in the near future. Just lookin' for a big car with some street stomp.

Use 915 heads , the 240's will sit about .024 in the hole , use the steel shim gasket.