Anyone have a copy of that article where they built a 440 bottom end with aluminum rods and flat top pistons, and then started swapping cams and top end parts using the MP bracket race guidelines?
I can’t remember if it was a Mopar magazine or CC or HR or PH, but I wanna say the testing was done at Arrow Racing Engines.

They started with what would basically be a stock 440-4, and ended up with the Weiand TR, 2x750 carbs and the .690 mushroom cam.

I might have that.

October '86 hot rod magazine. "b" motor recipies; dc's shake and bake dyno packages. arrow racing's dyno floggers,.....?

Did it start out with stock heads and intake, stock type cam, ex manifolds......and then they work through several combos until they finish up with like stage 5 heads, TR and the mushroom cam?

phase 1 started with stock '452 heads, cast iron exhaust manifolds with stock mufflers, cast iron thermoquad intake with holley adapter, 272/.455 cam/stock rockers, 3310 holey, electronic ignition. 453lbft of torque at 3200rpm, 350 horsepower at 4750 rpm.

last test (phase 5) used ported stage v's, tunnel ram with two 750's, race headers, .690/328 mushroom cam. 603hp at6500rpm, 527lbft of torque at 5500rpm.

That’s the one......Were they using an electric W/P drive or a belt from the crank?

If you don’t mind, if you could give a brief description of a few more of the lower stages that would be great.

It was in a Mopar tech article compilation book I had but may have thrown away since it was real old stuff. Now I'm curious if I kept it or not.

I didn't notice any specialty pumps. pretty sure the belt driven was all there was back then but from what I can tell they used factory type pump.

phase 2; holley strip dominator, 750 holley, headers, 280/.474 cam, no mufflers, chrome ignition box. 478lbft of torque between 3500-4500rpm, 406hp at 5000rpm.


phase 3; small valve stage v, 2" headers, race oil system, 284/.528 cam/iron rockers, steel shim head gaskets. 488lbft of torque at4250rpm, 446hp at 5500rpm. swapping to .620/324 mopar cam gave 478lbft of torque at 4750rpm, 486hp at 6000rpm.

phase 4; ported stage v's, .690/328 mushroom cam, 850 holley. 500lbsft of torque at 5000-5500rpm, 560hp at 5750rpm.


looking thru the details they did use venolia flat top pistons ( the ones I played with back in the day were like 6pak pistons) with bill miller rods.

Thanks Lew.

I was discussing what the real power of a “stock” 440-4 was, and thought I had remembered the first stage in that test was less than 375hp.

Of course, you can’t really have the discussion using data from different sources without the “comparing dynos” factor brought into the conversation.

I’ve never dyno tested a 440 built to stock specs so I don’t have a reference point for the dyno here....... but the numbers gleaned from the pretty mild 440’s I have tested lead me to believe that one built totally to the OE configuration wouldn’t make 375hp here.

Pretty sure there was a more recent dyno test done by Dulcich I believe. He did a stock 383 magnum and also a 440 magnum. The 383 made almost exactly 335 hp IIRC and the 440 made around 350 hp. I'll see if I can dig those articles up...was in Mopar Muscle mag I think.

375 hp is tough to hit for a stone stock engine with assembly line heads, cast iron manifolds, factory carb and factory ignition setup.....

The dulcich test was done in 2001...... which was prior to the revelation that westechs dyno was correcting about 5% high.
The stock test showed 357hp....... if you take 5% off it’s 340hp.

Plus, they ran it without a factory air filter...... which probably costs a few hp.

Back in the 80's we did a stock 70 440-4 on an OLD Gopower dyno it made 325 hp

Chrysler says real power for stock 4bbl 440 is between 270-330hp. this probably includes 8:1 engines. the 440 in my 69 r/t is 9.3:1 compression (kb184 pistons and 906 heads with some pocket porting), 272-.455 cam, stock exhaust manifolds, stock avs and intake, and stock 2 1/4" mufflers. I estimate 325hp; definitely no barn burner.


I do have another article of a chassis dyno test of a '70 6pak super bee if you guys want to know what they really were.

I could give you another "Phase 4" type recipe just for reference, my 446SP motor from actual track mph/weight.....no dyno's.

Stock 1968 440-6 bottom end, with .039 fel-pro's>
Ported 906's (approx 260cfm) 2.14/1.81
Comp. 290@.050-.650/.650 solid>
HS r/rockers
Team G Dom w-2" reducer for 850DP
no alternator
Moroso elec motor driven w/pump
MSD6A...37 deg. total
2" f/wells+12" extensions
Single line external
used to trap around 6600
=531fwhp.

All that stuff above with just Stock 906's was 456fwhp.
Worked out with Wallace.

An old Mopar Muscle article -- way before Dulcich -- had IMO a pretty good attempt at duplicating a stock 440 HP build, including the reproduction 383-440 HP cam. IIRC, it made about 350 HP, but I don't recall the torque, other than it was a good bit lower than the factory rating. It seemed pretty legit to me.

Anyone know of any tests where a stock type 440-4 build was tested with a 440-6 on it??

Was it worth more than the claimed 15hp gain?

I can tell you what I did. my r/t with a completely stock '69 4bb engine and exhaust (all original parts, no souped up mufflers or stuff), 3.23 gear, 225-70x15 t/a radial ran a best of 14.01@98.9mph. added a 6pak only and went 13.45@104mph. 103mph was a bad day out. I will say that getting to 104mph was a challenge. I had a twisted fuel line back by the sender that was ok for the 4bbl but wouldn't supply enough fuel for the 6pak. once figured out things began to take off. Chrysler claims a 6pak was between 340-370hp stock.


I have a august 1969 hot rod magazine strip test were an a12 car ran 13.56@105.63 completely stock. I think this is a very good number for a stock a12 because I remember a bunch of them couldn't get into the 13's.


I also have a September 1970 popular hot rodding chassis dyno test on a '70 6pak super bee 4spd. completely stock it made 244hp@4250 rpm. ran 13.95@100.78mph. after dyno tune it made 272hp@4250rpm, ran 13.74@105.63mph.


when I finished messing with my r/t 6pak combo it was making 325hp at the wheels on a dyno jet. 9.3:1 compression. stock valve '906's, hughs/engle 2330 cam, 3.23 gear, same t/a radials and exhaust manifolds with dynomax super hemi mufflers. eventually it picked up 9mph in the quarter and I believe at least 6mph was the 6pak. they are power adders for sure but people screw them up with dumb ideas.