Hey Guys, I havent been actively racing for a couple years or car building for almost ten. so I need some advice.(I'm sure this ? has been asked before as well) I am going to lower the compression on my 440 so I dont have to buy 12$ a gallon gas anymore, and it will be easier to start,tune, and run. I want to do it by using a roughly 10.5 to 1 stroker kit. my question is how big of a stroke can I go using the same drive train setup in the car now?
I'd like as big a motor as possible but the drive line has only 12 runs on it, and why deal with that expense. the car is an all steel charger running 11.00 @ 121, it turns 7100 in the trap, on a 10.5x28 slick. the rear is a dana 60 detroit locker 4.56, the convertor is a 3800 stall dynamic that leaves the hole and stays at 5200.
I'm using max wedge size indy sr heads,tti 2 1/8 step headers, a .620 lift ultrdyne, 1050 dom. and big indy single plane with an indy spacer.
the trans shifts on its own at 6500.
I know the gear is steep for a stroker but the car is pretty heavy my best 60' times are 1.54. give me your thoughts, and I'll take kit manufacturer advise too.

thanks alot

If all you do is add the stroker kit and drop the compression you will have to change the gears. I would go for the biggest kit you can afford and some 4.10 or 3.91. Maybe even lower. With out swapping a cam you will make a huge amount of torque but lower your rpm limit a lot. You don't want to run out of gear before the traps.

P.S. My father is having this problem with his small block stroker A-body. His 60 foot and 8th mile time are faster than they should be for a low 11 second car. I personally feel he is running out of gear.

Hello We The People,

This thread will likely help. Has some good info on what parts will fit in your block without going to an external oil pickup. If you don't change heads and cam then your power is not gonna go up any real amount. Increasing the ci will just change(lower) the rpm of the curves. Increasing the cubes and lowering the cr you may loose power. Any E85 gas in your area?

https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/show...e=5#Post6068783

Damon

I'm not realy worried about gaining alot of power, I just didnt want to loose a ton by just changing pistons. I do have a external swinging pickup so that is a plus. what is the best gear for a 540-528? on a 28 inch tire? also isnt there a point where you need a different carrier in a dana? due to gear thickness? I appreciate the responces guys thanks.
P.s. after dealing with both I do enjoy a simple super tourqe machine.

Have you thought about just changing to E-85? Several members have and they are running faster and cheaper
What compression are you running?
You can always change to a stroker running on e-85 also.

I dont know anything about e85.....i havent been into it since before that realy came out. my comp is almost 14 to 1, its broken stuff on cold low battery starts. I just want it simple again, I dont race that much to worry about little stuff. Maybe I should just change the pistons....hmmmm? thanks

I'll be looking into e85 for next build. 440Jim, Mr-P, Quik, and other have done this with a couple changes. The main change is the carb. May be worth checking. E-85 is pretty cheap if you have it available local. Between $2-3 a gallon

Easy money, We The People! Get a 4.150 crank kit (crank, rods, pistons, rings and bearings) from any number of reputible vendors, set it up for 10.5:1 and have at it! There are MANY similar 4.150 stroke combos out there that will run that 11-flat (and quicker)on pump gas at your weight. Guys are getting there with out of the box Edelbrock heads, less cam and carb/intake and are very streetable even...

Srart a thread titled something like "Show your 10 second 4.150 stroke combos" and see what you get.

will the 4.15 crank run out of cam/gear at 7100?
Honestly I was thinking any more than 4.15 crank would be too much when I first posted. But I didnt want to under cube like I did originaly. But strokers were not too common, and super pricey 11 years ago when I built this motor.
thanks all

In re-reading your post, yea...4.56's and a 28" tall time might be a little tight. Might like 4.10's better. The other thing to keep in mind is that a 4.150 combo is going to make the converter "think" it's looser, based on the increase in torque.

What duration is the cam?

I have built several(8 to 10 or more) pump gas street stroker motors( BB, low decks, SB and Hemi) over the last ten years. I would use a 4.375 or 4.5 stroke kit with 7.1 long steel H beam or I beams(your choice) BB Chevy rods and shoot for 10.0 to 10.75 to 1 comp.(your choice again). I started off with a 400 block and added a 4.25 stroke Ohoi Crankshaft(before kits where availble)added a set of CAT 6.8 long BB chevy rods,a set of Ross custom pistons 9.25 to 1(I used a set of ported 906 heads to start with ) and a Comp Cams custom ground solid roller cam(260@.050), six pak intake and stock type vacume carbs. That combination made 612 hp at 5600 RPM and 644 Ft. Lbs at 4500 RPM, I was thrilled I later changed the heads and crank(to 4.300 stroke to get the compression up to 10.29 to 1), that combination with the same cam and intake has gone 10:34 at 128.6 mph in my 3450 lb. Duster on Oregon pump gas thru the exhust system. The car is a ball to drive on 13.50x30x15 MT ET Street Tires, the motor pulls real hard up past 7600 RPM, but I shift it around 7300 to be safe The one thing I will caution you about is the stock 440 blocks have weak main webs, I have seen several with cracks in them Good luck on your build,PM me if you want to IHTHs

heres my cam card.I run 1.5 rockers. the heads arent stock sr's, they are max wedge ports, bowl ported from indy with polished chambers from me.

W T P, Ithink with the right converter stall and gear you'll most likely go quicker and faster than you are now. NO REASON why it can't go 10's on pump gas with that cam and your heads.

Thanks for the answers guys.
Where would the power drop off on a 500-528-540 with that cam and heads? I need some RPM info for my gear selection in the traps. I can only fit a 28 inch tire. Also, what convertor will hold me down in the tourqe band?

Thanks again guys