Looking for 440 rebuild kit to improve torque

Since I last posted on here, decided to start collecting parts to build my 75’ Trailduster. A friend was in desperate need and ended up selling him my last street 440 I had, so now I will need to build one for the truck. Looking for rebuild kit or to put something together to build on the engine. It’s a stock 205hp 75’ cast crank 440. I want to continue to run goatpiss that passes for 87 octane in California. I’m not looking to make big horse power, more like torque, so a good street-able profile is good. If I can up the horsepower to 300+ and have much more torque and not affect the mileage to much for city driving and a little hauling around the area.

So looking for a good quality rebuild kit with pistons. Would love to hear ideas on a cam/lifter. Also plan to run a thermoquad, RPM intake and stock electronic ignition. Also, looking at possibly headers as you guys told me it would help with torque. Keeping the 3:55 ratio gearing in the truck if that helps.

Two things for torque- get as much compression ratio as you can run at your octane level, and get a modern cam grind.

Jones cams has a grind I like for truck motors but check with him after filling out his cam card questionaire with all of your info and see what he recommends. specs below.

I would look into getting a step head design piston from KB to get quench and 9 to 1 compression with your open chamber heads. Or if your budget allows, 440 source heads and six pack type flat tops zero decked.

Oem intake or regular performer so the .thermoquad doesn't need an adapter. You wont be spinning a 440 truck motor above 5,000 rpm anyway. Headers and good exhaust.





H440D64307
256°

202°

.307″

.461″

...while I haven't had it out on the main streets yet to see how well it does, the Engine Pro MC1787 is the cam I put in my 440 (it was what came in the engine master rebuild kit ordered from the machine shop). It idles smooth, and from the few hours it's been running /driving around the property it seems to have loads of torque. My truck was built to be a multi-purpose camping/rock-crawling rig that is also 100% streetable - it rolls on 40" Toyos with 5.38 gears. I found the engine buried deep inside a '79 Winnebago motor coach - it is a 440-3 block with standard 452 heads, and got a standard 'RV' rebuild with ~9-1 compression.

Engine Pro MC1787, hydraulic flat tappet
- Duration @ .050 Intake 204 Exhaust 214, Advanced Duration Intake 278 Exhaust 288; Valve Lift .420 Exhaust .443
- Lobe Sep. Intake 107 Exhaust 117; Power range 1500-4000; Idle: Smooth
- Comment: Torque Cam strong low to mid range torque and pulling power.

- Sam

Stroke it to 490-500 cubes. Torque for days on pump swill.

This ^^

4.25 stroker crank. The rest you had to buy anyway. 600ft/lbs easier than falling out of a tree.

Kevin

I love my 512, but it isn't really conducive to gas mileage. Even with a 3.54 gear and overdrive.

My magnum headed 360 LA gets 7 MPG, 4.10s and no overdrive, I bet your 512 isn't too far off of that. Hoping the NV4500 O/D gets it to at least 10. Probably wishful thinking though as the truck spends 90% of its time below 30 MPH. Still won't be a waste though as I had already purchased most everything for the swap at least 3 years ago. I've spent less than $800 up to this point actually doing the swap and the NP435 was on its last legs.

Thanks for the info us. Realistically, not gonna stroke a 440 for it, tempting that it is. Just looking for a nice runner motor combination for the time being til the other projects get completed.