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440 in a 68-72 GM A body.

Posted By: d7cook

440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/20/12 10:33 PM

See attached pic I found a while back and let me know if you recognize whose headers were used. TTI?

I race two brands and I've about had it trying to keep main bearings in brand B's engine but I got the car all dialed in for mid tens and street legal so I'm considering going Mopar powered in it. I have a BBM to TH400 adapter bellhousing and elephants ears, rear sump pan are easy. The headers are the pain.

And no it's not a Chevelle.

Thanks

Attached picture 7258300-440-a.jpg
Posted By: moparmanjames

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/20/12 10:48 PM

Posted By: dogdays

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/20/12 10:53 PM

Brand B, huh? Talk to T/A Performance in Phoenix, AZ? The later Brand B blocks had bigger oil passages that helped some. Back in the day, a local Highway Patrolman had a Centurion and toasted the engine on a high speed chase. He loved that car but after a few miles he had to pull over and watch the bad guy (friend of mine) disappear into the distance. The friend was so scared of showing the car in town that he garaged it for six months!
I believe the HP switched brands after that incident.

R.
Posted By: Mr.Yuck

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/21/12 01:12 AM

I don't even know what a GM A-body is but they look a little like headmans. why not just sell the body and get a mopar, then you won't have a fit issue
Posted By: challengermike

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/21/12 03:06 AM

The buicks are known for oiling problems, but there are a few places out there that will mod the front cover and give you some tips on how to improve the whole system. As for the headers they may be a custom built set.
Posted By: d7cook

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/21/12 04:44 AM

I've thrown all the tricks at the oiling system. I'm using a setup similar to a Milodon external pick up, halo girdled, 3-point main oiling, etc, etc. It has big mains at 3.25 which are hard to oil and the block is so thin that even filled with concrete I think it flex's too much. It's a shame cause the cores are cheap and you can run mid 11's pretty cheap and easy. Any faster and the oiling problems rear their ugly head.

I really want to keep the car because I've been racing it for 15 years. I'm comfortable in it and I've got the chassis sorted out. If it wasn't for the main bearing oiling it'd be great, runs mid 10's, street legal and idles at 800 rpm. Scott Brown did the heads and the cam.

If do the conversion I hope to find a set of headers where I may just have to modify a tube or two on each side and not have to build a set from scratch.
Posted By: dodgeboy11

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/21/12 06:38 AM

Aftermarket block? I have a buddy that picked up an aluminum buick block and was going to twin turbo it for land speed racing. Block didn't look bad, but it was a first casting and some oil pan bolts were in the wrong places. If I remember correctly it cost enough you could probably build a complete "something else" and still have some left over.
It did have priority main oiling and I think it also ran a smaller main journal.
Posted By: slantzilla

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/21/12 11:14 AM

I've got a couple buddies with Buford's running mid 9's. Both of them have 540 Reher-Morrison motors for the exact reasons you've stated.
Posted By: Mr.Yuck

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/21/12 12:18 PM

Quote:

I've thrown all the tricks at the oiling system. I'm using a setup similar to a Milodon external pick up, halo girdled, 3-point main oiling, etc, etc. It has big mains at 3.25 which are hard to oil and the block is so thin that even filled with concrete I think it flex's too much. It's a shame cause the cores are cheap and you can run mid 11's pretty cheap and easy. Any faster and the oiling problems rear their ugly head.

I really want to keep the car because I've been racing it for 15 years. I'm comfortable in it and I've got the chassis sorted out. If it wasn't for the main bearing oiling it'd be great, runs mid 10's, street legal and idles at 800 rpm. Scott Brown did the heads and the cam.

If do the conversion I hope to find a set of headers where I may just have to modify a tube or two on each side and not have to build a set from scratch.



could you try a set of A-body fenderwells? Those GM's have a ton of inner-fender you can trim out.
Posted By: Scamp451

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/21/12 12:58 PM

B/RB's Mopar engines are common in 67-71 Nova's and Firechickens around these parts (stock frame railed cars). B-Body Hooker Supercomps were close, but a tube or two had to be modified. Otherwise you have to build headers to fit. Heck, there was even a 440 in a Maverick around here 15-20 years ago.
Posted By: d7cook

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/21/12 02:41 PM

Quote:

B/RB's Mopar engines are common in 67-71 Nova's and Firechickens around these parts (stock frame railed cars). B-Body Hooker Supercomps were close, but a tube or two had to be modified.



Thank you.
Posted By: d7cook

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/21/12 02:45 PM

Quote:

Aftermarket block? I have a buddy that picked up an aluminum buick block and was going to twin turbo it for land speed racing. Block didn't look bad, but it was a first casting and some oil pan bolts were in the wrong places. If I remember correctly it cost enough you could probably build a complete "something else" and still have some left over.
It did have priority main oiling and I think it also ran a smaller main journal.



I think I know who you're talking about. It was going in a Riv wasn't it. The aluminum blocks I've seen are nice. They come in stock and race versions. The stock version doesn't really fix the oiling issue, the race block is 50% more than a KB and add in the custom crank, cam, etc and it's stupid expensive. Besides that I have some issues with the guy who makes them.
Posted By: slantzilla

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/21/12 11:16 PM

Who finally made the blocks? T/A talked about it for years.
Posted By: d7cook

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/22/12 03:16 PM

Quote:

Who finally made the blocks? T/A talked about it for years.



TA finally made some after the Bulldog block venture ended in ashes. A block and crank will set you back 10K.
Posted By: slantzilla

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/22/12 11:18 PM

Quote:



TA finally made some after the Bulldog block venture ended in ashes. A block and crank will set you back 10K.



And that is a real good start on a R-M motor.
Posted By: Defbob

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/23/12 11:21 PM

Big block chrysler in a Gm 68-72 GM A-body

Attached picture 7262429-IMG_7594.JPG
Posted By: ZIPPY

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/24/12 03:39 AM

I know my 2" super comps have different bends to them than the ones shown.

The ones shown also appear to have thicker flanges than super comps but that might be an illusion.

Maybe the car in the pic has one of the smaller tube sizes like 1 and 7/8.

These are b body 2" super comps FWIW....

Attached picture 7262811-bbodyheaderleft.jpg
Posted By: webemopes

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 06/24/12 01:05 PM

the headers in the first pic look an awful lot like doug thorly headers to me .they hug in pretty tight to the block and were one of the first to enable you to install a 383 in an a-body mopar
Posted By: d7cook

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 08/20/12 05:58 PM





It's begun.
Posted By: B5 Bee

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 08/20/12 08:31 PM

Nice sig line.

-Banned for life from V8Buick.com-

Posted By: Defbob

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 08/21/12 12:28 AM



Attached picture 7343394-IMG_20120620_173836.jpg
Posted By: Thumperdart

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 08/21/12 02:04 AM

Quote:





It's begun.

Man, I really need those heads..........
Posted By: Winchester 73

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 08/21/12 06:48 AM

truck headers.
Posted By: d7cook

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 08/31/12 05:17 PM

One side about done. I decided to just make headers from scratch.





Posted By: Colin Frolick

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 09/02/12 07:08 PM

wow nice work
Posted By: wyldebill

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 09/02/12 08:17 PM

How about bbm in a g body?
Posted By: d7cook

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 01/15/13 07:11 PM

Pass side been done for a while.



When I went to rebuild my 526 short block for the Victor heads I found the crank was broke. So I decided to put a 440 rotating assembly in the block to get going. I finally realized that the Victors are way too much for a flat top 440 so I bought a set of Performers that I'll get CNC'd and put on it. I built the headers with enough room to work with the raised port and the standard port now I just need to get the motor built.

Posted By: d7cook

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 07/16/13 02:08 PM

I was putting together a Victor headed motor using a 526 short block I've had for a while under the workbench. When I went to rering the shortblock the crank was broken so I built a 440 with Performer heads for now. After much delay I finally got a motor in the car. Hope to have it running this weekend. I have a lot of little things to finish fabricating.

Posted By: Mr.Yuck

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 07/16/13 02:48 PM

nice wrok, now you can go to Mopar day and GM/Chevy/buick day... man lucky you.
Posted By: RV2

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 07/16/13 07:39 PM

How about a pic of the whole car?
Posted By: d7cook

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 07/17/13 03:49 AM

Quote:

How about a pic of the whole car?







$800 rust free Texas body off a used car lot. Cheap, cheap race car, although not the prettiest.
Posted By: dodgeboy11

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 07/17/13 05:15 AM

Quote:



I think I know who you're talking about. It was going in a Riv wasn't it. The aluminum blocks I've seen are nice. They come in stock and race versions. The stock version doesn't really fix the oiling issue, the race block is 50% more than a KB and add in the custom crank, cam, etc and it's stupid expensive. Besides that I have some issues with the guy who makes them.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5E6OcC3Gq4

This was the car. They toasted the 455 at Bonneville after this run. This engine also had all the tricks performed on it: girdle, machined oil passages under the main bearings to help oil keep oil to the rods, etc. I really think the poor guy ran out of money on it. The block had issues, the place I used to work for, we were going to do some R&D on the block to help everyone out, but never got around to it (always seemed to happen there). It was just so overpriced and crazy, he should have just put a BBC in it and be done. Racing the car is a lot more fun than looking at it half done and knowing you need a ton more money and time to finish it "right". Wish I had taken some pictures of it when I was there. Actually got tired of looking at it. Kept having to push the car in and out of the shop because it was in the way for other work that needed done. I hate pushing cars.
Posted By: d7cook

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 07/27/13 06:13 AM

The SuperBeeUICK made it to TNT tonight. 11.11 at 120. It has max wedge ported performer heads, 10.50-1 compression and was all street legal except for 9in slicks. Hopefully now I can start tuning and tweaking to get it into the 10.90's.
Posted By: Kern Dog

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 07/27/13 06:21 AM

Very interesting. Keep the updates coming.
The skylark is a better looking car than the Olds. You have that going for you as well...
Posted By: Mr.Yuck

Re: 440 in a 68-72 GM A body. - 07/27/13 03:13 PM

Quote:

The SuperBeeUICK made it to TNT tonight. 11.11 at 120. It has max wedge ported performer heads, 10.50-1 compression and was all street legal except for 9in slicks. Hopefully now I can start tuning and tweaking to get it into the 10.90's.



Good job, hope the GM boys weren't too hurt by the power plant.
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