Moparts
Help with my new 340 build up
Posted By: 67barrracuda
Help with my new 340 build up - 06/26/12 06:19 PM
Looking to build my first 340 sb and would like to see 450-500hp with a 750 dominator carb. I like aluminum heads, but which one. Whats the difference between the w2,w5,and w8 heads. Any help to point me in the right direction is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
67barrracuda
Posted By: DJVCuda
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/26/12 06:27 PM
I dont think you need anything but an out of the box eddy head to make the 500 hp your requiring, if your willing to stroke it.
I just made 511 hp with stock eddy heads, an air gap intake and a 750 HP carb.
MY 430 BUILD
Posted By: Triple Threat
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/26/12 06:29 PM
This is old, but the information is still the same
http://www.moparts.org/Tech/Archive/smallblock/23.htmlWhat are your goals? Stroker crank in the budget? Street car? Race Only?
Tons of different ways to get the job done in this scenario.
Posted By: jim sciortino
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/26/12 06:34 PM
Quote:
Looking to build my first 340 sb and would like to see 450-500hp with a 750 dominator carb. I like aluminum heads, but which one. Whats the difference between the w2,w5,and w8 heads. Any help to point me in the right direction is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
67barrracuda
W2,W5 and especially W8s are overkill for those levels.......not to mention alittle "involved".
Stick a 4in arm in that thing with a touched uo Eddy and you'll have a nice street combo with plenty of steam.
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/26/12 07:43 PM
Here is a Hughes 426 I had on my dyno recently. Kind of shows you how mild of a build will get you where you want to be if you go with a longer stroke combination.
It had a real mild Hughes 3237 hydraulic cam.
Keith
.jpg "7266403-Scan0014(582x800).jpg")
Posted By: 67barrracuda
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/26/12 09:19 PM
What I have is a 67 barracuda notchback , auto trans, 3.91 posi, 29" drag radials. Looking to build something to push it into the 11's, but be very streetable and run cool. I could build a stroker, but is it worth the money if I'm not looking for a 600hp motor. I see a lot of different head choices out there for sb mopars and was looking for what combinations really worked.
Posted By: viperblue72
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/26/12 10:01 PM
Yes a stroker combination is worth it. At your level you could use the cast steel crankshaft thats under 400 dollars. And yes these cast cranks are plenty strong for that level. So you get 416 cubes out of a 340 for only about 200 bucks more than you would normally pay. Plus lighter rotating assembly.
I would use some edelbrock heads at your level, or score some used w2 heads for when you want to turn it up a little more.
Posted By: Brian Hafliger
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/26/12 10:04 PM
If you go with a 4" crank deal, and RHS heads like the ones IMM sells you'll be into the mid-low 11's.
Easy to get 480HP from a nice hyd. cam, rpm airgap intake and 10.2:1 compression.
Brian
Posted By: B3422W5
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/26/12 10:11 PM
You can get well into the 11's without a stroker.
Little brother has a 9-1 360, ported eddies, weiand excellerator, dinky small tube headers( its a 66dart gt) 750 holley, and a healthier than it needs to be flat tappet cam and runs 11.40's without working up a sweat.Can drive the thing anywhere.
I have a bauudy who ran 10.90's with a comp cams 525/305 hydralic cam in a 360 but had some compression with eddies that werent ported.
Good eddies and matching parts and 11's are real easy.
Posted By: fishy340
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 12:24 AM
Quote:
I dont think you need anything but an out of the box eddy head to make the 500 hp your requiring, if your willing to stroke it.
I just made 511 hp with stock eddy heads, an air gap intake and a 750 HP carb.
MY 430 BUILD
with a 340 done right,super easy w A 4" crank for some cubes...and a lightly touched up set of eddy's..if i were you i'd do it with a hyd roller cam,no maint type deal 
Posted By: RobX4406
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 12:45 AM
A 340 will have to turn to get that HP. Most of the ones I've seen turn around 6500 to get there with rhs/ede heads.
I'd look at a stroker with some heads,IMM RHS, ede's with some work, much easier to get the number and don't have to turn it more than about 5500 with a 3.90 gear in the back. A good working car will run mid 11's or faster pretty and still be docile around the street.
Posted By: 67barrracuda
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 02:46 AM
Thanks for all the good information.
OK, this is what I'm thinking.
stroke the motor ( what need to be done to the block for a stroker kit)
eddy heads (out of the box)
air gap intake
750 carb
Which cam and how much compression?
Posted By: 67barrracuda
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 02:54 AM
Is there any year 340 block better any another?
I have a chance to pick up a 72 bare block for $250, do you think it's worth it?
Posted By: viperblue72
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 03:30 AM
If the block is std. bore I think that would be a pretty good deal.
Posted By: DJVCuda
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 01:04 PM
Quote:
stroke the motor ( what need to be done to the block for a stroker kit)
eddy heads (out of the box)
you might need to notch the bottoms of the cylinders depending on what rods and stroke you use.
and eddy's out of the box is a bad idea - have them gone through by a machine shop - mine OOTB were too tight on the valve guides and had a bunch of intake valves with too much seat runout. They also had alot of left over chunks in the water passages from being machined at teh factory.
Posted By: fishy340
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 01:52 PM
Quote:
A 340 will have to turn to get that HP. Most of the ones I've seen turn around 6500 to get there with rhs/ede heads.
I'd look at a stroker with some heads,IMM RHS, ede's with some work, much easier to get the number and don't have to turn it more than about 5500 with a 3.90 gear in the back. A good working car will run mid 11's or faster pretty and still be docile around the street.
not really my sb 340 that made 506hp did it all by 5800rpm the tq was nice like 540ish..my friends use to laugh cause i would shift at 6ooo they thought i wasnt bringing it high enough.
Posted By: 67barrracuda
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 05:52 PM
Which heads could be used out of the box?
Posted By: Triple Threat
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 06:03 PM
Edelbrocks are fine, or the RHS heads from Brian at IMM. But what people are saying is you should have them checked by your machine shop before bolting them on the engine. Being a mass produced item things often slip through the cracks.
I didn't have mine checked, and mine were fine but I was taking a gamble and I knew that. As a broke college student it was my only option.
If you get the RHS heads from IMM, Brian assembles them, so they would not need to be checked again.
Posted By: RobX4406
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 06:12 PM
Quote:
Quote:
A 340 will have to turn to get that HP. Most of the ones I've seen turn around 6500 to get there with rhs/ede heads.
I'd look at a stroker with some heads,IMM RHS, ede's with some work, much easier to get the number and don't have to turn it more than about 5500 with a 3.90 gear in the back. A good working car will run mid 11's or faster pretty and still be docile around the street.
not really my sb 340 that made 506hp did it all by 5800rpm the tq was nice like 540ish..my friends use to laugh cause i would shift at 6ooo they thought i wasnt bringing it high enough.
Stock stroke? With which head and how much additional work? Doubt it got there with an OOTB ede head without a 4" arm.
Posted By: sshemi
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 08:19 PM
Id go with ebrocks because the rhs are really heavy
Posted By: RobX4406
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 08:26 PM
Quote:
Id go with ebrocks because the rhs are really heavy
Brians heads will beat the ootb ede's for power pretty easily for roughly the same money as the ede's before correction. More than make up for any weight penalty. Budget sounds like a concern here.
Posted By: 1Fast340
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 08:42 PM
i wouldnt go with any of the stock replacement types at all. i would go for a W-series head i sure wish today that i had done that instead of putting money into something that has lots of limitations, and yes this comes from the idiot who is sinking even more money into trying to make more power with those edelbrocks by trowing money at the problem by putting a screw ontop of them.
stock replacement heads are fine if you dont have any intentions making big power in the future.
Posted By: fishy340
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 09:24 PM
your adding a bunch of $ by going with a w series head,for a motor thats going for small hp...eddy perf rpm's will do easy!!! if ur lookin for a head that works great to 600 lift,why go crazy? here my old combo 340 stock block,0.60 over 4" crank,11.1 comp with a flat tappet cam 255/255 @ 588 lift...pretty simple 3200lb 3500 stall 4.30 gear on 28x10.5 there a 10sec pumpgas car
Posted By: justinp61
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 09:24 PM
My Dart went 7.42 in the 1/8 at #3240 with my stock stroke 340 and 4.30 gears shifting at 6400. It only picked .006 over the 3.91 set I had in it before.
My Edelbrocks were ported by Curtis Boggs, it had a Hughes 3742 flat hydraulic cam, 11.2-1 compression and a Weaind X-Celerator single plane intake with a Quick Fuel Q-750 on it. According to the online calculators it made in the 450 hp range
. I drove it a lot and once I installed a mechanical fan and shroud it never had any overheating issues, plus it ran on pump 93.
Personally I like all the benifits that go along with the aluminum heads
.
I now have a 408 and it's a bear but also a lot more $$$ than I had in the 340.
Posted By: Guitar Jones
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 09:50 PM
Quote:
i wouldnt go with any of the stock replacement types at all. i would go for a W-series head i sure wish today that i had done that instead of putting money into something that has lots of limitations, and yes this comes from the idiot who is sinking even more money into trying to make more power with those edelbrocks by trowing money at the problem by putting a screw ontop of them.
stock replacement heads are fine if you dont have any intentions making big power in the future.
It's actually cheaper to buy a head that has more future potential to it than to settle for something less because right now you only want X amount of power. All of you should know that once you have X amount you'll want more later so if you buy a head that has future potential you are bucks ahead.
Posted By: Oyvind Mopar
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/27/12 11:49 PM
Quote:
i wouldnt go with any of the stock replacement types at all. i would go for a W-series head i sure wish today that i had done that instead of putting money into something that has lots of limitations, and yes this comes from the idiot who is sinking even more money into trying to make more power with those edelbrocks by trowing money at the problem by putting a screw ontop of them.
stock replacement heads are fine if you dont have any intentions making big power in the future.
Would you prefer W2 to the Eddys? I cannot see that Eddys are limiting when you "screw" them? 
Posted By: 65signet
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 01:18 AM
If you going to run under 11.1 comp. go with an iron head
Posted By: 67barrracuda
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 01:46 AM
Posted By: Guitar Jones
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 02:05 AM
Quote:
What do you think of this stroker kit?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCAT-SB-CHRYLSER...790&vxp=mtr
That's a 4.070 bore kit so you need an R block or a 340 block. Also is that a forged crank? If not I'd pass. Get a forged crank to start with and you won't have to buy another one later.
Posted By: MR_P_BODY
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 02:09 AM
Quote:
Quote:
What do you think of this stroker kit?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCAT-SB-CHRYLSER...790&vxp=mtr
That's a 4.070 bore kit so you need an R block or a 340 block. Also is that a forged crank? If not I'd pass. Get a forged crank to start with and you won't have to buy another one later.
He does have a 340 block... I dont care for the I-
beam rods ... plus its still gonna need a balance
Posted By: Hot 340
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 02:15 AM
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
What do you think of this stroker kit?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCAT-SB-CHRYLSER...790&vxp=mtr
That's a 4.070 bore kit so you need an R block or a 340 block. Also is that a forged crank? If not I'd pass. Get a forged crank to start with and you won't have to buy another one later.
He does have a 340 block... I dont care for the I-
beam rods ... plus its still gonna need a balance
Scat I beams are decent rod for the money though. But those dont look like scat i beams in the picture.
Posted By: RobX4406
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 02:39 AM
That kit is fine.
The cranks is a cast unit and plenty for 500hp, seen some with 600hp run that crank. At that level, 600, I'd consider running a forged unit.
The scat I beam rods are same, seen those things take 600hp and 7K+ rpm.
Posted By: sshemi
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 08:01 AM
Quote:
Quote:
Id go with ebrocks because the rhs are really heavy
Brians heads will beat the ootb ede's for power pretty easily for roughly the same money as the ede's before correction. More than make up for any weight penalty. Budget sounds like a concern here.
i dissagree
Posted By: 1Fast340
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 10:48 AM
Quote:
Quote:
i wouldnt go with any of the stock replacement types at all. i would go for a W-series head i sure wish today that i had done that instead of putting money into something that has lots of limitations, and yes this comes from the idiot who is sinking even more money into trying to make more power with those edelbrocks by trowing money at the problem by putting a screw ontop of them.
stock replacement heads are fine if you dont have any intentions making big power in the future.
Would you prefer W2 to the Eddys? I cannot see that Eddys are limiting when you "screw" them?
yes i sure would prefer them,they are known to make very good power if done right:) the screw was sort of a bandaid to make up for the limitations of the heads, and W-2īs would have taken me much further before i would find the need for that screw.
Posted By: 67barrracuda
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 03:36 PM
Thanks again, and I'll be looking to pick a lot of these parts at the Carlisle show next week. I still think the hardest decision is to which head to buy.
Posted By: RobX4406
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 05:40 PM
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Id go with ebrocks because the rhs are really heavy
Brians heads will beat the ootb ede's for power pretty easily for roughly the same money as the ede's before correction. More than make up for any weight penalty. Budget sounds like a concern here.
i dissagree
Test an OOTB ede, not a corrected head with a better valve job, against Brian's RHS head and get back to us.
This guy is on a budget from his statements.
Posted By: sshemi
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 06:12 PM
Sure flow vise maybe but there are other benefits with ebrocks.
I have had ootb ebrocks and they have worked for me, needed no work.
I run rhs on my 408 now and im not very happy with them, they flow good but i needed to enlargEn the holes for one valvecover and for the headers and the intake fits like crap
Posted By: Brian Hafliger
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 06:47 PM
Quote:
Sure flow vise maybe but there are other benefits with ebrocks.
I have had ootb ebrocks and they have worked for me, needed no work.
I run rhs on my 408 now and im not very happy with them, they flow good but i needed to enlargEn the holes for one valvecover and for the headers and the intake fits like crap
The RHS heads should come with a buyer beware sticker as they do need some fit and finish in the OOTB form.
On almost every sb we build with ANY heads, the intakes have to be milled anywhere from .045-.060 to make them fit and line the ports up. Just part of engine building.
Nothing wrong with the Eddy heads either....just takes more $$$ to get the power.
Brian
Posted By: RobX4406
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 07:34 PM
Quote:
Sure flow vise maybe but there are other benefits with ebrocks.
I have had ootb ebrocks and they have worked for me, needed no work.
I run rhs on my 408 now and im not very happy with them, they flow good but i needed to enlargEn the holes for one valvecover and for the headers and the intake fits like crap
I'm talking about Brian's heads, pull them out, slap them on and POWER produced compared to the OOTB ede's, not fit issues. What other suppliers heads do, not even a consideration, I was specific about the supplier. Not to mention component quality, springs, retainers, which gets lost in the shuffle in these deals.
If you have a pair of Brian's heads on your 408, swap those OOTB ede's on, then you'll be real disappointed in how it runs.
I did a bunch of clearancing on my ede's for pushrods. The crane roller rockers sure didn't fit with out clearancing either, so springs/retainers got swapped out. Just about every SB edelbrock air gap intake needs to be cut to fit stuff anymore. Fitting stuff up is just part of the game. Nothing is without warts. There are things about the rhs head that I'm not fond of too, none of my concerns about that are important when comparing to ede's.
Weight, 40 pounds... REALLY? This is the ONLY place the OOTB ede has an advantage for the OP's engine. How much HP does it take to overcome 40#? Like mentioned, I'll take the less expensive HP produced by the IMM RHS head over the 6-800 dollars in additional porting required on the ede's to get them in the same ball park. Most cars, especially street/strip cars, don't work well enough from a chassis standpoint to notice the weight difference. Maybe go on a diet to help out. 
I've never had a problem bolting up headers to the RHS X heads, tti, hookers (comp and SC), dougs, hedmans. I've never had to clearance a valve cover for a bolt hole either.
This post by the OP has BUDGET written all over it. Figure your all in price on both, especially a 450-500 hp engine which doesn't require anything fancy. You could get there with a set of J heads too...
Pick your parts, pay your money!
Posted By: jyrki
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 07:49 PM
I'm also building a (relatively) low buck 340. Have already the basic parts except the cam and the pistons. I intend to keep it simple, flat top pistons and either a solid flat tappet or roller cam with a single E85 carb. The heads are brand new (NOS?)closed chamber W2's bought from moparts forum that I will try to port, the crank is a stock 340 unit and the rods H-profile steelies. Mahle offers pistons, they have coatings & rings included and from what I've seen are good quality, light list pistons. They should provide CR between 11.5 -12_1 depending of the gaq between the head and block. Haven't thought much about the cam yet since still in early stages, the car will weigh around 2600 lbs with driver and the rest of the drivetrain is a doug nash maual and 8 3/4 with ladder bars.
Posted By: FlyFish
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 07:58 PM
Quote:
...............Weight, 40 pounds... REALLY? This is the ONLY place the OOTB ede has an advantage for the OP's engine. How much HP does it take to overcome 40#? ......
If the 40 lbs was on the rear of the car, it would not be a big deal, just add power...but 40 lbs off the nose IS a big deal.
Posted By: 67barrracuda
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 08:11 PM
Yes, this is a budget build and I wouldn't mind picking up a set of used heads.
Posted By: viperblue72
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 08:40 PM
Quote:
Quote:
What do you think of this stroker kit?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCAT-SB-CHRYLSER...790&vxp=mtr
That's a 4.070 bore kit so you need an R block or a 340 block. Also is that a forged crank? If not I'd pass. Get a forged crank to start with and you won't have to buy another one later.
That is only .030 over 340
Posted By: viperblue72
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 08:50 PM
That kit looks ok except with flat top pistons youre pushing the compression ratio limits for pump fuel. I would recommend that same crankshaft, hbeam rods and a dish piston that's forged. Any of the heads mentioned will work just fine. Yes, you will have to put a small notch in the bottom of each cylinder to clear the rod bolts. Its easier with the cap screw type hbeam(needs less clearance).
It is very easy to make power once the 4" arm is added and it will have better street manners. I exceeded my goals when I built a 408/360.
11.20s with mild ported eddies 10.7 compression, and a xe286 solid roller. 3200 pd street car. 3k stall and 4.10's.
w-2 heads have more horsepower potential than the other heads mentioned imo.
Posted By: viperblue72
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 08:52 PM
Quote:
Quote:
...............Weight, 40 pounds... REALLY? This is the ONLY place the OOTB ede has an advantage for the OP's engine. How much HP does it take to overcome 40#? ......
If the 40 lbs was on the rear of the car, it would not be a big deal, just add power...but 40 lbs off the nose IS a big deal.
What about higher compression ratio tolerance of an aluminum head? If the price is comparable why wouldn't you go with aluminum?
Posted By: justinp61
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/28/12 09:41 PM
Brian, just out of curosity. What is th max flow you have got out of the RHS head and the Edelbrocks on your bench, both fully ported?
BTW, I lost 48 lbs going from fully ported J heads to fully ported Edelbrocks.
Posted By: Brian Hafliger
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/29/12 05:37 AM
Quote:
Brian, just out of curosity. What is th max flow you have got out of the RHS head and the Edelbrocks on your bench, both fully ported?
BTW, I lost 48 lbs going from fully ported J heads to fully ported Edelbrocks.
They will go 298cfm at .650 lift before backing up.
Posted By: justinp61
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/29/12 07:54 AM
Thanks Brian, very good numbers. That's the RHS head? What about your fully ported Edelbrocks? Is there a price difference for the port work, aluminum and iron?
Posted By: sshemi
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/29/12 12:14 PM
Quote:
Quote:
Brian, just out of curosity. What is th max flow you have got out of the RHS head and the Edelbrocks on your bench, both fully ported?
BTW, I lost 48 lbs going from fully ported J heads to fully ported Edelbrocks.
They will go 298cfm at .650 lift before backing up.
My vent 298 at 0,515 lift and then stalled. Ex had a nice curve all the way up.
This is with 2.055 & 1.625 valves.
But my intake doesnt match the ports because of poor fitment. Didnt have the time to get it machined.
It is a decent head with some issues and why the ..ll didnt they make them out of alu???
Posted By: FlyFish
Re: Help with my new 340 build up - 06/29/12 03:55 PM
Quote:
.............
I exceeded my goals when I built a 408/360.
11.20s with mild ported eddies 10.7 compression, and a xe286 solid roller. 3200 pd street car. 3k stall and 4.10's..........
Funny! I have that EXACT same combo except with a 5k converter in my Barracuda. See sig for times.