Help - My 440 Challenger Sounds like a Camry

[777Guy]

I had a good friend build my 71 Challenger 440 4 speed for me and he did a great job but its not near as authoritive as I would have expected. In fact it sounds like a Camry at most times. I wish we had better contact through that last bit of the build as I know together we could have made it perfect but there was family issues and the project went on longer than expected. We lost contact at some crucial points and I think that's the issue. Anyway, enough drama.

The engine is .040" over has a set of heads are of 74 vintage because we couldn't find earlier heads with hardened seats when we started the project. So basically stock heads..... he put in a Melling SPD-11 cam (intake .283/exhaust .296 and duration IN .050:208/Ex .050:210) I think that's mostly a stock cam and likely one of the reasons it sounds like a Japanese grocery getter. To top it off its stock manifolds and exhaust. Yep, nice and docile.

I have a nicely refurbed 6 pack going in this month and since the intake is coming off I think its time to make it sound a little better. I have a 69 396 Camaro and the ground shakes when she roars.... I like that! Its basically a weekend street car so looks and sound are paramount. The go should be a given with the motor but I'm not looking to race it at all.

I've been poring over header horror stories of fitment and had a few heated arguments with buddies over 3" or 2.5" exhaust systems. Seems I don't need 3" until 500HP, so likely will never need that. So do I need headers? if so which ones are going to give good low end power, sound mean and can be installed without the hand of God helping. Do I need a CAM, if so which one? The finally the exhaust, should I toss it completely and go 2.5" or even larger?

[JS29]

  The only pony car of the era that i don't see there is a javelin! nice collection.     

[dodj]

I'm no cam guru,  they will chime in soon,  but that's not much cam for a 6 barrel
I have a lunati I'm very happy with,  703 I think. Need new springs to go with it.

[RUNCHARGER]

I like Lunati cams. Any idea what your real compression ratio is? What your convertor stalls at? You need 2.5 inch exhaust on a mild 440 like that. 3 inch if you want to do upgrades. TTI headers are the best for fitment but others will work as well.

[usraptor]

TTI 1 7/8" headers with TTI 2.5 X pipe and Dynomax Super Turbo mufflers. Fitment is almost perfect.  Combine with Lunati SKU 10230702LK cam and lifters and you'll be happy.  I ran these headers and cam on my 440/512 stroker with a Quickfuel 880 CFM carb, Holley Dominator aluminum instake, ProMaxx aluminum heads with a TTI 3" X pipe until I changed to a custom Bullit hydralic roller cam.  With stock heads you'll probably also need to change valve springs.

[7212Mopar]

Exhaust cutouts will be cheapest. Headers won't do much with such a small cam. Earth pounding exhaust notes comes with higher engine compression ratio and open headers.

[1 Wild R/T]

a Melling SPD-11 cam (intake .283/exhaust .296 and duration IN .050:208/Ex .050:210) I think that's mostly a stock cam and likely one of the reasons it sounds like a Japanese grocery getter. To top it off its stock manifolds and exhaust. Yep, nice and docile.

The the advertised duration initially sounded reasonable but apparently Melling uses really long ramps cause the @.050 duration is ridiculously short....
Something in the 225-235 @.050 would be decent but as Sheldon mentioned knowing true measured C/R would help choosing a cam..

And yes 1 7/8 TTi's & 2.5 exhaust is a good choice....

[777Guy]

I have to pull the intake off anyway to install the six pack so I should do the cam at the same time, its a pretty affordable upgrade anyway. I've gotten a few suggestions for cam and two seem to stand out the Lunati 702 or the 703. So I think I will change the cam, I think she's just a stock compression with 906 heads. Are one of these cams standout for street driving? I want something that sounds mean but I suspect either one will be a huge improvement over the stockish cam I have now.

Thanks
Mike

[GrandpaKevin]

 Welcome and nice Camry!

I installed the Lunati 702 cam in my wife's 440 Six Pack Challenger.

She wanted great street manners and didn't want a super radical sounding idle.

Great bottom end and mid range power and great vacuum for the Six Pack

I would describe the idle sound as choppy, not lopey so maybe look at the 703

I've tried to attach a video of the engine at idle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyYhnCKkGGY&feature=youtu.be

This video is my 440 Six Pack equipped 71 Challenger R/T.
The cam is a classic Mopar .528 solid lifter, probably more to your liking but would need more gear and converter (if auto trans), it's not as street friendly and much less vacuum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LszqkPlY7eA&feature=youtu.be

[Chryco Psycho]

Welcome From Panama !!
Overlap is critical , if you go to headers you want 110* LSA
If you stay with manifolds which work just fine stay with 112* LSA
I know the 702 cam has 112* , I recall the 703 is 110*
Lunati makes great grinds for Mopars !
You will need to tune the 6 pack for the 703 cam BTW .

[777Guy]

Kevin;

Vids are marked as private, can you open the up?

Thanks
Mike

[777Guy]

My engine builder dug up the compression ration, says 10.0:1

Mike

[GrandpaKevin]

Kevin;

Vids are marked as private, can you open the up?

Thanks
Mike

Try it now

[1 Wild R/T]

My engine builder dug up the compression ration, says 10.0:1

Mike

While he's digging ask what pistons are in the build & if he knows how many CC's the heads are...  Have the heads or block been milled beyond a clean up pass?

[777Guy]

GranpaKevin!!

Really?? A pair of plum crazy 440 six packs!?!?! I think either would be a huge improvement! I'm really not kidding too much about the sound of mine very Camry like, stock cam, stock intake, stock manifolds and exhaust.