Reconditioning an Engine Block - What do?

[Spartan040]

Hello all, long time no see. I'm finally in a financial position to start piecing together my project little by little. First step, I want to secure a 440 engine block.

First, what should I be looking for in a used block? What should I avoid?

Second, are there any good books or other sources of information that can give me a step by step guide on how to clean and recondition the block? I would like to do as much of the work myself as I can, though I have no experience with block machining, so I'll leave the bore and deck honing to a professional.

[Chryco Psycho]

Really just about all 440 blocks are equal .
The 67 blocks do not have the extra ridge along the side of the block at head bolt depth .
Less overbore is always better .
You can drop in a 440 Source stroker up to 512 CI .
Basically you need to steam the block & you can tumble them & they look like new .

[pschlosser]

The 440 engine block may be easier to find than a 426 or 340, because they came in vans, trucks and motor homes, as well as passenger cars.

As engine blocks are rebuilt, they get bored out "10-over" "20-over" etc.  If it were me, I would avoid a block that has already been bored to 30 over.

Ideally, you want a block that has already been tested (ex. magnaflux) for cracks.  But it comes down to  cost and availability.

Also, since they are somewhat plentiful, I would want to find a block that was the same year as my car, just to try to get things to match a little better.  Maybe even the a stamped HP (orange) block.

Unless you have (or plan to buy new) most of the internal engine parts, buying one that is somewhat complete can be a real help, too.  Not just a bare block, but eh whole thing, intake to oil pan.

[MoparLeo]

Ditto on finding a complete engine. This will give you a true indication of the engines overall condition before you $pend a lot of money on the machine work. It will show you if it is a virgin engine or a rebuilt.
Rebuilts are something to avoid if possible since you don't know what machine work was done prior or if it was even done properly.
Best to have the block. crank, rods, Cleaned and magna-fluxed for cracks before you do any additional work. I would also have the cylinder walls sonic tested for core shift before you think about boring the block.

[DeathProofCuda]

Probably no perfect source, but I like the Don Taylor book as a good all-around source on big block Mopar engine building basics.

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Block-Mopar-Engines-How-Rebuild/dp/1557881901/ref=asc_df_1557881901/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312111868535&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3708484824268894924&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009979&hvtargid=pla-449963363251&psc=1

This one has prettier color pictures, but I wouldn't recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/Rebuild-Big-Block-Mopar-Arvid-Svendsen/dp/1613252552/ref=asc_df_1613252552/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312202813865&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3708484824268894924&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009979&hvtargid=pla-432953368079&psc=1

Hopefully you've got a friend or two that have done this before and are willing to lend you some tools.  Otherwise your engine build budget should include a bunch of money for some new specialty tools in addition to all those new parts.  

Good luck with it. 

[Cuda_mark]

Really just about all 440 blocks are equal .
The 67 blocks do not have the extra ridge along the side of the block at head bolt depth .
Less overbore is always better .
You can drop in a 440 Source stroker up to 512 CI .
Basically you need to steam the block & you can tumble them & they look like new .

I agree with Chryco on the 440 Source 512 stroker. I did one in my challenger a handful of years back and was really happy with how it turned out.

[Spartan040]

Really just about all 440 blocks are equal .
The 67 blocks do not have the extra ridge along the side of the block at head bolt depth .
Less overbore is always better .
You can drop in a 440 Source stroker up to 512 CI .
Basically you need to steam the block & you can tumble them & they look like new .

I agree with Chryco on the 440 Source 512 stroker. I did one in my challenger a handful of years back and was really happy with how it turned out.

Yeah I remember him talking about those a while ago, they're definitely interesting. What sort of power did you end up producing? How streetable is it? What width tires are you having to use? How high and fast does it Rev? Did you go with a hydraulic roller or flat tappet cam and why?

[Spartan040]

Probably no perfect source, but I like the Don Taylor book as a good all-around source on big block Mopar engine building basics.

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Block-Mopar-Engines-How-Rebuild/dp/1557881901/ref=asc_df_1557881901/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312111868535&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3708484824268894924&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009979&hvtargid=pla-449963363251&psc=1

This one has prettier color pictures, but I wouldn't recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/Rebuild-Big-Block-Mopar-Arvid-Svendsen/dp/1613252552/ref=asc_df_1613252552/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312202813865&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3708484824268894924&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009979&hvtargid=pla-432953368079&psc=1

Hopefully you've got a friend or two that have done this before and are willing to lend you some tools.  Otherwise your engine build budget should include a bunch of money for some new specialty tools in addition to all those new parts.  

Good luck with it. 

Thanks! And I'm hopeful that my air base's auto hobby shop will let me keep my project there, and that they'll have all the tools I'll need.

[tparker]

Hi,
I was in a similar position with my engine. I ended up taking it in. I spent a little over 3k for the build that include new stroker pistons, crank, and cam. Assembly was under two hundred bucks or so. The reset was machine work and misc.

There are a couple mopar books that look ok. They seem to go step by step. But books always bother me in this sort of thing. I would use it as a guide, but I would use Youtube resources. There are tons of vids that show how to build up motors in details. I typically don't just watch one set, but look at several different ones just to get other tips or see if there are differences and what they are. Just search for 440 build or something similar

This guy has several playlists and at least one devoted to 440 builds
https://www.youtube.com/@PetesGarage/playlists

Uncle Tony has some good stuff but you will have to browse for it.
https://www.youtube.com/@UncleTonysGarage

[Chryco Psycho]

The 512 is really a solid build , the more CI the less the cam affects it so drivabilty is awesome with a very flat tq curve varying by 60 ft lbs from 2200 up to 5400 rpm , I have dynoed several at over 400 HP & 460 ft lbs at the rear tires on a mustang dyno , it is very difficult to get over 400 on a mustang dyno . tons of power & great reliability .
The 440 Source kit is a bargain build it doesn't cost significantly more than rebuilding the stock crank & rods with new pistons , rings & rod bolts etc .

[Spartan040]

The 512 is really a solid build , the more CI the less the cam affects it so drivabilty is awesome with a very flat tq curve varying by 60 ft lbs from 2200 up to 5400 rpm , I have dynoed several at over 400 HP & 460 ft lbs at the rear tires on a mustang dyno , it is very difficult to get over 400 on a mustang dyno . tons of power & great reliability .
The 440 Source kit is a bargain build it doesn't cost significantly more than rebuilding the stock crank & rods with new pistons , rings & rod bolts etc .

Sounds awesome! How fast and high do they rev? What's the usable RPM limit? I ask because when I was looking at making my 392 Hemi in my 2016 Challenger a stroker motor, I was told that the longer stroke and greater rotating mass made it rev and produce power a little slower, though this mattered a lot more for boosted applications

[Chryco Psycho]

You are removing 7 lbs from the rotating mass & a lot from the pistons so they rev faster for sure .
Usable power band is determined by cam , intake , carb , exhaust heads etc , the engine is an air pump the more air you can move = more power . Most of the ones I have built for street use are 2000-6000 range but can easily be taken higher with different cam etc .

[dodj]

@Chryco Psycho
What makes you like the 512 over the 500, 528, 543?
I bought a 440 block a few years ago to do this and may actually get around to doing a stroker kit this winter. Maybe not....see how it goes.

[Chryco Psycho]

Basically it comes down to math , a long rod ratio engine is very different from a short rod , rod ratio is key , even the cam should be designed differently  for longer rod engines , the piston moves slower at the top & bottom & fster through the middle of the bore this allows more time for the power created to act on the piston & better push & pull for exhaust & intake so I prefer to maintain as much rod ratio as possible .
The other factor is piston height , the more the stroke increases the shorter the piston becomes to the point where the oil ring covers the piston pin hole & a taller piston is more stable in the bore so when you get too big you are building a race only engine IMO . There are good piston choices for the 512 as well .
So most of the builds I have done for street use I tend to limit to 512 , not any bigger .