Transmission?????

[Dadkdko]

ey I'm looking for advice on which transmission I should go with? I'm building a street/strip 70 charger. Currently building a 440 and hoping to make anywhere from 700-900 HP. I mean I want this to be a daily driver that'll also wipe out anything on the road basically. Not too much to ask for right? 😂 but I've been considering going with a 5/6spd. Or should I stick with a 4spd? Maybe even auto 727? I want the quick acceleration for those short 1/8th and 1/4 mile races, but I also want plenty of top end power to be able to keep up with those Corvette's when they hit 5th and 6th gear! Any advice?

[Lennard]

What is your engine recipe to get 700 to 900 hp out of a 440?

[Dadkdko]

Bored .060 over. Scat 4340 rotating assembly. Stroked making 541ci ..high flow aluminum head. There's. Haven't decided exactly what I'm doing with them yet. Double holley 850 carbs 871 blower etc etc...

[69wannabe]

Be easier to go in debt for a hellcat challenger, you will have a crap ton of money in a 70 charger and still get out ran by something as I have learned it's almost impossible to have the fastest car on the road and drive it everyday to work and back home. Just my 

[Dadkdko]

Yea I know you're right and it most likely won't be a daily driver. I estimate around $15-20k in the engine alone. Those Hellcat's are nice but I don't do modern cars. There's just something about a big bad 70 charger. I also thought about buying a 572 crate hemi. 700 horsepower out of the box for around $20k. And that's before the blower. But my issue is tmstill the transmission.

[Lennard]

Manual transmissions/clutches don't really like the kind of horsepower you're talking about.  Nothing is impossible but it's going to cost you a boat load of money and parts will break.  A beefed up TF727 is the smarter route to go.

[Daytona R/T SE]

I mean I want this to be a daily driver that'll also wipe out anything on the road basically.

Something like this ?

[Dadkdko]

OK I will definitely look into that transmission. I had my hopes set on a manual but I understand what your saying. I don't mind an auto. I just want a fast car period.

[Dadkdko]

And yes, something like the fast and furious charger lol

[ws23rt]

What you are asking for is what the hellcat challenger (or charger) will give.--And more btw--
If you have to have the body of a 68-69 charger their is a thread here all about how to do that as well.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,101925.1450.html

You say you don't do modern cars?  What you are asking for is what modern cars do.

With that said I would go for the 8sp auto that the current hellcat cars use. Or if you prefer the 6sp manual they use. That will or should satisfy your question about the transmission to use that is your question.

If you do this conversion I suspect you will be back with more questions. About the rest of your car.

[Charger_Fan]

I mean I want this to be a daily driver that'll also wipe out anything on the road basically.

Something like this ?

I think he means something like this, including the girl.

[ws23rt]

I think that is exactly what he is looking for. -----But wait this is about the transmission?--

Sorry Dadkdko  but listen to our humor and how it answers your question.  

Being short and getting to the point sometimes serves us all.

[1974dodgecharger]

Bored .060 over. Scat 4340 rotating assembly. Stroked making 541ci ..high flow aluminum head. There's. Haven't decided exactly what I'm doing with them yet. Double holley 850 carbs 871 blower etc etc...

you wont make it....builders I have talked to for a wedge engine to surive a daily driver abuse at 900HP you will be rebuilding it monthly if that's your thing go for it.  You mind as well buy a HEMI and spent extra 5k on a engine build up that will last. 

Also to daily drive a blower setup with carbs you will be fighting the tune for city driving and WOT settings.....mind as well get fuel injections. 

Transmission will be the last to worry about you will need to build everything all up and drivetrain also.

[Mike DC]

 
If you're not already well experienced with old muscle cars then forget about driving it more than 5000 miles a year.

I'm not saying you cannot get the experience or want it as badly.  I'm saying you may not understand what you are attempting.  Daily driving these 50yo cars is a big challenge with 200 horsepower.  

These things are shockingly cheap in build quality by modern standards.  They were designed to last 50,000 miles or so.  If you could start with one brand new it would present obstacles.  And you're not doing that, you're starting with one already 50 years old.  It's probably got a couple hundred thousand miles on it already, and probably at least one past restoration that is partially worn through by now.   

[dyslexic teddybear]

Define "daily driver".

Very, very few would put up with the compromises needed with an old car to have that range of power on a daily basis.

For me personally, the compromise I just could not live with would be parking it where it would be safe from idiots. I couldn't leave it for any length of time, useless for a DD.

I would NOT strangle anyone over a car.....but the stress to resist that urge, wouldn't be worth it for a daily driver. Ironically, the evil kitty falls into that as well. Now......if I could figure out how to get the inter-cooler to work with it looking like a V6 model, sorta stealth-cat........that could be fun....

[1974dodgecharger]

lmao, I must be bored, but I read he wanted to keep up with corvettes while they are in 6th gear.......with a 4 speed.

You can keep up with them    with 800 plus horsepower, but you will fail on the very top end of things like say 130 and beyond.....say your doing friendly highway racing from 30 or up to 50 you will be fine and hang with hellcats with 800HP, but they slaughter you after 120 and beyond while they are still in 5th gear and your at 4th gear spinning 4k rpm doing 130.

I only speak from experience....

[Dadkdko]

No that's why I'm saying I would like to go with a6 speed. So that I wouldn't get wiped out at higher speeds. And falls humor is fine but your missing the point. The car doesn't have to be so much a DAILY driver, but rather something I can hop into and go wherever. Say I wanna go get groceries. Or take a trip to Miami. Maybe I should have said weekend driver. All I'm saying is I want a car that can go fast but still be driven to the store. With the pickup a powerglide can provide, but the top end power of a 6 speed.(and I know there will be sacrifices, you can't have both) but I'm looking for something that will give me a little of both. Is this possible? And I do have a 426 hemi laying around (not complete) but I want to preserve it. If I'm gonna abuse an engine, I would rather it be my 440.

[Challenger340]

Been there, done this for one of my Customers.
His is a 900+hp 572 Hemi, Carbureted on 91 Octane pump gas in a 1969 Satellite/RR clone.

And while yes it can be done, it is very expensive, and the 5,000 miles of street driving is best spread over about 3 seasons before teardown / inspection & freshening.
YES, he can drive right past a Hellcat, and anything else that has tried, as long as he pedals it out of the hole until rolling sufficiently to get traction on it without falling too far behind.
NO, it is not going to "handle" at higher speeds with a Corvette, etc. While it is fully capable of 140+ mph in the 1/4 mile going in a straight line, corners are just not in the picture.
FORGET the manual Trans, that is for romantic dummies. Auto is the ONLY way to maintain a driveline connection under that much power, in his case a Turbo 400.
Prepare to spend at least as much or MORE preparing the CAR and support systems for that much power.

IMO
While HellCat's are impressive with the "700 hp" being spewed everywhere as some kind of Factory Trophy moniker.... and Granted with the new technology handling packages far superior to any of the old drunken elephant musclecars, I hate to burst anyone bubble here....
but they just ain't that quick on the Street from what we're seeing ?
Last weekend we had a 625 hp 408 SB Stroker Demon soundly trounce another Hellcat not once..... but in 3 re-matches for good measure.
HellCat's are a very quick factory offering.... but they are just not going to best a seasoned Street/Car & Racer in a street race that is on his game sub mid 11's to on street asphalt co-efficient of friction.

[Challenger340]

No that's why I'm saying I would like to go with a6 speed. So that I wouldn't get wiped out at higher speeds. And falls humor is fine but your missing the point. The car doesn't have to be so much a DAILY driver, but rather something I can hop into and go wherever. Say I wanna go get groceries. Or take a trip to Miami. Maybe I should have said weekend driver. All I'm saying is I want a car that can go fast but still be driven to the store. With the pickup a powerglide can provide, but the top end power of a 6 speed.(and I know there will be sacrifices, you can't have both) but I'm looking for something that will give me a little of both. Is this possible? And I do have a 426 hemi laying around (not complete) but I want to preserve it. If I'm gonna abuse an engine, I would rather it be my 440.

FORGET the Manual Trans..... you need to maintain the driveline CONNECTED at all times under that much Torque/Load on the street.

"dis"-connecting with a clutch is just stupidity manifesting itself as a continual string of broken parts for your wallet to replace.

[Dadkdko]

Thank you! Best reply I've heard so far. And I'm honestly not stuck on having 900hp. I would be satisfied with 650-700. These are all just wants. But I would definitely go with more practicality. Obviously I want a car I can drive, but I want to make these modern chargers/challengers, camaros etc look bad.

[chargd72]

I just got my SB 727 built to handle 800hp+ all day for under $1k.  I went with 3.23 which is a nice tall gear for a 3 speed.  If I need to drop RPM for highway cruising I will just put in Gear Vendors later on.  It gives you 3 low and 3 high.   It still won't give me all the top end as the modern 6 speed cars but I plan on proving my point by 140mph.  Just an option.

[Dadkdko]

Nice way of putting it. I may do that. I already have a 727 so I may just build it up. What all did u do to yours?

[69wannabe]

Wasn't trying to bust any bubbles but like most have said above you are asking alot from a 50 yr old car. It's not that you can't build these car's to run but strait line driving at high speeds are recommended since getting these cars to handle at high speeds of 130+ maybe not be so easy. Even with the tubular K frames and all the upgrades it's still a big heavy old car. if you have an endless supply of cash then you can do alot more that the average joe and come close to your dream charger. Just keep in mind that the Fast and Furious charger was a 383 auto with a nice paint job and a dummy blower sticking through the hood. My buddy had a 68 charger he painted black and paid around 12 or 13K to get a 440 built up to run an 871 blower and then he sent it to a tuning shop to get it running better since it just didn't seem to ever run like he expected. The tuning shop got it running good and ran it on the dyno and it kicked out 475hp at the rear wheels. That was rather disappointing from what he was told by the blower company. That was on 8 psi of boost and the guy was afraid to run it on the dyno at 14 psi because he said the converter was too loose. The blower company said he would kick out 600+ at the rear wheels and he was over 100hp behind that which the car did run good after it was tuned but after driving it a few months through the summer months it was smoking and using oil pretty bad. It was cool to see but after the experience I believe I will pass on the blower myself. They do look awesome tho....

[Dadkdko]

Yea see that's what I'm afraid of. Pouring tons of money into it to experience that kind of disappointment. I mean with the setup I have in mind it doesn't seem too impossible but u never know. And I'm not so much worried about tubular chassis etc. I Dont plan on doing much more than. Straight line racing. I'm just not sure if I'm building a car that I won't be able to drive much. What blower company did he use? I was looking at BDS.

[1974dodgecharger]

don't pour that much money into a old car im telling you right now if your looking for all out power and handling just go get a HELLCAT and keep the 440 built up to 700HP and drive it on occasion......

If you want something unique, rare, sure build up the charger, but don't go crazy like I did and still doing.

I have been there building up my car to over 700HP (estimate) engine was 505Hp without boost then I added 10lbs of boost pushed through it YES its fun, but as a daily driver its hard, but YES it was FUN.  Be prepared to upgrades galore and money pit!!!!  I did all the work myself and still cost me a pretty penny.

[Challenger340]

Yea see that's what I'm afraid of. Pouring tons of money into it to experience that kind of disappointment. I mean with the setup I have in mind it doesn't seem too impossible but u never know. And I'm not so much worried about tubular chassis etc. I Dont plan on doing much more than. Straight line racing. I'm just not sure if I'm building a car that I won't be able to drive much. What blower company did he use? I was looking at BDS.

650-700 hp with a Blower is absolutely childsplay with a BB Mopar, and very driveable.
About the only issues for extended long term useage year after year are the 2 Bolt Main integrity, which is too lengthy subject for discussion here, nonetheless, selecting a good Shop familiar with.... and specializing in  BB Mopar Engines is paramount at the outset.
Expect $20K for a longblock assembly alone, Blower/Drive/etc., etc., all extra,
and of course......
a substantial investment as well in everything else from Frame Connectors, Cage, Fuel / Cooling / Exhaust and Ignition SYSTEMS, Transmission / Rearend / Gearing & Suspension upgrades as well as tires/wheels.
When I say Systems referenced above.... I mean just THAT ! Designed from front to back in all aspects at the onset as satisfactory support for the Engine & effort you are undertaking.

IMO, and in my experience ?
The "disappointments" from expectations.... ONLY happen from poor planning and cheaping out ! 'Nuff said !

[1974dodgecharger]

What challenger340 said......in the end it will costs u a alot.

[Dadkdko]

Right on. See I don't mind spending the money as long as I know it's going somewhere. If I'm not warring my time. Sounds like I have my work cut out for me regardless

[mopar0166]

NOT TCI

If your doing the build refer to TSR Racing, great company

[Dadkdko]

Will do thanks a bunch