How to make a stronger block!?!?

[slim]

Well this might sound stupid but I'm thinking about getting a 66 440 block bored 60 over would this okay? I'm getting a really good deal on it. But i was wondering is there any way to strengthen the block?

[71440charger]

mine i am building for my 71 is a 66 block one of the strongest they say it should be fine

[RD]

you could always half-fill it with block fill (find it at summit, jegs, etc.) to sturdy it up.

[firefighter3931]

A main girdle will strengthen up the bottom end. I wouldn't bore it any more than i had to. If it'll clean up at .030 then go with that. 

Ron

[slim]

So where could i find a main girdle? What exactly is block filler and how does it work, and i've seen something about "sleeving" a block... whats that? THANKS!!!

[71440charger]

sleeving a block is kinda like putting in new cylinder walls

[67_Dodge_Charger]

Block filler fills where the water travels.  This is not a good idea for a street car.  Go to a good reliable machine shop and ask about a main girdle.  They would know the weak points of your block.  66 440 blocks are the strongest and the heads are very heavy.

What do you want to do with the engine?  What performance range are you looking for?

-Robert

[RD]

main girdle can be found:

http://gearsandrears.com/girdle.html

&

http://store.yahoo.com/chucker54/400440blgi.html



Can someone please explain to me why the 66 440 block is the strongest?  I have never heard of this before, and from what I understand of 440 blocks it totally matters on the amount of core shift that the block has to determine the strength or use of a block.

http://www.440source.com/blockinfo.htm

[67_Dodge_Charger]

Nickel content is a strong point for the 66 440.

[RD]

Nickel content is a strong point for the 66 440.

nickel content may be different, but the later blocks were only 10% less of nickel than the prior blocks.  A blocks strength is not so much in the alloy that it is made out of, rather it is the amount of core shift exists or does not exist that lends the strength of the block.  If the cylinder walls are .060 on a 66 block and I have a standard 75 440 block, guess what, the 75 is stronger.

I am not dismissing the fact that the alloy percentages of the early blocks do allow for a more dense molecular structure, but I just believe that too much creedence (sp?) is given to the "nickel content" motif.

Instead we should be looking at the individual characteristics of each block to determine their strengths instead of stating a certain year or casting.  When we generalize in this arena, urban legends begin and myths propagate throughout the mopar community and thus misleading many of enthusiasts into believing that this one block is the best, when it actuality, it is not.

someone please correct me if I am so far out there in left field I ended up in right.

[firefighter3931]

Actually, the later 69 and up blocks are considered stronger because of the ribs cast into the exterior waterjacket. If you're making 500hp or less then just about any block is fine. It's worthwhile to sonic check any potential donor to see what you've got before sinking a bunch of money into machining a thinwall casting. 

Ron

[TylerCharger69]

Personally...myself.....I would rather re-sleeve than go .060 over.   It seems to work for a lot of folks, and then again....it seems to cause a bit of overheating in others.  As long as the engine....whatever the year that 440 was made...is balanced properly, there really shouldn't be any strength issues   unless your building something that's going to do 6 sec. 1/4's....LOL....Some  may feel differently though.  It really depends on what you want out of that engine

[deputycrawford]

Dick Landy himself has been quoted as saying that no 440 block has ever been produced with more nickel content. Only the sonic check tells you the strength. Not everybody believes in Dick Landy Industries but That cigar smoking man seems to have quite a history behind him.

[Blakcharger440]

Actually it was proved a myth that earlier 440 blocks were stronger or had more nickel content. There was an article in I believe Mopar Muscle that did a hardness test of random different years of 440 blocks and there was no evidence found that the earlier blocks were any stronger than the later blocks.

[voodoo]

There is no such thing as thinwall blocks. They DO NOT exist. This is from the following link http://www.440source.com/blockinfo.htm Check it out I think this should clear up any confusion and quite often  a good machinist will tell you if your asking too much out of what you have i.e. It's already worn to a point that .030 may be all you get but you have to trust the guy saying it.