Help me design my 440 rbld. please, cam advice, head work? other parts(pics)

[SeattleCharger]

Hi, soon to bring engine to rebuild shop. (pics)  Especially need input on cam choice. opinions,   more slightly radical cams driven on street, what works for you?  
  Questions, have two blocks, (in pics), don't know which block I should use, can combine them.  One is a steel crank, '72, other one not sure, that stamp on disassembled block says
                                                                                                     T440        EH
                                                                                                      12   21   +XA    (the + is a red baron symol, not a plus actually)

   This engine rebuild is going in my '68.

   hp exhaust manifolds
   2 1/2 dual exhaust
   2500 stall
   edelbrock rpm highrise intake (1500 to 6000 rpm rating)
   thermoquad 850cfm or a holley 770 avenger (was considering an avenger 870 at one time)
   a stock oil pan nice shape, edelbrock chrome valve covers, reconditioned radiator,
   don't know my rearend gears yet, have to jack up car and spin it,
   shift kit

      Will use some kind of forged pistons, don't know what kind,
      Will try and get a quench build, piston top to deck, .40 gasket, don't know if this affects piston or rod choice, and $, so I can get maybe 10:1 and run
                                                                                                                                                                                                        pump gas
      The 72 engine has #346 casted heads I believe.  Have some $ to put into headwork, porting?
   
    Need any help, suggestions.  Want as big a cam I can get with the exhaust setup and stall I have, have manual brakes.  But not for strip, want some low end
    response. 
  Is there any way I can get around 425 horsepower?  What upgrades would I need? 
Thank you,
Nate
   
   

[SeattleCharger]

Ok, guess what I'm asking, what upgrades from stock are most bang for buck?   special rings?   spring?  rockers?   getting forged pistons and bigger cam, (that is difficult to know which is a good size)  but what else is good idea from stock?  have some extra money I can put into maybe head work?  I don't know,  sort of looking at ideas about this when I bring this to machine shop for rebuild,
thanks,
Nate

[dads_69]

Nate, if your going to want a street motor. Heres what my 440 will have. All new valves and guides.
0.30 over six pak pistons, forged. 10.7 to 1. Stock rods. '67 heads 3 angle valve job, Isky dual springs good for 600. lift cam Mopar perf. rocker shafts and rockers. Lunati cam 513. 294 duro. 2600 stall conv. Trani' stage 1 shift. Hemi clutch pack disc. 5.0 kick down. Bolt in sprag. TTI headers. 850 Edel. carb. M1 intake DP. True roller chain. Have gear drive also, might use that later. You can dail in cam much more w/gear driven chain. Steel crank stock. Engine said they have built almost the same motor before and it had 430 H.P. w/ 500 Trq. I have the sheet from my 451 years ago, when I find it I'll post it for you. It had almost 512 H.P. and 588 Trq. in a '68 charger. Ran hard and fast all day long @ 6 miles to the gallon! Had 3.91 gears, it would hit 130 mph in a blink, then sort of stop around that speed. Hope this gives you info. to what you'll have.
Mark 

[Rolling_Thunder]

I built a mild street engine -  specs below...

.030" over stock bore
9:1 forged pistons
stock rods
stock crank
906 heads (3 angle, new guides, ect.)
Edelbrock Performer RPM cam
Six pack intake system

Made 466hp / 514tq...     keep in mind this was built simply for street...   nothing else - hense the low compression and how hp numbers

[RallyeMike]

Good to see you have motor to start working on, Nate.  What are you going to do with the car? Mostly a driver, with an occasional trip to the track?

[andy74]

dads69 sounds like a descent build, id be careful with the compression and iron heads-fire figther ron gave me a ton of good advice when i was building my other 440,hopefully he will chip in here-i know id stay with a little less cam,in the vodoo line there is a 4.90s lift that looks good

[Rayzor]

The 70 Hp 440 I am working on for my 68 has 60 over speed pro 2266F forged flat tops that give up almost 9.1 compression. I am also using the stock LY rods that I had arp bolts pressed in and shot peened and resized. The crank is steel forged that I spent a bit of time cleaning the extra forging flash and extra boogers that are on stock cranks. I had the block line honed after I put in the arp main stud kit and it needed it ! Also had the oil pickup hole hogged out for the hemi sized pickup tube. Cam is a Hughes 3038. With stock rockers it has 515 lift intake, 534 exhaust and 230 in 238 ex duration at .050 ground at 114 seperation. For heads I used the 906 castings with stainless 2.08 1.81 valves and hughes springs. I had both  the valve seats replaced to keep it happy with unleaded. I just did a bit of bowl blending to the new hard seats thats it for the port work. Didnt do much else to them besides a small mill to clean up the surfaces. Im using a performer rpm intake with a holley 750. Still up in the air about exhaust but I am leaning towards hp manifolds with a tti 2 1/2 exhaust. I am hoping to bust the 400 horse mark. Im not the 440 expert but I do recomend you get the best machine work you can afford and take your stock bolts and drop them is a trash can. Good luck! 

[SeattleCharger]

Good to see you have motor to start working on, Nate.  What are you going to do with the car? Mostly a driver, with an occasional trip to the track?

Hey Mike, this car is going to be a driver, just for fun , don't need it for regular transportation, but will be driven a lot I hope!  A trip to the track?  not really into racing, but might have to try it at least once, but want the thing to be able to launch pretty fast anyways, good amount of power, not real worried about having to change out plugs more frequently, heh, will adjust gears if needed,

   thanks all for the info everyone, appreciate the in depth build lists, and comments/recommendations     sounds like these are in the ballpark of what I am looking for,    maybe I can print these all and take em to machine shop and hope the guy is willing to spend a little time planning the parts list,
  maybe it was firefighter who commented somewhere that you can get a cam dialed in for having hp exhaust manifolds with lots of intake and carb

[Rayzor]

I did a touch of research on cam choices with the hp manifolds. It would seem that a dual pattern cam favoring the  exhaust with a bit more lift and duration can help the burned gas get out better with the manifolds. Also a wider lobe seperation angle 112/ 114 will work better. But if your not making enough hp in the end you can always use one of those 12V electric blowers they sell on ebay. I hear they can get you into the low 2's in the quarter. 

[Chryco Psycho]

Ross JE or Diamond should be able to help you with a properly shaped Qunech dome piston for the 346 open chamber heads