1974 Dodge Charger SE engine question

[ScottMH]

I have a 74' Charger with a 400 V8 and I am wondering how I could push the Horsepower up? I would like to get it into the 550-600HP range. I do realize that this is a EPA era car. But, are there any mods that can help this huge 400 produce like it should?

[Nacho-RT74]

http://www.arengineering.com/articles/articleframe.html

welcome BTW

[ScottMH]

is that a stroker kit? if so i saw a stroker kit that goes from 400 to 512....i am concidering that

[74Charger]

Stroker would be the way to go.

[ScottMH]

ive heard that a good set of heads really brings out the power in this block..any truth?

[74Charger]

If you are just talkin about throwing on a set of heads to your existing block.  You will be no where close to the hp you are lookin for. 

You need to think about your complete setup.  Even if you have all that hp.  If you cannot put it to the ground.  It does not mean anything.

[ScottMH]

Well, I'am new to all of this...any information on this car would be great!

[Nacho-RT74]

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,22274.0.html

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,23089.0.html

[Chryco Psycho]

Port the heads , preferably 516 or 915 closed chambers swap cams to a K54 Engle to build some compression , good exhuast all helps a low compression engine make some power

[ScottMH]

is a 512 stroker too big for this block?

[Charger1973]

I am decided on 451.  I dont know alot about motors, but from what I have read it seems like the way to go.  I would recommend reading up on them alot before you make your decision.  There are a lot more posts about them on this board if you search for them. 

[RD]

is a 512 stroker too big for this block?

good for racing, not good for street use.... what are you going to use it for?  seriously though, your initial quest led you to 500-600 horsepower.  Not hard, but it aint entirely simple either.

My question to you is this, have you every ridden in a charger with 425 horsepower?  If not, try it before you go too big.  You may be surprised at how much you like it.

[ScottMH]

I want it to be a streetable car. I have driven a 06 SRT8 Charger not much of the same thing but i have an idea...i have a 06 Charger R/T I know these old cars arn't comparable to new cars but its close...what about the 470 stroke i saw on 440source?

[Nacho-RT74]

I want it to be a streetable car. I have driven a 06 SRT8 Charger not much of the same thing but i have an idea...i have a 06 Charger R/T I know these old cars arn't comparable to new cars but its close...what about the 470 stroke i saw on 440source?

06 Charger ? I didn't know about they exist

[RD]

I want it to be a streetable car. I have driven a 06 SRT8 Charger not much of the same thing but i have an idea...i have a 06 Charger R/T I know these old cars arn't comparable to new cars but its close...what about the 470 stroke i saw on 440source?

06 Charger ? I didn't know about they exist

lol bwhahaha...

he jests!

I just hear a lot of people wanting 5 to 600 hp but do not understand exactly what they are getting into.  with higher hp comes more maintenance, hence not very good for strictly street use.  It is easy to get 1 hp out of each cubic inch.  A 440 build is cheaper than a stroker build and that should suffice you, but since you want to stay with your 400 block, go 451 and be done with it.  It will satisfy your hunger for HP.

Really, a viper gts has 500 hp, a corvette Z06 has 500 hp and tha tnew mustang has 500 hp... they are shit fast, a 451 with 9.5 to 1 pistons, a good cam/intake/carb/eddy heads/ and headers would produce 450+ on a good day and there ya have it.

now you just have to buy an upgraded trans, rear diff and suspension to handle it!

[Nacho-RT74]

I want it to be a streetable car. I have driven a 06 SRT8 Charger not much of the same thing but i have an idea...i have a 06 Charger R/T I know these old cars arn't comparable to new cars but its close...what about the 470 stroke i saw on 440source?

06 Charger ? I didn't know about they exist

[ScottMH]

I figure sense you guys are helping me out with this car you should at least see it!!












I also have a video of it if you are interested in that sort of thing just click the link below...sorry about the horrible picture
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v498/scotthuffaker/74ChargerSE/?action=view&current=1974dodgecharger.flv



what you guys think??

[bordin34]

That car looks amazing. Everything looks brand new and it sounds great.

[ScottMH]

thanks! shes far from perfect but it is def a good starter resto car. the paint is a crappy Macco job the past owner had down. I am prolly gunna sand it all off and start over...hopefully under that glossy exterior isnt a sea of rust... this car i am going to orginal parts to make it as true as i possibly can. with a little kick in the engine for some added power...i am thinking of buying another charger and going full out performance with that one...new engine, new drivetrain, big tires, roll cage, etc...but streetable...barely haha.

[moparguy01]

looks nice. but seriously, like RD said, if you havent ever ridden in a car with 400 HP, a 500 HP car will scare the bejesus out of you.

plus if your going from a stock 400 to a 400 HP 400 CI or a stroker, then change from a 2.76 rear gear up to a 3.55, you'll swear it added damn near a hundred horse just from the gears.

[ScottMH]

looks nice. but seriously, like RD said, if you havent ever ridden in a car with 400 HP, a 500 HP car will scare the bejesus out of you.

plus if your going from a stock 400 to a 400 HP 400 CI or a stroker, then change from a 2.76 rear gear up to a 3.55, you'll swear it added damn near a hundred horse just from the gears.

yeah i understand the concern with the whole HP thing....in germany my dad and i rented a lambo and when in the autobahn....crazy times...we didn't go over 140mph and people were still flying by us...anyway. as far as the rear end goes, thanks for the suggestion i'll look into the gear change.

[Nacho-RT74]

[ScottMH]

I'm looking on 440source.com slection of stroker kits... i see some cc listings 65cc, 72cc, etc... does this have to do with the heads?? also, has anyone tried the edelbrok total power package setup?

[moparguy01]

yes, the CCs deals with the heads.

never dealt with the edelbrock stuff much though.

[ScottMH]

i have discovered that the 4-bbl carb will not engage the 2 bigger barrels....should we rebuild or is there some other malfuntion going on?

[moparguy01]

well you have to figure out why its binding. take the carb off and see if you can open the back 2 manually. if you can, then its probably hitting something on the intake.

[ScottMH]

i can open is manuelly....its almost like the rode that pulls them open isnt coming back far enough to engage it...hmmm

[ScottMH]

ok...i went look at it some more and now im confused....can anyone please describe to me how exactly a 4 bbl carb is supposed to work?

[CharlieCharger]

That care is very clean!!! Nice ride and welcome!

[Charger1973]

Your hood emblem is on your trunk.   

[ScottMH]

here is an interesting thing i found out about my carb...it isnt a thermoquad! apparently it is a Rochester Quadrajet...now correct me if i am wrong...but isnt that a GM carb??? what is it doing on my charger?!?!?

[moparguy01]

it might originally be off a GM but that doesnt mean that it cant fit onto a mopar intake. theres really onl y2 types of carb bolt patterns, spreadbore and square bore. as long as the carb matches the bore of the intake, any carb will fit.

[ScottMH]

yeah but now that i know it isnt orginal i am going to replace it with something new and 700-800cfm

[moparguy01]

if you want driveability get a edelbrock, if you want performance go with a holley.

[red72chrgr]

That is a very nice looking car!! I would mildly build the 400 and enjoy that ride!

[Nacho-RT74]

Mopars used Quadrajets when Carter ceased. They appear as original equippment on my Haynes repair manual. But of course it does cover untill 1989.

If you want to get again a TQ http://www.thermoquads.com/index.html