Back Yard 440 Build On A Budget (Hopefully)

[bobs66440]

Pipe Cleaners for side seals
I just silicone them and leave them empty ?

I thought it was very strange also. But after doing some research, it turns out that many people have done it with good results.  


I spent the better part of a day trying to figure out what length push rods I need. What a tedious and time consuming job.

With the rocker shafts all torqued down, I ended up with .113" preload on the lifters with the stock 9.31" pushrods, which is way too much. It should be between .020-.060". I don't know why it's so far off. The Stealth heads are supposed to be stock dimensions and the deck has not been cut. I measured two different ways to double check myself but it always comes out the same. I am using thinner than normal (.027") head gaskets, but that only accounts for .013" or so.

I'll be on the phone with Smith Bros. to order up some custom length rods. 9.23" long should get me around .033" preload. The next build will have adjustable rocker arms. Much less hassle

[bobs66440]

Well, I got the custom pushrods from Smith Bros and they look nice. I put it all together and the preload was still a little too much but not bad. It ranged from .053-.075". Comp calls for .040-.060". They said I can use some shims under the rocker shafts, so I ordered some .015" ones from Mancini to get me right in the ballpark. I was just going to slap it together without going through the measurement process, but I figured I'd better just in case. Good thing I did. Now it has zero preload! I don't get it. I carefully measured for the pushrod length and it was still too much, and now the .015 shims somehow negates over .050" preload? So I took them out and measured again and now they are in spec...all the ones I measured were around .053" so screw it, I put it together. Done. I used exactly the same procedure to measure, but somehow it's inconsistent.

The Mopar rocker shaft setup is generally a good design, but with non-adjustable rocker arms, it's a major pita! The stock Chevy design is much better IMO. Turn the nut to zero lash, crank 3/4 turn down and go on with your life.




I learned this trick from my buddy. Put a piece of coat hanger across the head to hold the pushrods in place until you get the rocker arms installed.

[bobs66440]

I was warned that there may be a pushrod clearance issue around the intake ports with the Stealth heads, but mine were a-ok.

[bobs66440]

Time for a budget update

Last update: $2448 (incl headers, gasket set, head gaskets etc.)

Items purchased since:
Spark Plugs - $17
Std Volume Oil Pump - $35
Oil Pan - $90
Starter - $75
Lifters - $100
Pushrods - $128
Fuel Pump - $30
Power Steering Bracket - $60
18" Fan - $25
Rocker Shaft Shims - $13
Misc Oil, Paint, Sealers, etc. - $150

Total so far: $3171

Barring any major catastrophes, that should be about it. I should have just about everything else to finish. The only thing I may have to change is the pulley setup. I'm not sure at this point. If I do, I will need a deep water pump pulley. We'll see.

It's definitely costing more than I had hoped, but I don't think it's too bad considering what I will (hopefully) end up with. 

[bobs66440]

I have the car up in the air and the motor ready to pull out. I just have to unbolt the engine and trans mounts and she's outta there.



Since there was no safe place to store the hood in the garage, the wife let me use the pool table as a temporary prop. lol.


I drilled some holes in the windage tray to help the oil drain back better and installed the oil pan.



Also installed the timing cover, oil pump & water pump. It's just about ready to paint now. I just have to prime the aluminum heads with self etching primer. I'm going to be a little different and use Chrysler red. You can see the shade on the water pump, which I painted before I installed it.

What do you think of my new valve covers? Just the right amount of tackiness with that GOT-EM-FOR-A-BUCK-AT-A-YARD-SALE look, don't you think?


LOL! KIDDING! I got those with the car. I'm going to use them to cover the valve train while painting.
Tacky!

[bobs66440]

My buddy came to help pull the engine. We were able to take the engine & trans all in one shot pretty easily, which is the way I prefer to do it. I used one of those load levelers and it worked ok, but it was a bear to turn the handle when the load was on it. I greased it up then it worked great!

[bobs66440]

I plan to replace the clutch and was hoping to be able to resurface the flywheel, but I found a crack.



I took a chance and dropped the flywheel off to get resurfaced and it came out beautiful! No more cracks at all...and it was only $37.

I also brought the transmission to a trusted shop to get rebuilt. It would always drop out of first gear and get stuck between 1st and 2nd.  Very inconvenient when you're sitting in traffic at a light and you can't pull away. The bad news is it will be about $800 to go though it. THAT was not in the budget.

[bobs66440]

I installed the intake. There's a lot of red, but I think once I get all the accessories installed, it should tone it down a bit.

[bobs66440]

My car was converted at some point from a 318/auto to a 440/4speed. When they did it, they decided to bolt the z-bar mount to the inner fender well instead of welding in the proper bracket. As a result, the clutch didn't work properly and eventually the mount broke. I figured there's no better time to do it than now while the engine is out.

I had the wire speed on the welder too fast at first so it was too cold. I had it set better for the second half. Not my prettiest welding job but it will hold up.

[bobs66440]

I also got the new Centerforce clutch in. This should work much better than the stock-type unit. I'm just waiting for the trans to be rebuilt and the throwout bearing to arrive.



I had the trans rebuilt an I had to order a new throw-out bearing.

I ended up ordering a new (reman) steering box too. Mine was leaking pretty bad and it turned out to be an internal o-ring. I started to take it apart, but quickly learned that I was getting in a little too deep and just bolting in a new one would be a better idea (I have learned which battles to fight and which ones to run away from lol). That should be here Tuesday. In the meantime I'm going to paint the engine compartment (already degreased it) and get all the wiring and plumbing neatened up.

[bobs66440]

I got the engine compartment cleaned up and the new steering box installed. Ready to receive the new engine.

[bobs66440]

I was also able to get the clutch, transmission, headers & starter installed, so she's ready to drop in tomorrow. My buddy is coming over to help. hopefully, it will go smoothly.





The starter fits very well and there seems to be plenty of room for the exhaust. Hopefully, it will clear the steering box.

[bobs66440]

We got the engine installed today. It took a little longer than I had hoped because one of the motor mounts was giving us trouble and there was a clearance issue with the driver's side header to the steering box and steering column.






It wasn't actually touching, but it was so close that I felt it necessary to dimple the header in those places. Now there's plenty of clearance.




The Z-bar bracket I welded in was perfectly placed and the Z-bar lined up great. Big relief! The clutch adjusted very easily and is real easy to push. Gotta love the Centerforce!


Plenty of room on the passenger's side to get to the plugs, etc.


Sitting pretty. can't wait to get it started. I need to hook up the exhaust and all the accessories next.

[bobs66440]

It should be ready for blast off soon. I hooked up the exhaust, starter, filled the trans fluid and installed the alternator. I still have to install the carbs, radiator, battery and throttle bracket, then it should ready to fire (after priming the oil pump one more time). I'm not going to install the power steering pump, shifter or the drive shaft yet just in case it all goes bad.

I am very excited...and scared to death. The break-in has me pretty spooked. I triple checked everything but I'm afraid it may explode on the launch pad. I took every precaution and analyzed the whole procedure to death. Hopefully it will go off without a hitch. I REALLY don't want to do this a second time...with this engine anyway.

I'm using the Brad Penn 30wt break-in oil with a bottle of the Comp Cams break-in lube additive. The heads have single valve springs (with damper) 130lb closed seat pressure / 330lbs open @ .600. 440 Source says that most of the springs actually measure less. I called Summit Tech and asked about my cam  (.465/.488) with those springs and they said it will be fine...but I'm not so sure. I've read about wiped lobes with that seat pressure.

[bobs66440]

  

The cam break in went perfectly! It started right up after cranking a few times and immediately ran it up to 1800-2200rpm and kept it there, varying it up and down for about 30 minutes (that was a LONG 30 minutes!). I was shocked how smooth it ran immediately and didn't skip a beat the whole time. I set the total timing at about 34* and initial is 10-12*. I ran it with straight water and no thermostat. I also had a box fan blowing into the grill. The temp stayed very cool for about the first 15 minutes, then it slowly creeped up to 195, almost 200. At that point I misted the rad with a garden hose and that brought it right down.  The oil pressure stayed at 50 cold and 45 hot.

I let it cool, pulled all the spark plugs and they looked real good. Then changed the oil and filter, double checked everything and ran it a little more...idle, mid-range, blipping. It seems very responsive and sounds great out of the exhaust.

The amazing thing is that there are NO leaks at all! Even the valve covers were dry! Amazing!

The cam sounds a bit choppy but not real radical. I can't wait to road test it. I have to drain the water and add coolant & thermostat, connect the drive shaft, tighten the steering linkage and steering column, install power steering pump and get all the plug wires & hoses routed neatly. Also install the shifter.



The mechanical auxiliary gauges I had tie wrapped to the antenna lol.

[bobs66440]

I took the car out for the first test drive. It ran perfect! I drove it for about a half hour and it stayed cool the whole time, around 180-185. Oil pressure was good also. No bad noises or leaks. The clutch worked very well, but grabs very high in the pedal travel. I think that's normal for a Centerforce. I seem to remember that in my Vette.

The only issues I have are the shifter (Hurst Comp Plus) and the alternator belt squealing. It took about 2 hours of cursing and swearing to get the stupid shifter to shift smoothly. I thought I had it, then during the drive, I slowly lost the ability to shift to 1st, 3rd and reverse. I'm not sure if the shifter is bad (it's fairly new, but never really worked well) or the linkage is screwed up or what. I have new bushings in there so I know that's not it. I think the rectangular holes in the arms that bolt to the trans are worn and loosen up and move around.

Also, I have been chasing this nasty alternator belt squeal ever since I got the car. I put new belts on, tightened them properly, used belt dressing, scuffed up the pulley, checked alignment and where the belt rides in the pulley...nothing works. It just squeals like mad above 2500 rpm no matter what I do. The belt dressing quiets it down between 2500-3000rpm for a bit, but then just comes right back after a few minutes. Very annoying. Next step is to replace the alternator.

Also, I really don't like the way the new steering box feels. It's a little vague, especially turning right just off center. And the steering wheel is not centered any more, so I have to adjust the tie rods.

Other than that, all in all, I would say it was a success (so far).

[bobs66440]

I ordered a new shifter from Brewer's and installed it. It works perfectly! What a relief!

I went to Autozone to get a new alternator yesterday. While I was there, I drove the poor kid behind the counter crazy looking at all kinds of belts. I found one slightly narrower than the one I had and installed it with the old alternator. The squealing seems to be fixed. I ran it for quite a while yesterday with no noise. Hopefully it will stay that way. We'll see.

[bobs66440]

Are you going to dimple the #5 pipe near the spark plug it looks close .

I decided not to. It is very close with the boot installed, but I've driven the car about 100 miles and so far no problems. I'm using the silicone MSD wires though, which are pretty resilient to heat. A cheaper wire may have a problem.

[Chryco Psycho]

The rocker shaft shims lift the whole shaft so there is extra clearance on both the valve tip & the pushrod side , a small shim adds up to more then the thickness of the shim .
Obviously you did all this over a few months & are just posting all at once or you have the fastest parts delivery connection on the planet !!
I have not had good results with C force clutches , They have a weird feel to them ,nothing for a long while then a rapid engagement , & I have seen too many come apart to use them , I hope you have decent results with yours . I use Mcleod clutches & not diaphragm style in all my builds .
Enjoy  

[440]

My clutch also engages near the top of the pedal travel which is annoying. I think it is a centerforce as well.

[GPULLER]

Felt like I was caught in a time warp for a second! 

[mopar0166]

what is the intake you used, i have only seen a eddy performer dual quad.  i guess they dont make a eddy performer rpm

[Troy]

Thanks for the write-up. I would like to tackle my own engines (at least one) but wondered what sort of specialty tools I'd need. All those little things sure do add up don't they?

Troy

[Cooter]

what is the intake you used, i have only seen a eddy performer dual quad.  i guess they dont make a eddy performer rpm

Appears to be an old skool Offy intake.

[bobs66440]

The rocker shaft shims lift the whole shaft so there is extra clearance on both the valve tip & the pushrod side , a small shim adds up to more then the thickness of the shim .
Obviously you did all this over a few months & are just posting all at once or you have the fastest parts delivery connection on the planet !!
I have not had good results with C force clutches , They have a weird feel to them ,nothing for a long while then a rapid engagement , & I have seen too many come apart to use them , I hope you have decent results with yours . I use Mcleod clutches & not diaphragm style in all my builds .
Enjoy  

Yes, I found out about the shims the hard way. After thinking about it afterwards it made sense.

I began the build in January and finished a couple of weeks ago.

I'm not crazy about the feel of the clutch, but I'm getting used to it.