What do I have? What do I need to be sure? Several questions...

[Troy]

At some point (hopefully this summer) I will have at least one of my three project cars ready for the road. Which means I need some sort of power plant installed. Under the shelf in my garage is what I think is a stock(ish) 68 383 long block, a disassembled stock 68 340, and an unknown 68 440 long block that I think has 516 heads and some "hop up" parts in it. At least that last one has pretty brass freeze plugs on it. The 383 and 440 were purchased from people off the forum who vouched that they ran well but I never heard them run or sat in the cars they were in so who really knows? The 340 is actually disassembled and appears to still have cross hatching on the cylinder walls and doesn't appear to have even been touched.

I am assembling a "run test stand" so I can at least verify these things run and don't leak before installing them in a car or selling them. Plus it's a neat toy that will waste copious amounts of time instead of working on my cars. I would like to maybe open them up and get some actual measurements. What sort of tools should I have to get the important data? Micrometers? Dial calipers? Plastigauge? What parts require replacement if I dig into them? (Head bolts, head gaskets, etc.?)

More importantly, I picked up a 440 (446) a while back and it's still sitting under a shelf in my garage. I've been in the car that it came out of so I know it has enough power to make me happy! I have a list of parts used in this engine - but lacking any real measurements. Since this one is together and I know the most about it, it will likely be candidate #1 for installation into a car. Should I open it up to get more information first? Here's what I know:
906 heads, 2.14/1.81 valves, hardened seats, and new springs, locks, and retainers (no idea what brand or part numbers)
Comp XE275HL cam
KB237 .030 over  pistons, .020 in the hole (and I don't know the head gasket thickness)
Eagle rods (I don't know the style or part number)

It had a Six Pack on it previously but I have an Edelbrock RPM Air Gap and a Holley 750HP double pumper for it. I have a set of TTi headers (not sure of size but not the biggest ones) for it and all my cars are 4-speeds. Any guesses as to the approximate power output? Can I drop on a set of fancy new aluminum heads without doing anything else? It's hard to argue keeping the 906s when the Sidewinders and Stealths are so reasonably priced! Will this cam cause a problem for fuel injection? Any other comments or suggestions?

Thanks,
Troy

[justcruisin]

I think with an aluminium head such as the sidewinders you will have a good combo. I would use those and make some inquires if a MLS head gasket is OK to use in order to get your quench distance down to around .040 - .045". The stealths at 80cc's may work also but I would say you would be close to detonation with that cam, not good with a hypereutectic piston.

I run a similar combo with OOTB eddy rpm's and that cam. I would guess around the 480hp level. It pushes my heavy 71 to 12.8s' @ 111mph with 3.23's, and street rubber.

[heyoldguy]

At some point (hopefully this summer) I will have at least one of my three project cars ready for the road. Which means I need some sort of power plant installed. Under the shelf in my garage is what I think is a stock(ish) 68 383 long block, a disassembled stock 68 340, and an unknown 68 440 long block that I think has 516 heads and some "hop up" parts in it. At least that last one has pretty brass freeze plugs on it. The 383 and 440 were purchased from people off the forum who vouched that they ran well but I never heard them run or sat in the cars they were in so who really knows? The 340 is actually disassembled and appears to still have cross hatching on the cylinder walls and doesn't appear to have even been touched.

I am assembling a "run test stand" so I can at least verify these things run and don't leak before installing them in a car or selling them. Plus it's a neat toy that will waste copious amounts of time instead of working on my cars. I would like to maybe open them up and get some actual measurements. What sort of tools should I have to get the important data? Micrometers? Dial calipers? Plastigauge? What parts require replacement if I dig into them? (Head bolts, head gaskets, etc.?)

More importantly, I picked up a 440 (446) a while back and it's still sitting under a shelf in my garage. I've been in the car that it came out of so I know it has enough power to make me happy! I have a list of parts used in this engine - but lacking any real measurements. Since this one is together and I know the most about it, it will likely be candidate #1 for installation into a car. Should I open it up to get more information first? Here's what I know:
906 heads, 2.14/1.81 valves, hardened seats, and new springs, locks, and retainers (no idea what brand or part numbers)
Comp XE275HL cam
KB237 .030 over  pistons, .020 in the hole (and I don't know the head gasket thickness)
Eagle rods (I don't know the style or part number)

It had a Six Pack on it previously but I have an Edelbrock RPM Air Gap and a Holley 750HP double pumper for it. I have a set of TTi headers (not sure of size but not the biggest ones) for it and all my cars are 4-speeds. Any guesses as to the approximate power output? Can I drop on a set of fancy new aluminum heads without doing anything else? It's hard to argue keeping the 906s when the Sidewinders and Stealths are so reasonably priced! Will this cam cause a problem for fuel injection? Any other comments or suggestions?

Thanks,
Troy

"I know it has enough power to make me happy!"

If it ain't broke (I'm happy), don't fix it.

[Troy]

Yeah, that one I really don't want to touch - but I'm a knowledge junky and need to know everything. My knowledge is weak when it comes to internals of the mechanical parts. The one engine I had built from the ground up I sold. Oops!

What about the others? Stick them on the stand, run them, and be done with it?

Troy

[heyoldguy]

Well, I can't tell you what you want and how to run your life. The information on the engines is already in print and too extensive for a forum list. I would suggest you go on line and buy some of the books available on how to build big block and small block Mopars. Maybe make of a list of the tools used and decide what you want to do.