Plymouth Roadrunner Torque Monster - Mopar Project Car

If you were to label anything about this combination as exotic, you may look to the oiling system. Charlie's Oil Pans supplied the 7-inch sump design which carries a simple static pick-up with a side exit due to the relocation to an external feed/pump. This pan will fit all Mopar body styles.

Indy's SR heads require the use of Indy's 440-10 external oil line kit for rocker arms. To assure adequate top-side oiling, the external feeds run from the gallery plugs at the rear of the engine to the cylinder heads and then to the rocker shafts. Stock Mopar heads oil between the ports to the rocker shafts. Indy chooses to move the passage to the outside in order to gain a larger port cross section. Thus, airflow increases when the passages are eliminated.

The Indy MAXX external pump with spin-on filter was necessary as noted previously by the elimination of the pick-up location due to the increased stroke requirements to gain 542ci. This gerotor style pump exceeds the stock pump flow characteristics. The billet pump cover is CNC machined to assist in high volume oil flow-a bigger system than stock which is great insurance in stroker applications.

The pan-mounted oil line is situated to allow use of stock motor mounts. The external feed line can be routed any way necessary for any application. Every car fitment is different and this pump configuration allows for that.

As part of the camshaft degreeing effort, Ken measures plunger travel at the cam lobe at .050-inch lift using a lifter bore gauge.

Another critical measurement is the deck height spec. The zero deck height of the 542 engine, when combined with the 40cc reverse dome piston, CNC-ported 78cc chamber, and .042-inch thick gasket calculated to a compression ratio of 9.5:1. In stock displacements (383/400/426/440), this could be as low as a 6:1 ratio, but keep in mind that this 542 has an additional 100 cubic inches.

Once the cam was degreed to TDC, final assembly included the use of a conversion keyway in order to fit the Mopar Performance Parts dampener to the Lunati crank. Here, a Mopar Performance timing tape is being applied to the dampener.

Indy's dual-plane intake has a raised intake and does not have an integral airgap plate, necessitating the use of Indy's Valley Plate (PN 440-6).

In order to gain seal between the valley cover and the bottom edge of the 440SR heads, a beat of RTV is added along each side of the valley cover prior to torquing the heads. Head bolts are from Manley, available as Indy PN 440-16.

Prior to buttoning up the final assembly and dynoing the combination, Ken adjusts the rockers. His procedure is to lock the adjuster to zero lash then add an additional 3/4 of a turn. Ken says, "Do this and you'll never have to lift the rocker covers again."