Ever since wheels were mounted to the first orange crate, the quest for gains in automotive performance has been the topic of discussion. Remember those days-hanging out with your buddies, talkin' smack about how your go-cart can whoop their go-carts any day? Times haven't changed that much. We still hang around with our buddies talkin' smack, but now it's on a grander scale.
Some guys dream of having an engine with enough billet accessories to put Boyd Coddington into early retirement. Thankfully, though, the performance-minded guys know what it takes to make a car go fast, not just look the part.
We decided to follow along as the staff at Automotive Machine in Fraser, Michigan, built a resto-looking 440 powerplant that delivers a larger-than-factory number. We say resto-looking because the engine now displaces 496 ci. It's not an exotic, uild-it-with-your-fat-wallet-because-you-have-all-the-money-in-the-world engine. It's a common-sense approach that shows what paying attention to details and parts can do.
After the block is cleaned-and...
After the block is cleaned-and before any of the machine work is done-it is sonic checked. This process is sometimes overlooked, only to find out during the machining process that there is a problem with the block.
After the engine was built, it was installed in Doug Johnson's '69 1/2 Road Runner and put to the test on AP Engineering's Mustang chassis dyno. Doug installed Promax metering blocks so he could better tune the outboard carbs at the dyno. He also removed the factory 30cc accelerator pump and put on 50cc pieces. The center carb was jetted with 62s on both sides, and the outboard carbs were jetted identical to start-85s on the driver side and 83s on the passenger side. The vacuum secondaries had the yellow springs installed (the lightest available).
With the Runner pulled up on the dyno, the first thing to do was drill the exhaust pipe for an O2 sensor to monitor the air/fuel ratio. After the Six-barrel was brought up to operating temp, we made the first pull, which came in at 356 hp at 5,100 rpm and 401 lb-ft of torque at 4,200. It was a little less than expected, but A/F was showing the engine running a little lean.
After the block has passed...
After the block has passed the sonic check, the machining begins. As shown here, the block is parallel and zero-decked (A), the cylinders receive a .030-inch overbore (B), and the oil-pan rail receives the required machining to make room for the 4.15-inch crank and Eagle connecting rods (C).
After the block has passed...
After the block has passed the sonic check, the machining begins. As shown here, the block is parallel and zero-decked (A), the cylinders receive a .030-inch overbore (B), and the oil-pan rail receives the required machining to make room for the 4.15-inch crank and Eagle connecting rods (C).
After the block has passed...
After the block has passed the sonic check, the machining begins. As shown here, the block is parallel and zero-decked (A), the cylinders receive a .030-inch overbore (B), and the oil-pan rail receives the required machining to make room for the 4.15-inch crank and Eagle connecting rods (C).
Proper engine balancing is...
Proper engine balancing is a must for any high-performance engine.
After the rods are checked...
After the rods are checked for proper journal sizing, the pistons are assembled. Doug chose Diamond flat-top pistons. The combination yields an 11:1 compression ratio.
The Crane PowerMax HR-230/352-2S-12...
The Crane PowerMax HR-230/352-2S-12 hydraulic cam is installed, and ring end gaps are checked. The end gaps measure .025 inch for the top ring and .023 inch for the second ring.