440 Dodge Help/Suggestions
10-28-2009, 02:27 PM
#1
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440 Dodge Help/Suggestions
Hello All!
This is my first time on the forums and first time posting!
A little about myself and my questions
When I was younger I owned a few older cars with my Father and Brother (53 Olds, 68 Camaro, 67 Falcon, 73 Mustang, 34 Ford, and a 55 Studebaker) and used to work on them a lot. Since then I've had a family and work in computers, so I have lost touch with some of my mechanical side
At any rate I just bought a 73 Dodge Charger as a project to work on with my son and brother. My brother is great with cars and fixing them, but not always decisive on exactly what I should buy as we fix this baby up!
Ultimitley I'm looking for some advice on exactly what to put into my new car. It is a 1973 Dodge Charger with a 440 in it. The car does run but could use some help. Since this is not the "prime" year for a Charger I do not want to put $30,000 into fixing it up, but I am willing to sink a fair amount of money into it to make it a sweet ride. I figured this would be a good bonding time for my son, my brother, and myself. If anyone could please inform me on some specific parts to buy that will make this car FAST without it being overboard and wasting money that would be great!
Here's what I'm thinking so far:
Edelbrock Performer Manifolds for Chrysler - P/N 21911
Edelbrock Thunder Series AVS Carburetor 800 CFM - P/N 1812K
That's about all I got so far…Does those two parts seem like a good choice to put on the 440? Also, any other recommendations would be great as to Heads, Pistons, Cams, Anything else that will help my car perform as best it can without going nuts and wasting money
Thanks for all your time,
Steve
This is my first time on the forums and first time posting!
A little about myself and my questions
When I was younger I owned a few older cars with my Father and Brother (53 Olds, 68 Camaro, 67 Falcon, 73 Mustang, 34 Ford, and a 55 Studebaker) and used to work on them a lot. Since then I've had a family and work in computers, so I have lost touch with some of my mechanical side
At any rate I just bought a 73 Dodge Charger as a project to work on with my son and brother. My brother is great with cars and fixing them, but not always decisive on exactly what I should buy as we fix this baby up!Ultimitley I'm looking for some advice on exactly what to put into my new car. It is a 1973 Dodge Charger with a 440 in it. The car does run but could use some help. Since this is not the "prime" year for a Charger I do not want to put $30,000 into fixing it up, but I am willing to sink a fair amount of money into it to make it a sweet ride. I figured this would be a good bonding time for my son, my brother, and myself. If anyone could please inform me on some specific parts to buy that will make this car FAST without it being overboard and wasting money that would be great!
Here's what I'm thinking so far:
Edelbrock Performer Manifolds for Chrysler - P/N 21911
Edelbrock Thunder Series AVS Carburetor 800 CFM - P/N 1812K
That's about all I got so far…Does those two parts seem like a good choice to put on the 440? Also, any other recommendations would be great as to Heads, Pistons, Cams, Anything else that will help my car perform as best it can without going nuts and wasting money
Thanks for all your time,
Steve
10-28-2009, 03:44 PM
#2
Mopar Lover
welcome to the forum
what rear end is in the car? what ratio?
automatic or stick?
are you going to run the car on the track, or just a fun street car?
if street car- i recommend edelbrock cams part # EDL-2192 or EDL-7194
for compression, try to run around 9.5, so then you will have no trouble running on 93 octane
for pistons, use TRW
headers- i like headmen
Heads- if you do not want to go aluminum, i'd try and fine a set of mid to late sixties mopar heads and make the exhaust valve the next size up
hope this helps
any questions, just ask away
what rear end is in the car? what ratio?
automatic or stick?
are you going to run the car on the track, or just a fun street car?
if street car- i recommend edelbrock cams part # EDL-2192 or EDL-7194
for compression, try to run around 9.5, so then you will have no trouble running on 93 octane
for pistons, use TRW
headers- i like headmen
Heads- if you do not want to go aluminum, i'd try and fine a set of mid to late sixties mopar heads and make the exhaust valve the next size up
hope this helps
any questions, just ask away
10-28-2009, 03:46 PM
#3
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check out www.440source.com the have ton of parts to beef up that 440
10-28-2009, 03:48 PM
#4
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Heres a little thing I like to play with and pretend I had money, or was still unmarried, same thing. http://www.compcams.com/camquest/default.asp This is a comp cams program for cam selection. But you can also plug in other variables in heads, intakes and what-not to get an idea of the HP and torque curve it gives you. This aint no NASA program, but its close enough for fun and a rough idea of what will make what.
10-30-2009, 12:09 PM
#5
Mopar Lover
First off Welcome to our site and to be honest im glad that you are working on it with your Son and Brother as this is how we start the younger gen: to start seeing what the good o days were like and there is nothing more than seeing your kids face when he gets to jump in and start it or even a bigger grin when you let him take it on a cruze but as far as what you want to do with it there are many upon many formulas out there that will get that charger screaming with a little green or alot , its up to you on what you are looking for ---- just fill us in on what you are looking forward to spend and do you want a screamer or a screaming head turner.. what is the engine out of or can you get the numbers to see what it might allready have as maybe you can just put a carb and open the exhaust up a little to get a good part of performance out of it , is it a 2 barrel carb that came with it or a 4 as valve size can be upgraded for a little bit of money verses a new set and you can usually get away with just throwing a bit larger size cam in it but sometimes you can go to big and it would just kill it so we sort of need to no what the car is equiped with ,,,, if you can get some #'s it would be a bigger help as we can find out what all that you are starting out with 
(car and engine #'s)
(car and engine #'s)
10-31-2009, 03:29 AM
#6
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welcome to the forums. if the motor runs good now, id just do the intake and carb change, then if you want headers , i like hedmans also, they have the best fitting headers for b-bodies on the market price wise, tti`s are the best to me, but your looking at 6 bills for a super nice set, if you do the cam to, then Id do the whole motor.If its astreet car keep the comp. below 10-1. the pump gas isnt that great and it wont run good unless you run race gas or addatives with it.
11-02-2009, 06:42 AM
#7
Mopar Lover
welcome to the forum, I think your carb choice is a little if you are just going to bolt it on to a stock engine, I be leave that a 650 or 750 is plenty and I have had good luck with Holley's on stock 440's
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