I am currently putting togather a 440 for a prostreet/drag truck.
The truck has a narrowed 9in ford with 4:56 gear on a spool.Plan on running a 727 with a good stall. what I have is late 70s Motor home block and a good set of 452 heads and a steel crank thats been freshly turned to .010 under on the rods and mains. what I am planning is .030 over bore. using sealed pro flat top pistons. stock 440 LY rods.Balancing the crank,rods etc.
How big of a cam can I run with out having the valve spring retainers smash into the valve giude seals.I plan on cutting the guides for PC style seals. I have heard talk of running up to a .550 lift with no problems.

 

You need to let the machinist know what cam you are going to use. With lots of lift you need to check valve to piston clearance too... You may need to cut the valve reliefs in the pistons deeper
With 4.56 gears ? My guess is that you are looking for 7500 RPM cam so I would consider a set of aftermarket rods OR limit it electronically to 6K

 

thanks, I am thinking about something in the .530 to .550 lift with about 300 deg duration.do I have to worry about the valve spring retainers hitting the valve guide seals?

 

well I went with a Comp Cams Hydraulic cam with 305 duration and .525 lift.

 

That is one big cam. YES you need to cut the valve guides for clearance. I would still use some aftermarket rods just for insurance

 

i think Chryco Phsyco was right about those comp cams.
Came across this big cam nice lift for the duration...

Hydraulic. This is possibly the most powerful hydraulic cam ever designed! Designed for Very Hot street/bracket race applications, this cam requires a minimum of 10.5:1 compression, 4.11 gearing and 3500 RPM stall converter. Works with up to 250HP nitrous, and pulls Very Hard past 6500 RPM.
Advertised Duration (Int/Exh): 284/292
Duration @ .050 (Int/Exh): 242/252
Gross Valve Lift (Int/Exh): .533/.552
LSA/ICL: 110/106
Valve Lash (Int/Exh): Hyd/Hyd
RPM Range: 2500-6600
Includes: Cam Kit
Part Number: 10230705LK
Previoius Part Number: 60305LK
Jobber Price: $232.02

 

I allready have the pistons, and they are for pressed wrist pins,Sealed power L2266F flat tops. My father in law raced late model stock cars for years he ran a 440 with stock rods along with a huge Crane cam with about 310 duration and .600 lift and twisted it at 7000 rpm and never lost a rod or spun a bearing. all he did was to have a good Balace job done to the spinning assembly and polished the rods.. I havent decided what heads Iam going to run yet. I do have a set of 452s and a older set of 516s with the 1.60 exhaust valve,I may possibly go with a set of Aluminium Heads from the 440 source.

 

Aluminum.

Get them bare and have a shop set you up with the lightest valve (8mm, 5/16 etc ) you can get. They maybe from an LS / Chevy application but who cares. Just get the heights right and your good. Use a beehive spring that matches your cams needs. There are many OE replacements that will fit the need. The light valve and spring will help you big time in the upper rpms where your cam comes to life.

Next: buy your father in law a beer or coffee and let him do the talking. If he ran late model stock there is a lot to be learned from him.

 

I will see what the Bank says.LOL ( no spouse to answer too)
Too Bad my Father in law went to ther Big track in the sky a few years ago.