Transform Your Mopar 440 Into A 512-inch Monster

Ccrp 1211 Rb Series Mopar 440Ci Engine Upgrade To 512Ci 01

Ccrp 1211 Rb Series Mopar 440Ci Engine Upgrade To 512Ci 02

We originally built this budget-oriented 440 Max Wedge look-alike for less than $7,000 in the Nov. ’07 issue of Car Craft. It’s basically a cast-gut ’78 Dodge motorhome 440 with 9.75:1 KB Silv-O-Lite pistons, bowl-blended 452 heads with stock-size 2.08/1.74 valves, and an Isky 292 Mega hydraulic flat-tappet cam. Topped by an A&A re-pop 440-port Max Wedge crossram and dual Edelbrock 500s, it made 436.9 hp at 5,500 rpm and 491.2 lb-ft at 4,100 rpm at the crank.

We originally built this budget-oriented 440 Max Wedge look-alike for less than $7,000 in

Not too long ago, the dream of building a 500ci Mopar big-block wedge only came true for professional drag racers and rich street rats who could afford the steep price tag of billet steel cranks, billet rods, and custom-machined pistons—all of which could easily top the $5,000 mark.

The rest of us were forced to cobble our Mopar big-block stroker combinations together by stuffing welded-up 440 cranks and big-block Chevy connecting rods into low-deck (B series) 400 blocks to get 496 cubes. The resulting rotating assembly was hardly a drop-in proposition and required plenty of block-grinding and expensive Mallory metal for balancing. Worse, the 400 block’s shorter 9.980-inch deck height brought the heads too close together, preventing the use of more bountiful 440 intake manifolds, which only fit the RB 413, 426, and 440 block’s greater 10.725-inch deck height.

Thankfully, times have changed, and for a mere $1,995, there’s a true drop-in rotating assembly available from 440 Source that’ll transform any RB-series 440 block into a killer 512ci street and strip killer. The only exotic effort involves boring the block 0.055 inch oversize. If it weren’t for the cylinder boring, you could realistically install this kit in a weekend. Imagine pulling your 440-powered Mopar into the garage on Friday night and emerging Monday morning with a 512-cube torque machine. Our test subject, a mild 334hp, 358-lb-ft, cast-gut 440 grew into a 409hp, 411-lb-ft stormer after the stroker swap and cam upgrade. Plus, it revs like a small-block now.

There’s more—440 Source offers no less than sixty-one 400 (B series) and 440 (RB series) big-block–based stroker kits that’ll deliver up to 543 reliable cubic inches with compression ratios to suit any need. Every one of these kits consists of brand-new parts and is kept in stock for immediate shipment and instant gratification for all parties involved. Let’s watch as Donald Wood and the guys at R.A.D. Auto Machine in Ludlow, Massachusetts, explore the 440 Source 512 stroker kit and see what it has to offer.

The budget Maxie powers this street-driven, altered-wheelbase, straight-axle ’63 Dart with a full-manual pushbutton 727 TorqueFlite, 3,500-rpm converter and 3.91:1 gears. A recently constructed tribute to Jack Sharkey’s original Rampage Dart match-racer from Chicago, it delivers 302 hp and 328 lb-ft with the fenderwall headers capped and 334 hp and 358 lb-ft with the dumps open on the R.A.D. Auto Machine DynoJet roller. It’s fun but lacks the suds to pull wheelies. We need more.
The budget Maxie powers this street-driven, altered-wheelbase, straight-axle ’63 Dart with
Seen here is the $1,995 440 Source 512 stroker kit that includes a non-twist forged 4340 steel crank, forged 4340 steel H-beam rods with ARP fasteners, heat-treated 2618 T-6 forged aluminum 4.375-diameter dished pistons, Total Seal 1⁄16, 1⁄16, 3⁄16 chrome-moly rings, and Clevite 77 main and rod bearings. The 440 Source stroker kit uses 2.20-inch Chevy big-block rod-journal dimensions to yield a compact big end. This eliminates the huge amount of block grinding required when larger Chrysler-sized 2.375 rod journals are employed.
Seen here is the $1,995 440 Source 512 stroker kit that includes a non-twist forged 4340 s
Every 440 Source rotating assembly comes pre-balanced with an individual bob-weight card, so you can skip the hassle and expense of balance work. To confirm this, the folks at R.A.D. Auto Machine double-checked the 440 Source balance job and found an inconsequential 2.4-gram discrepancy in mass readings, so there was no need to make corrections.
Every 440 Source rotating assembly comes pre-balanced with an individual bob-weight card,

Parts List
Description	Source	PN	Price
512 Stroker Kit	440 Source	440-512-5070	$1.995.00
Fluid damper	440 Source	200-1023	134.95
Flexplate	440 Source	200-1084	36.95
7-quart oil pan	Milodon	31010	165.95*
Extended pickup	Milodon	18330	43.95*
Bronze distributor gear	Mopar Performance	DCC-3690875	119.88
Roller cam and lifters	Crane Cams	68SR00014/66542-16	1,200.00
Cam thrust button	Crane Cams	99163-1	7.40
Timing chain	Crane Cams	68975-1	146.80
Valvesprings	Crane Cams	99896-16	256.00
Spring retainers	Crane Cams	99955-16	75.20
Locks	Crane Cams	99098-1	27.60
Stealth heads	440 Source	200-1055	995.00
Gold rocker arms	Crane Cams	64790-1	536.80
3⁄8-inch pushrods	Crane Cams	64622-16	148.00
Max wedge crossram	A&A	RMWACRIM	1,395.00
Hi-6 Fireball ignition	Crane Cams	6000-6445	317.31
Plug wires	Crane Cams	255-00821	59.95
Pro-Curve distributor	Crane Cams	1000-1803	381.31
*SummitRacing.com
Total			$8,043.05

Sources

A&A; 317/831-3066; AandATrans.com

ARP; 800/826-3045; Arp-Bolts.com

Auto Metal Direct; 866/591-8309; AutoMetalDirect.com

Crane Cams; 866/388-5120; CraneCams.com

Edelbrock; 310/320-2222; Edelbrock.com

KB Pistons; 800/648-7970;KB-Silvolite.com

Mopar Performance; Mopar.com

Play Doh; Hasbro.com/PlayDoh

R.A.D. Auto Machine; 413/583-4414; RadAutoMachine.com

Every 440 Source rotating assembly comes pre-balanced with an individual bob-weight card, so you can skip the hassle and expense of balance work. To confirm this, the folks at R.A.D. Auto Machine double-checked the 440 Source balance job and found an inconsequential 2.4-gram discrepancy in mass readings, so there was no need to make corrections.
Every 440 Source rotating assembly comes pre-balanced with an individual bob-weight card,
Like most 440 Source rotating assembly kits, the 512 stroker is internally balanced, so we couldn’t reuse the externally balanced cast crank 440 damper and scalloped aftermarket flexplate (left). To dress the new forged stroker crank, 440 Source offers a brand-new, neutral-balance, fluid-type damper and solid flexplate (right). Both items are SFI approved. 440 Source also offers flywheels for manual-transmission applications.
Like most 440 Source rotating assembly kits, the 512 stroker is internally balanced, so we
The forged 440 Source stroker crank (right) boosts the stroke from 3.750 to 4.250 inches and is a true quality piece. At 68 pounds, it’s only one pound heavier than the stock cast-iron Chrysler crank it replaces and 12 pounds lighter than a forged Chrysler 440 crank. Made from virgin 4340 alloy, it’ll easily handle 1,000 hp and comes pre-drilled for a pilot-shaft bushing for manual-transmission applications. By contrast, most ’72-up cast-iron Chrysler cranks lack a manual-transmission pilot-shaft bore, as seen on the left.
The forged 440 Source stroker crank (right) boosts the stroke from 3.750 to 4.250 inches a

The 440 Source crank features chamfered oil-feed holes, radiused fillets for maximum strength, shot-peened surfaces, CNC-profiled counterweights, and bearing journals that are nitrate-hardened to a depth of 0.014 inch, all of which are features typically found on much more expensive aftermarket crankshafts.
The 440 Source crank features chamfered oil-feed holes, radiused fillets for maximum stren
440 Source isn’t kidding with its claim that the 512 stroker kit “drops right in” with minimal clearance work. The pencil points out the only place where clearance grinding was required to let the No. 1 rod pass by the oil-pickup tube boss. Naturally, every customer must confirm similar luck on his particular block. All clearance grinding must be performed during exploratory mock-up assembly steps. After, everything must be disassembled and cleaned to remove any debris prior to final assembly.
440 Source isn’t kidding with its claim that the 512 stroker kit “drops right in” with min
After a simple 0.055 overbore (to 4.430), the short-block was assembled by R.A.D. The pencil indicates plenty of clearance between the block and the 440 Source Platinum series H-beam rod. These quality rods are 7.100 inches center-to-center, 0.34 inch more than a stock Chrysler 440 rod. The standard ARP 8740 7⁄16 rod-cap screws torque to 60 lb-ft and provide nearly twice the clamping load of stock, 3⁄8-inch Chrysler fasteners. Each rod weighs 745 grams. By contrast, the stock, forged Chrysler rods they replace weigh 830 grams.
After a simple 0.055 overbore (to 4.430), the short-block was assembled by R.A.D. The penc

The stroker kit’s extra range of movement prevented the reuse of the 440’s stock-style windage tray. Though 440 Source (and Milodon) offer deep-drawn windage trays that clear up to 4.50-inch strokes, we’re reusing our 7-quart Milodon oil pan and extended pickup, as they keep oil away from the crank even without a tray.
The stroker kit’s extra range of movement prevented the reuse of the 440’s stock-style win
440 Source forged pistons are American-made and available in a number of compression ratios. We specified pistons with a 17cc dish to yield a 9.85:1 compression ratio with the 90cc combustion chambers in our 452-casting Chrysler cylinder heads and 0.039-inch-thick Fel-Pro composite head gaskets. The new pistons weigh 758.4 grams each (with pins). By comparison, a stock Chrysler cast-aluminum, flat-top 440 piston weighs a hefty 1,027.6 grams. Any reduction in reciprocating mass pays dividends by reducing stress, enhancing throttle response, and boosting mechanical efficiency.
440 Source forged pistons are American-made and available in a number of compression ratio
The previous 440 ci ran out of breath above 5,800 rpm with its stock valvetrain. To keep pace with the extra cubic inches, we replaced its hydraulic flat-tappet cam with a Crane roller cam and Ultra Pro solid roller lifters. Valve lift is 0.543/0.552, with 296/300 deg. (advertised), and 246/250 (at 0.050 lift) duration. The nearly $1,200 cost of the roller-cam upgrade defies the original budget Max Wedge theme but is needed to fully exploit the 512 ci of displacement. Crane’s roller lifters fit the block without machine work.
The previous 440 ci ran out of breath above 5,800 rpm with its stock valvetrain. To keep p

The cam is machined from billet steel and requires a bronze distributor-drive gear on the intermediate shaft. Ours is from Mopar Performance, and we coated it with Crane assembly lube before installation. The Crane roller cam conveniently includes a fuel-pump-drive lobe to allow continued use of the Carter Street Hemi-spec, high-volume mechanical fuel pump.
The cam is machined from billet steel and requires a bronze distributor-drive gear on the
After degreeing, we installed the cam straight-up with a Crane thrust button and Crane double-roller billet timing set.
After degreeing, we installed the cam straight-up with a Crane thrust button and Crane dou
The piston notches provide almost 0.450 inch of valve clearance, so we’re totally safe. This inverted Play-Doh test plug highlights the shape of the machined piston dish. Any major change in stroke, cam specs, or piston shape must be checked for at least 0.125-inch piston-to-valve clearance before final assembly.
The piston notches provide almost 0.450 inch of valve clearance, so we’re totally safe. Th

The previous 150/340-pound (closed/open) single valvesprings aren’t stiff enough to manage the extra mass of the Crane solid rollers. They would have gone into damaging valve float by 5,000 rpm. Wood installed Crane-specified double valvesprings with surge dampers that are stable to 7,400 rpm. They’re matched with Crane chromoly retainers and single-groove locks and provide 190 pounds closed and 425 at 0.555 lift. Installed height is 1.830 inches.
The previous 150/340-pound (closed/open) single valvesprings aren’t stiff enough to manage
With its 90cc volume, the Chrysler cast-iron 452 head has the largest chamber of any ’68-up OE big-block Chrysler head. Ours were treated to mild bowl-blending work and flow 253 cfm at 0.600 lift (I) and 193 cfm at 0.650 lift (E). 440 Source also offers fully assembled aluminum Stealth heads for a mere $995 a pair. They’re reputed to flow 285/220 cfm (I/E) right out of the box, have 80cc chambers, and, at 29 pounds each, weigh about half what our 452s weigh.
With its 90cc volume, the Chrysler cast-iron 452 head has the largest chamber of any ’68-u
When this budget Max Wedge was originally assembled in 2007, the 440 Source Stealth heads were not yet available. If we were starting from scratch, we’d junk these tired castings and buy a set of Stealth heads instead (with stiffer springs added for the roller cam). Between the bowl work, the new Milodon 2.08/1.74 valves (shown) and other machine work, we’re into these heads for way more than the $995 cost of the aluminum Stealth heads. Plus, the Stealth heads come with upsized 2.14/1.81 valves as standard equipment, have thick decks and hardened seat inserts, and even look stock after you apply Race Hemi Orange.
When this budget Max Wedge was originally assembled in 2007, the 440 Source Stealth heads

The 440’s old stock Chrysler stamped-steel rocker arms aren’t compatible with the roller cam and its high-pressure valvesprings. In their place go a set of roller-tip Crane Gold rocker arms Surprisingly, the machined billet aluminum roller rockers (complete with screw-in adjusters) weigh 145 grams each, a mere 15 grams more than the Chrysler stampings. The Crane rockers come as a kit and include spacer springs, shim washers and superior-hardness rocker shafts.
The 440’s old stock Chrysler stamped-steel rocker arms aren’t compatible with the roller c
The stock type 5/16-inch ball/ball pushrods (left) are replaced by heat-treated, heavy-wall Crane 3/8 chromoly pushrods They’re made with ball/cup ends to suit the adjustable rocker arms. The overall length is 9.250 inches, 0.100 longer than stock.
The stock type 5/16-inch ball/ball pushrods (left) are replaced by heat-treated, heavy-wal
This retro-themed Max Wedge copy wears stock valve covers. The only contact was between the adjuster nuts and the splash baffles inside the valve covers under the oil filler/breather openings. A few minutes with a small ball-peen hammer restored clearance, and it all fits, despite the nearly 0.600-lift cam. Valve lash is set at 0.020 inch I and E. Resto freaks and street sleepers will be happy to learn that AMD (AutoMetalDirect.com) offers a full line of stock reproduction valve-cover stampings for all Mopar big-block applications, including Max Wedges.
This retro-themed Max Wedge copy wears stock valve covers. The only contact was between th

The centerpiece of the engine is the A&A reproduction Max Wedge crossram intake manifold. Copying the look of a vintage Mopar super-stock piece, it’s cast with smaller 440-size port openings, so it fits commonly available production wedge heads. With dual Edelbrock 500s and A&A fuel line, gaskets, throttle cable, and linkage kits in place, you’ll pay just under $2,500 for this stuff. Or you can go with a swap-meet Torker and rebuilt double pumper for one-tenth the coin. Either way, your 512 is going to fly.
The centerpiece of the engine is the A&A reproduction Max Wedge crossram intake manifold.
In budget 440 Max Wedge mode, the ignition consisted of a Mopar orange box, parts-store coil, 7mm wires, and ’78 Dodge motorhome electronic distributor with the vacuum diaphragm removed and the vacuum-advance plate locked down. It worked but was weak over 6,000 rpm. Keeping up with the stroker and roller upgrades, we swapped in a Crane Fireball Hi-6 ignition controller and coil, Crane 8.5mm wires, and Crane Pro-Curve billet distributor.
In budget 440 Max Wedge mode, the ignition consisted of a Mopar orange box, parts-store co
Rotary switches control the digital circuitry inside the distributor, so you can toggle between 27 pre-configured centrifugal and vacuum-advance curves without messing with springs or weights. You don’t even have to twist the distributor body. We set ours to deliver a full 35 degrees of centrifugal advance by 2,800 rpm (switch setting 6) to suit the Dart’s 3.91:1 gears, 3,500-rpm-stall speed, and 2,800-pound weight. Likewise, rotary switches built into the Crane allow setting the rpm limiter. With its low-mass stroker assembly, rev-happy roller cam, and high-speed ignition upgrade, the 512 eagerly pulls to 6,500 rpm, so we set the rev limit switch to 6,800 rpm.
Rotary switches control the digital circuitry inside the distributor, so you can toggle be

These before (red) and after (green) chassis dyno curves show off the extra 75 hp and 52 lb-ft we got by adding the stroker kit and roller cam to the 440. The curves don’t show how the altered-wheelbase Dart’s front tires barely skim the pavement and how the body feels as if it’s being thrown down the street when you mash the gas. It’s a whole new car. On a sticky strip, 1-foot wheelies and low-11s are likely—all on 93-octane pump gas!
These before (red) and after (green) chassis dyno curves show off the extra 75 hp and 52 l