408 going in

[MichaelB.]

Been enjoying my 360 lump in my 1973 long enough. Pulled it out & am now sliding in a 408 built with the knowledge gained here.

Eagle crank & rods, Keith Black pistons at 11.0:1, Edelbrock Magnum heads (small chamber) worked over by Hughes (2.05 intake / 1.60 exh) & re-drilled for LA intake manifold, port matched Edelbrock intake, TTi 1 &7/8 headers with 3 &1/2 collectors to a cut out, lumpy Howards cam, 1.6 ratio alum rockers, 850 Dominator carb & a NX spacer kit for a small hit.

I can update with photos & time slips as it materializes

 

[diymirage]

looks like a big block with that distributor cap there ;)

do yourself a favor, start looking for a bigger rear end, now

 

[MichaelB.]

.

 

[MichaelB.]

New rear 'eh? You know... I thought about that. It may be stout enough tho' as there is nothing stock about it past the housing.

 

[Alex5280]

Awesome! I just finished the lower end of my 408 build. Fun Fun Fun!

 

[TrailBeast]

looks like a big block with that distributor cap there ;)
do yourself a favor, start looking for a bigger rear end, now

And don't forget to hang on when you stick your foot in it.

 

[diymirage]

New rear 'eh? You know... I thought about that. It may be stout enough tho' as there is nothing stock about it past the housing.

i know my 7 1/4 didn't last 72 hours behind my 408...and that was with BFGs and a light foot

 

[MichaelB.]

Alright. Just hit me with suggestions. I dont mind upgrades.

 

[ScampMike]

Ford 9" with 4 link..

 

[4spdragtop]

Looks awesome! Im jealous dammit!

 

[MichaelB.]

Out of the back of the Dodge and into the front of another...

 

[ScampMike]

oh yea - that'll tear up some drive train.. nice!

 

[MichaelB.]

Another step...

 

[360duster]

what cam? I had trouble with the brake booster when i put my 408 in, 242°/236° @ .050". Changed to manual brakes....and will change the cam this winter to a bigger one ;-)

Regarding the rear end: i shortened a Ford 8.8 from an explorer, good fit for an A-body. There´s a sticky thread in the drivetrain part of this forum.

 

[famous bob]

what cam? I had trouble with the brake booster when i put my 408 in, 242°/236° @ .050". Changed to manual brakes....and will change the cam this winter to a bigger one ;-)

Regarding the rear end: i shortened a Ford 8.8 from an explorer, good fit for an A-body. There´s a sticky thread in the drivetrain part of this forum.

nice !

 

[Max1196]

Nice under hood prep work also. I realy dont like it when it's a flat black spray bomb job. This looks good.

 

[MichaelB.]

what cam? I had trouble with the brake booster when i put my 408 in, 242°/236° @ .050". Changed to manual brakes....and will change the cam this winter to a bigger one ;-)

Oh man... Your are correct. Its a big 'ol lumpy "Howards" stick with over 600 lift... I never even thought of the brake booster & some vacuum. Welp, I will add that to the list. I have done electric boosted and hydro boosted on other projects so I will figure something if its an issue. Good call.

nice !

Right on Bob! Thanks

Nice under hood prep work also. I really dont like it when it's a flat black spray bomb job. This looks good.

Amen Max. I want it to look good for all those Chevy (and Ford) droolers when & if they ever see under that lift off hood.

 

[clinteg]

From what I'm reading, it looks like you're going to have a very low 11 second or high 10 second car my friend! Good luck keeping your foot out of it!

 

[rumblefish360]

You'll need a vacuum pump for power brakes.
On the rear end, the Ford 8.8 is a good idea or a Ford 9.
Keeping it all MoPar, I'd look at a 8-3/4
Min. Or the DANA 9-3/4.
The cars weight will weigh against the fears longevity. That would very important in the smaller rears.

 

[MichaelB.]

You'll need a vacuum pump for power brakes.
On the rear end, the Ford 8.8 is a good idea or a Ford 9.
Keeping it all MoPar, I'd look at a 8-3/4
Min. Or the DANA 9-3/4.
The cars weight will weigh against the fears longevity. That would very important in the smaller rears.

do yourself a favor, start looking for a bigger rear end, now

i know my 7 1/4 didn't last 72 hours behind my 408...and that was with BFGs and a light foot

Ford 9" with 4 link..

New rear 'eh? You know... I thought about that. It may be stout enough tho' as there is nothing stock about it past the housing.

Alright... You guys got me curious enough about the rear to confirm what I have. I am running a 8 & 3/4 "489" casting 1.875" tapered stem pinion. Strange Axles connected to custom aftermarket high numerical ring all hung by a single leaf Cal Tracs set up.

On slicks it went under utilized but pulled the front wheel and went dead straight with the old 360.

 

[FredS]

what trans? Sounds like the rear will do for now.

Good luck with those 1-7/8 TTI headers. They hit everything

 

[MichaelB.]

what trans? Sounds like the rear will do for now. Good luck with those 1-7/8 TTI headers. They hit everything

Thank you Fred (I admire your '71). Trans is a manual valve body 904 with tall stall. I tried to find out more about the internals from when it was built ~ but came to a dead end. It seems healthy, and works well (for the last 10 years with me). I really want a trans brake set up but have not explored that past talking about it...

So the TTI headers will be a b*tch 'eh? I went to install them yesterday but they seemed to not come with gaskets. TTi was really good about helping out & got a pair in the mail as soon as I called. I think they may have been missing in the box but there is a chance that maybe I could have misplaced them. Either way TTi stepped up to help without pain. That is really appreciated because I think their product is second to none. I will report back with my installation thoughts. I got a Powermaster mini starter to help, and a oil filter mod, I hope that is enough.

 

[ScampMike]

if those are the headers I think they are - you'll need to lift the engine up on the pass.side to get the header in there... engine too high- it won't go in - engine too low - it won't go in.. worth it when you're done but quite the "thing" to get there...

 

[MichaelB.]

if those are the headers I think they are - you'll need to lift the engine up on the pass.side to get the header in there... engine too high- it won't go in - engine too low - it won't go in.. worth it when you're done but quite the "thing" to get there...

Alright. I will expect some difficulty then. Damn, and it looked like there was/is plenty of room!

 

[ScampMike]

actually - now that I think about it - it was because of the oil pan I run... what are you using for an oil pan?