Building my first 440

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Dango

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Hey y’all , I’m building a 74 motor home 440. Nothing crazy, but need some advice. There are so many options for heads and it seems everyone loves the 915 and 906 cast heads. I’ve looked into some entry level aluminum heads and it seems there are a lot of Chinese trash out there but many people speak highly of Elelbrock and Trickflow heads. My question is, are the aluminum heads leaps and bounds above the cast heads of the 60’s as far as potential hp?
 
Dango said:
My question is, are the aluminum heads leaps and bounds above the cast heads of the 60’s as far as potential hp?
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The simple answer is yes. The build will dictate how much of an advantage.
 
I have the trick flow 240’s. Yes. Leaps and bounds. I am quite convinced though at this point, that any aluminum head on the market is going to out perform the cast heads. Just be sure to go through them thoroughly. Some also need specific rocker set ups.
 
Yes,leaps and bounds better in every way. I have a set of edelbrocks and a set of 440 source.
I would not hesitate to get a set of sidewinder heads from Marsh Performance if budget was the main point. He assembles them according to your needs.
Any other brand I would have someone go through them before running them. New does not mean ready to run.
 
And nobody has asked the intended purpose of the engine. 'Nothing crazy' sounds like it is going to be pretty mild. If it is, very little if any benefit, going to alum heads if you already have a good set of factory heads.
 
Dango said:
Hey y’all , I’m building a 74 motor home 440. Nothing crazy, but need some advice. There are so many options for heads and it seems everyone loves the 915 and 906 cast heads. I’ve looked into some entry level aluminum heads and it seems there are a lot of Chinese trash out there but many people speak highly of Elelbrock and Trickflow heads. My question is, are the aluminum heads leaps and bounds above the cast heads of the 60’s as far as potential hp?
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The labor by machine shops to rebuild those OE style heads will be one price. You can call them to get the price, then price the cost of aftermarket alum heads ready to run. As mentioned, some heads require different rockers, etc so be sure you are comparing apples to apples. To a lesser degree, the alum heads, alum intake, and even the alum water pump housing can go a long way to saving weight too. All of that depends on your budget as well as your intended use of the car. Nothing wrong with using all OE style parts for a daily driver either! For me, if I'm going to rebuild my engine, I want the best parts I can buy to make it live a long time, be dependable, and bring additional smiles to my face.
 
If new piston's are involved, you need to figure the deck height/volume to see where your chamber volume needs to be. While most alum. heads have a advantage, nothing wrong with the iron as long as a mild build with reasonable compression will meets your goals
 
Sounds like the 906 would be enough for a mild performance 440, especially if he already has them. It’s easy to get carried away with shiny new things and high horsepower parts when they’re not really needed. My B body cars have all been 440 cars with cast iron heads, and they’ve all done a great job of bringing it when needed. Unless the OP is planning on getting carried away later and prebuilt a few things, I think he’d be happy with iron heads, especially for cruising around, burnouts, and similar tomfoolery!
 
At 9.2 actual measured CR, my .030 over 440 with iron heads ran mid-12's at 108 in my 4260# Charger. And it drank 87 octane pump fuel.

Alum heads will flow more and make more power. You just have to decide what your goal is for the car and build the motor accordingly. I thought mine did well and was happy with it for what it was. Put that motor in a car that weighs a 1000# less and you can see it would be fairly stout.
 
Demonx2 said:
At 9.2 actual measured CR, my .030 over 440 with iron heads ran mid-12's at 108 in my 4260# Charger. And it drank 87 octane pump fuel.

Alum heads will flow more and make more power. You just have to decide what your goal is for the car and build the motor accordingly. I thought mine did well and was happy with it for what it was. Put that motor in a car that weighs a 1000# less and you can see it would be fairly stout.
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Bout caint ask for more than that.
 
The OP is leaning toward a build with Trick Flow heads and a 600+ lift roller.
 
fishmens67 said:
The OP is leaning toward a build with Trick Flow heads and a 600+ lift roller.
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Boy, there is a lot to consider going to a roller. I went that direction and found there was often something needed that I had not considered. That decision is one where "counting the cost" really applies.
 
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Bewy said:
And nobody has asked the intended purpose of the engine. 'Nothing crazy' sounds like it is going to be pretty mild. If it is, very little if any benefit, going to alum heads if you already have a good set of factory heads.
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not many good stock heads for the 440`s , were equivalent to sbc heads ...not really good enough for a bigger engine ...
 
Many stout performing 440's were built with factory heads before aluminum heads came into the picture. As said above, depends on your goals and what it costs to rebuild your heads. Also, will the stock heads have hardened valve seats for unleaded gas? Right now in the classifieds, there's a nice set of fresh 906 heads, ported with bigger valves for $750, cheaper than any aftermarket options. Of course, you can easily take ~200 pounds off the front of the car with aluminum heads and intake. I doubt you'd notice a difference in performance with a <[email protected] duration cam between iron and aluminum heads.
 
Build the short block a little better than a magnum 440 and use trickflows 240s heads....for any intended purpose.
I run 240s on my 471 with a tunnel ram.
Really nice heads, capable of making really good power. Plus you knock 40 pounds off of the nose of the car just doing that.
 
middleagecrisis said:
Many stout performing 440's were built with factory heads before aluminum heads came into the picture. As said above, depends on your goals and what it costs to rebuild your heads. Also, will the stock heads have hardened valve seats for unleaded gas? Right now in the classifieds, there's a nice set of fresh 906 heads, ported with bigger valves for $750, cheaper than any aftermarket options. Of course, you can easily take ~200 pounds off the front of the car with aluminum heads and intake. I doubt you'd notice a difference in performance with a <[email protected] duration cam between iron and aluminum heads.
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200 pounds ?
 
OK guys, LOL, give me a break! I know a cast-iron intake and heads will practically give you a hernia taking them off of an engine. I may be off a little bit, However, the weight savings would be significant.
 
middleagecrisis said:
OK guys, LOL, give me a break! I know a cast-iron intake and heads will practically give you a hernia taking them off of an engine. I may be off a little bit, However, the weight savings would be significant.
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They're lighter if you take them off 1 piece at a time lol. The aluminum intake savings is about 25 pounds
Heads are about 20-25 pounds difference cast iron vs aluminum.
Small block heads are heavier than big block which is interesting
 
Chrys BB heads are quite light compared to some other BB heads. Try lifting a BB Chev head....
 
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