MRL Performance 340, WOW!

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Well guys, I thought I would explain my rationale behind why I wanted the engine this way:

This car is a street car with a 4-speed, 3.23's, and as of now has relatively narrow 225 tires (doubt they will be able to hook, but whatever), so I didn't really need all the extra torque I could get from a stroker, and I knew a small displacement engine when not too radical gets better fuel mileage when you're not stomping it, as I like to drive the car.

I knew that with a properly designed and executed build, that I could make this thing run like an LS1 with modifications. That's what this does. I didn't use too much exotic stuff...it has some old Edelbrock heads from the late 90's, hydraulic roller cam, crane rockers, air gap, and a Quick Fuel 750 Annular DP carb. The engine has K1 H-beams as well...Mike said they were serious overkill, but they are still somewhat lighter than the stock rods while being strong. It also has Comp Beehive Valvesprings. You'll notice that this includes a lot of things you'd find on a modern hemi or LS motor.

Now, I had planned to assemble the engine myself, but I had issues finding someone who could do machining the way I wanted, and I got squeezed for time (and a somewhat sick 360 sped it up a bit), so I took it to Mike. I had planned a cam that was *somewhat* similar to what Mike had made (I won't share any further specs), and thought with some nice light pistons I could make 425-450hp which would have been plenty.

The most important thing to notice here is that Mike is extremely picky with the machining, and I can tell he loves this stuff. I dropped it off on a Sunday afternoon and he had measured the heads before midnight the same night.

He had to fix a lot of things, the head decks, valve job, crank tunnel, etc...but the attention to detail speaks for itself.

I still have some work to do to get it in the car (waiting on my offset dowel pins for the scattershield at the moment), but I'm super excited about dropping it in.


There it is, home in the back of my little brand-x truck.
 
Jerry, that car belonged to my next door neighbor, friend, and first Mopar mentor. I met him at 11yrs old. I'd takin a shine to muscle cars several years earlier, mainly thru magazine subscriptions. My favorites were the 69' Mach I and the 69' Charger. I had convinced myself that the Mopar 440 was the baddest engine on the planet. Then at 11, (1970) I moved next to a real living breathing muscle car that I could see, touch, feel and hear. I was in absolute heaven. I wormed my way into his confidence by polishing the rims on his American's. He convinced me that I did them much better then he did. I think all he really did was find a sucker...lol.

As far as the car. He bought in new, and when I met him the heads were out for some work. It already had the fenderwell headers, Eddy Tarantula int, 750DP & a very large hyd cam along with 273 rockers. That was in front of a 3500/4000ish converter (observed) and 5.13's that had just replaced a broken 4.57 chunk, and soft compound M&H belted tires. Oh yea, it went 107/108 in the qtr.

He only drove it a handful of times a year and raced it about the same. But it was always like a event whenever he decided to go out. That car had amazing hook. Haze 4 or 5 feet and gone. Very few big blocks at the time could run with it on the few late night street encounters. One reason he stopped taking it out much was because everyone always wanted a piece of him, including the cops....lol. I was only in that car 5 or 6 times over the years and always got a kick out of it. That car made me a "340" fan forever.

Sorry to hijack & sorry to be so long. I have to go rest my typing finger now. :mrgreen:

Well guys, I thought I would explain my rationale behind why I wanted the engine this way:

This car is a street car with a 4-speed, 3.23's, and as of now has relatively narrow 225 tires (doubt they will be able to hook, but whatever), so I didn't really need all the extra torque I could get from a stroker, and I knew a small displacement engine when not too radical gets better fuel mileage when you're not stomping it, as I like to drive the car.

I knew that with a properly designed and executed build, that I could make this thing run like an LS1 with modifications. That's what this does. I didn't use too much exotic stuff...it has some old Edelbrock heads from the late 90's, hydraulic roller cam, crane rockers, air gap, and a Quick Fuel 750 Annular DP carb. The engine has K1 H-beams as well...Mike said they were serious overkill, but they are still somewhat lighter than the stock rods while being strong. It also has Comp Beehive Valvesprings. You'll notice that this includes a lot of things you'd find on a modern hemi or LS motor.

Now, I had planned to assemble the engine myself, but I had issues finding someone who could do machining the way I wanted, and I got squeezed for time (and a somewhat sick 360 sped it up a bit), so I took it to Mike. I had planned a cam that was *somewhat* similar to what Mike had made (I won't share any further specs), and thought with some nice light pistons I could make 425-450hp which would have been plenty.

The most important thing to notice here is that Mike is extremely picky with the machining, and I can tell he loves this stuff. I dropped it off on a Sunday afternoon and he had measured the heads before midnight the same night.

He had to fix a lot of things, the head decks, valve job, crank tunnel, etc...but the attention to detail speaks for itself.

I still have some work to do to get it in the car (waiting on my offset dowel pins for the scattershield at the moment), but I'm super excited about dropping it in.


There it is, home in the back of my little brand-x truck.
Great story Rick , 340's rule !
Gold duster you have a really strong mill , should do really well at the track , and be dead reliable on the street . Can't wait till you ge it in the car and show us what a well built 340 can do ! Reliable with that kind of TQ and HP is unreal . Now I have to up my game , your numbers are my new goal , the reliability as well .
 
What is the required stall speed needed on that cam spec?
 
Would the stock 340 converter be 2500 stall with that motor ? Or does the extra HP not have an effect on the stall speed of the converter ?
 
Torque plays a role in the converter stall. The more power the more likley you are to over run the converter. I think this engine would destroy a stock converter over time. It would bend the fins inside and it would fail.

Thats why you have to get a good strong one so it performs at the rated stall with higher power.
 
Torque plays a role in the converter stall. The more power the more likley you are to over run the converter. I think this engine would destroy a stock converter over time. It would bend the fins inside and it would fail.

Thats why you have to get a good strong one so it performs at the rated stall with higher power.

Thanks for that info , guess I'll be looking into a new converter , or check that mine is built to take the extra torque it now has , no where near your build though , only 412 @ the crank .

Thanks
 
After two whole days of work, we're getting much, much closer. It will still be at least a week until it runs in the car, but so far it's going alright, considering I have to build the exhaust, do some modifications to the clutch linkage because of the scattershield, adapt the Delphi 600 steering box, make some battery and ground cables, etc...

20130721_191315_zps19773072.jpg
 
Wow , looking good ! I was thinking about that steering box , would like to know how it feels and how hard or easy it is to install .
 
I have the steering box bolted in but not the column installed. I have to replace one of the full size bolts with a socket head cap screw so its not basically touching the TTI headers...they are metric (M10x1 25mm length), so not as easy to find. The hoses bolted right up with the Bergman Auto Craft Adapters, and looks like the steering column will go in easy as well with the Bergman Auto Craft Coupler. In general, its a lot smaller than the mopar PS box. I had to grind just a tiny bit on the box to get it to sit right on the K-frame, but that was easy.
 
I have the steering box bolted in but not the column installed. I have to replace one of the full size bolts with a socket head cap screw so its not basically touching the TTI headers...they are metric (M10x1 25mm length), so not as easy to find. The hoses bolted right up with the Bergman Auto Craft Adapters, and looks like the steering column will go in easy as well with the Bergman Auto Craft Coupler. In general, its a lot smaller than the mopar PS box. I had to grind just a tiny bit on the box to get it to sit right on the K-frame, but that was easy.
Sounds good , when you're finished can you show us pics of the install ?
Thanks .
 
Congrats on the bad a$$ little 340. My pink duster has a 450 HP solid roller 340 and it is an absolute blast to drive
 
Sounds good , when you're finished can you show us pics of the install ?
Thanks .

I second that! How about starting another thread for your steering box install? I'm seriously thinking about one of these, too. It would be great to have power steering and headers in an early a.
 
Well the steering box is in and has everything but the pitman arm and the right bolts (got them today), but I have to pull the trans out to fix the clutch pivot fork bracket, so it will be a while. The Quicktime bellhousing is REALLY a pain to install.

There was a topic on the install by I believe its GMachineDartGT, he's the guy that owns Bergman Auto Craft where I got the parts from. If I'm honest, other than this bolt thing, and some minor grinding, it seems to have gone right in (still have not test fit the column, however, I'm not sure I expect any issues).
 
Well, I got it fired up, running, and driving today....The engine is running great, might be a bit rich, I haven't gone out and logged with the wideband at all, doesn't seem to lay down or anything, but might need to go leaner @ idle, otherwise the tune feels good. I haven't really gotten on it too hard since I have a brand new clutch and haven't double-checked all the critical bolt torques, but I can tell its MUCH, MUCH faster than it was with the old 360.

I ended up having to cut up the bellhousing a little and make my own fork pivot, used the TTI Z-bar, and had to make a 1/2" thick spacer behind the pivot ball.

The steering box is really nice, however, I think it sits a bit closer to the engine than it should, but nothing I can do with it right now anyway. Still drives very nice so no complaints, and it actually has steering feel.


I made this X-pipe exhaust and re-used my dynomax super turbo mufflers.


I do think I have an exhaust leak @ the heads (I used some exhaust manifold gaskets I had luck with in the past) since it sounds that way when I'm accelerating.

Anyway, here's a vid:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXKZO7J8Qaw"]470hp 340 is up and running - YouTube[/ame]
 
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