Guest Anonymous Posted March 21, 2001 Share Posted March 21, 2001 okay guys, i am sure you guys are tired of hearing all of my rambling. but hey this is a discusion board right? well i have been looking into running a bbm. specifically a 400. i know where about 5-6 are sitting and the company that owns them (towing company) is going out of busines so i might be able to offer to help him get rid of some of that annoying surplus lying around out there . at the very least i am sure i will be able to get 2 of them for like 50 bucks total. why a 400 and not a 440? simple the 400 has the largest stock bore size of any mopar block made (exluding drag race specialty blocks) and the stroke on it isn't all that much either i think it is B:4.34 X S:3.38. so it will rev pretty quickly too. another thing is the 400 has a lower deck height wich saves a little on space too, i don't think it would be much but still with a big block i'm sure every little bit helps. and if i want to i can throw in a factory forged 440 crank and have a beaslty 450 cubes under the hood. another plus in my book for a big block is the fact that all the components are that much tougher and less prone to failure then a small block. not that you would have problems with a sb if you built it right but i figure it is cheap insurance. i would run all the aluminum stuff i could like a set of stage VI heads, alum. water pump, elec. fan, alum. radiator, etc... i figure with the high perf. heads and what not running around 9.5-10.00 true compression i should easily make over 500 HP and over 500 ft/lb. just thinking about that makes me giggle manaically. another thing i noticed is on mopars they usaully have a nice flat torque curve to them. one way to avoid unwanted wheelspin on take off i thought of was to set up the motor's optimum powerband to be from 3000 to 6500 RPMs that way before ALL of the motor's power hit the ground i should hopefully have my tires nicely planted. i am pretty sure that even with this setup i will probably find first gear useless except to make a sudden smoke cloud to hide my departure and keep them wonderin just what did happen? luckily i have a bud who is a certified welder that says he will help me out so i should'nt have to much trouble getting it to mount in there. we can make our own mounts or at least retrofit a set out of the donor motor's car body. i will set it as low as the streets around here will permit and another plus about the big block is that the distributor is up front so i can mount it that much closer to the firewall. also to help with the weight ratio i plan on buying as much fiberglass parts for up front as my budget permits. (that could take a while ) and relocating things like the battery to the rear of the car. i shoud be making enough ponies that the extra weight shouldn't be a problem, it's just how it is distributed on all four corners. so there you have it.think it can be done? on the plus side the stuff is near by and easily accesible, i have friends that will readily help out with the swap just to see what it can do. it is a miner town we live in and if your under 21 your **** out of luck for anything to do here. so we fiddle with cars. hey it keeps us out of trouble... well..except for when we are driving them . downside is the extra weight and added difficulty on swapping it in. as to the driveline i will just run a torqueflite auto with a cheap floor shifter till i get the five speed i want to run. what do you guys think would it be worth it or should stay with the small block idea and wait till i find a good 360? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted March 21, 2001 Share Posted March 21, 2001 Cool deal. Scott Bruning of http://ztherapy.com did a 440 into an early Z once. You might contact him. I can't remember, but isn't the Mopar BB one of those BBs that's not so heavy? And I'm all for a big bore/short stroke V8, especially if you put long rods in it. But the short deck height will probably limit that. Sounds like a cool swap! ------------------ Pete Paraska - 73 540Z - Marathon Z Project pparaska@home.com Pete's V8 Datsun 240Z Pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted March 21, 2001 Share Posted March 21, 2001 Sounds like a plan--do the swap first, get everything running, and then do the fiberglass stuff later. I think the 400 ci block is a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 25, 2001 Share Posted March 25, 2001 I'm thinking about a similar swap with a 440/727 combo I ran across cheap but the weight concerns me and I don't have $1200 right now for aluminum heads. Does anyone know the pros/cons of the 280Z 2+2 (weight,dimensions)? I am thinking that the 440 weighs in around 750 lbs and has the distributor in the front so it can go against the firewall (no latch relocation) and a 2+2 body might have a heavier rear to offset the weight (assuming moving battery to arse also) while engine can make HP as required to hit thrust/weight ratio (once had a 68 GTX). Besides a 6 Pack would look really cool! I imagine a roll cage like the one on Paraska's page would be necessary. Has anyone worked on the 2+2? What are the engine bay dimensions: tower to tower, cross member to firewall? My engine is about 30" across (cast iron exhaust) and 30" from back to water pump pulley (+-.5 inch) If anyone needs measurements on the 440 I have one in my truck. ------------------ William Alcorn Wichita Falls, TX "Takeoffs are optional, Landings are mandatory" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 26, 2001 Share Posted March 26, 2001 hey z pilot nice to hear some one else believes in mopar power. i was just wrighting in response on the remarke you made about a 440 BB weighing in at a whopping 750 lbs. in a previous post of mine a helpful person posted a list of various motors and their weights. im not sure on how accurate the list is (you could be right) but it list mopar BB as this: 361-383-400 all weigh in at 620lbs. 413-426-440 all weigh in at 670lbs. in my opinion all you need to do is run aluminum components wherever you can and you should be just fine. i am not a certified mechanic take you but that is just my humble opinion. as to the 2+2, sorry man but i have a '80 280zx coupe so i cant really help you there but i am sure if you ask around here somebady else has one they are working on and will almost definately be willing to share info with you. oh, before i forget, if it isn't too much trouble could you give me the measurements on where the motor mounts sit on a mopar big block. i know mopar but all i have ever worked on is a 318. i am very serious about doing a mopar powered swap into my z and all the info i can gather is greatly appreciated. pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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