A friend of mine built this 440 and it says he has 8:1 compression? I know there are guys on this list who are far smarter than me when it comes to building and figuring out engines? My question is: Is this possible with than low of compression? It is on Hugh's website. Please excuse no heading, 'puter is acting up.
I built a low-compression, high horsepower 440. I took it out last night and it just flies! You have to be careful or it will get away from you. You also better already have a plan thought
ohat no matter what goes wrong, you have a counter-move already thought up and you put it to use instantly. Because that's all the time you will have to think and react.
The engine builder didn't cut the deck to zero, I used, I think .020" Felpro head gasket, the combustion chamber had been modified and my hot cranking pressure was only 125 PSI. They used 93 octane gas when 87 octane gas would have given me even more HP. I hit 572.5 HP at 5900 RPM and 562.5 ft. lbs. of torque at 4500 rpm and that's "corrected" HP. Actual HP that day when the air temp in the garage was only 60 degrees and full of oxygen would have been over 600 HP, I'm sure. I've seen them test engines in contests and some engines making well over 600 HP that don't make as much torque as my engine does and they are running hotter cams and much higher
compression. I have read time and time again in magazines that if you have large ports and too much carberration your car won't have any bottom end and it will bog when you stomp on the gas pedal. Not my car! Stomp on the gas pedal and the 8 1/2" B.F. Goodrich street slicks start melting, the rpms shoot up to 6300 rpm, then the slicks start to catch, the rpm drops back to 5500 rpm and I can shift anywhere up to 7000 rpm with no problems.
I blame Hughes Engines for all that horsepower and torque from a stock 440 block bored .040 over with probably less than 8.0 compression and an original Max Wedge intake that isn't supposed to work this well. Your cams and rocker arms and shafts are the best in the business. My cam (HTL4852BS) is only the third hottest solid lifter flat tappet cam with 248 degrees duration on the
intake and 252 degrees duration on the exhaust and with 1.6 ratio rocker arms it has .600 lift on the intake side and .610 lift on the exhaust side. Its as hot a cam as you could use on the street. I makes so much torque on the bottom end its unbelievable and when you see the HP and torque graph and how flat it is, just give all of yourselves a big pat on the back because you people make the best Mopar cams on the planet and the best rocker arms and shafts, pushrods, etc. If it comes from Hughes you know its right and if by chance something is wrong you people will bend over backwards to make things right. You don't blow off anyone who has any questions for you. Everyone at Hughes is knowledgeable, kind and generous plus being extremely helpful. I have been passing the word about Hughes Engines on some car forums and you got some customers who didn't even know you existed because of me and all the people who deal with you are extremely happy with your
service and your parts. A better Mopar place doesn't exist on this planet.
I got one of the first set of Edlebrock Victor heads from you with the extended ports and with the 75 cc combustion chamber and with Keith Black pistons I used it was supposed to have 10.9 compression. Because of the metal taken out of the combustion chamber, using a thick head gasket and the engine builder not decking the block at zero is the reason the compression is so low but that turned out to be a blessing rather than a curse.
The power is "corrected" HP, not actual HP, which would have been a lot more as actual HP as the air was thick as the barometer was at 28.03 the day I dyno'd my engine, the lowest the
dyno man had ever seen and the air was thick with oxygen. Actual HP would have been at least 600 HP that day and if they had used 87 octane gas and raised the temp. to 180 on the coolant it would have cracked 600 "corrected" HP anyway. This motor is a beast and screams on 87 octane gas.
Use any part of this email on your web site if you wish. You guys deserve all the credit in the world for making my dream come true and you were always more than helpful and you never turned your backs on me. You are the BEST MOPAR PLACE ON THE PLANET, hands down.
Chick
Stock Stroke Low Compression (around 8:1) 440 engine
Camhsaft: HTL4852BS
HP: 572.5 @ 5900 rpm
Torque: 562.5 ft/lbs @ 4500 rpm
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