new carb and manifolds

[mikeyo]

alright. i'm taking my heads off to give to a machinist to fix a noise i have. should i get new manifolds while i'm at it? what are headers? and please keep in mind that gas mileage is my top concern, and i want to get all i need at either kragen or napa.  thankyou very much, guys.
mike.

[Andy Illes]

Try Rodney on that one, Mike.... he's a Mopar genius.  Go to his profile, then his website and email him... he's a great guy and knows his stuff.

[terry and karen conkle]

I hope that you arent pulling the heads of because of a exhaust manifold gasket leak!

[bigray]

What noise are you refering to. I second Terry's concern. You should be able to determine the origin of a noise without removing the head!

I assume you mean intake manifold!

[Rodney]

alright. I'm taking my heads off to give to a machinist to fix a noise I have. should I get new manifolds while I'm at it? what are headers? and please keep in mind that gas mileage is my top concern, and I want to get all I need at either kragen or napa.  thankyou very much, guys.
mike.

Mike!!!
you got to tell us more if you want help!
be specific what engine do you have? how many miles on it?
what kind of noise? a ticking, exhaust leak? knocking? pinging?
all of the time only under a load. at an idle?
that kind of information.
on and engine with lots of miles on it doesn't lend itself to doing a top end only. the added compression from the fresh valve job and it the heads are machined will increase the compression and could cause the rings to fail... oil blow by could result and you will be taking the engine apart again.
Headers replace the stock exhaust manifolds with a tube type configuration one tube per clyinder in to a collector and attatched to the existing system. some welding will be needed I sublet this out to a GOOD exhaust shop after I have installed the headers.
Doug thorley are the headers to go with of so inclined and you are running a Mopar. headers decrease back pressure and helps the engine breath better.. results are more power and better mileage. headers take a little more care upon initial insulation, need to recheck the bolts several time that they are tight and you don't blow the gasket between the header and head. I like to use a thread sealer on the 440 engine which works as a locktight and keeps them from leaking coolant.
be sure you have a good plan of attack before you start taking the engine apart.
Rodney

[mikeyo]

i have a dodge 440 with i don't know how many miles on it. should be 115,000. for all i know it could be 215,000. the clock goes back to 0 after 100,000.  the noise i have is a sort of a rattle, like in a spray paint can but faster. or a nut flying around under the valve cover. it's not always there, but at a certain rpm in neutral you can hear it and when driving down the road it comes on when i'm going around 40 0r 45, but then maybe only at 55 or so. it doesn't seem to matter what kind of load i'm pulling, but the rpms seem to count. i've had the clipper for a year and it used to do it after revving the engine, like when it was winding back down. recently it does it noticeably while driving. i've been driving on it a lot and it hasn't gotten worse, but i'm going on a big trip into the desert at the end of the month and wanted to fix it. what's going on?

i don't think i'll go with headers, but what type of carb should i buy from kragen or napa? gas mileage is the priority. thanks a lot.

[Rodney]

Mike
with the amount of miles on the engine and not knowing the history of repairs in the past I will guess not a lot of major repairs have been done,
what I would expect is going on is you have a tired 440. All of the oil clearances have grown with wear causing the engine to make noise that can come from the valve train which involves the Cam and lifters rocker arms and shafts and valves. this can give you a top end tapping noise that can come and go caused buy the cam lifters to collapse with a drop in oil pressure. when this happens the valves will not open as far as they should causing a loss of power. The bottom end can also create noise from the main bearings and rod bearings. if you have rod bearings going away after the engine is warmed up after long hauls and you stop and really listen to the engine you will hear a rumble from the engines lower end. Piston slap will also cause a knocking or slapping noise this will usually be heard when the engine is cold as the engine warms up the slap will not be as noticeable because as the heat rises the pistons will warm and fill the warn cylinders more. The problem { a good one really} with the good ol' 440s are that they will just keep on running when they really should have died miles ago. The lower ends crank rods and piston are almost indestructible if not ran out of oil. I would run a heavy wt oil in the heat of the summer and add some power punch or STP and baby the engine until you find the real problem which may be a complete overhaul.
myself wouldn't do to much with the carb and intake unless it is absolutely need until you get it running like is should. there are many choice when it comes to carbs intakes ect. I am currently running a 600 cfm Edlebrock on a holley aluminum intake and like the performance and think it a good combination. My engine is fresh with only a few hundred miles on it so I haven't check mileage?
let us know how it goes for you
Rodney

[bigray]

Rodney,

I want to be like you when I get big!

[terry and karen conkle]

after going to the garage and shaking a pair of paint cans for a while, i came up with rocker adjustment as the needed fix for now.

[Rodney]

after going to the garage and shaking a pair of paint cans for a while, I came up with rocker adjustment as the needed fix for now.

The 440 engines doesn't have adjustable rocker arms as OEM. The rockers are all on one shaft per head. This is a great set up which give the valve train much strength and stability. The only draw back is no adjustment for each individual valve unless a set of adjustable rockers are install. When a valve job, head work ect. is done on the 440 care must be taken by the mechanic and machinist to understand this. when the heads are milled, the valves ground and the seats on the heads ground or replaced this all reflects to the valve adjustment by changing the height of the valve in the head and changing the valve adjustment { how far the push rod is seating in the valve lifter}. When I started building these engines and working with my machinist we [the machinest] had to get one the same page how this valve train system was intended to work and take EXTRA care when doing all of the work. There could be a book written on how this should be done for sure.
The 360 engine has the same configuration and the same care should be taken. Chevy's are individually adjustable so just about anything goes with them, That's where having a CHEVY machinist or mechanic do work on your mopar could get you in trouble.
rodney

[mikeyo]

alright, i'm not going to take the heads off. i'd rather not anyway. but i do have this noise, which i now realize is always present, if distant, until you go revving the engine. it's a tap tap. like a nut flying around under the valve cover. so i'll just try replacing the valve train, checking the pushrods and lifters etc. hopefully it's something obvious. that shouldn't be too hard?

if i get this new carb- the 600, i think rodney called it, do i need to get a new intake manifold too? i'd rather not have to change the manifold. i just need a good carb that'll start me up no problem, any time, and will give me better mpg. please help!
thanks guys! mike.

[Rodney]

That's a good place to start looking. it should be pretty easy to find if it is in the top end.
if you have the stock intake manifold on the engine you will need an adaptor for the edelbrock carb to fit. { you can change the intake for an aftermarket one that the carb will bolt to but not absolutely need to do }also you will need the throttle adapter for the Chrysler application for the linkage to work correctly for the trans kick down rod. also you will need to rework the fuel line to fit. I orded a fitting to replace the hose fitting that comes on the edelbrock fuel inlet the fitting is threaded for a steel line so no rubber fuel line on the engine. money well spent and more insurance not to burn down your clipper. I would also recommend the electric choke for ease of installation and they work great.
good luck and keep us posted
Rodney

[Rodney]

one other thought...
If you are not certian where the noise is coming from you might loosen all of the drive belts on the front of the engine and start and listen for a short time. this will eliminate not only the noise caused by the fan, ect but if the noise is coming from up front you can narrow it down. you can also with the belts tight or not just don't run the engine so long that it over heats.
start the engine and with a long screwdriver place the metal end on different areas of the engine while having your ear on the handle and listen from side to side to compare what you hear. go along the lip of the valve covers and work down to the side of the engine block. this could narrow down which side you need to pull apart. you could also buy an stethescope thing but I find a the screwdrive works as good.
Wish I could hear the noise I love a challenge.
Rodney

[terry and karen conkle]

rodney, what about new oil, do you think that may clean out a stickey lifter maybe?

[Rodney]

Rodney, what about new oil, do you think that may clean out a sticky lifter maybe?

yes that could do it but I  would hope all of the basics are already looked at and addressed. I have taken old neglected engines- drained the oil installed a new filter filled the crank case with the proper amount of DESIEL fuel and with the spark plugs out and the coil wire disconnected spin the engine over several time in short burst to rinse the entire engine.
drain the fuel over night install new oil and see what you get?? I have even started and ran engines doing this but one has to be careful not to run to long as one could skuf a piston or cyl wall.
The sad thing is if and engine is needing this kind of fix it is more than likely it's really in need of more serious work. Ya just have to find the problem and fix it nothing last for ever :cry: just don't run and engine when something is wrong or it will damage more parts which will just cost you more in the end. I have several 440 engines I have collected over the years which will make good builders if and engine is totally gone.
what a thing to collect huh 750 lbs of cast iron...
Rodney