Mopar 440 racers - time to legalize that shortblock!

[Lynn A McCarty]

Originally Posted by SSDiv6

It does not affect the water pump mounts. If this was the case, then the 383/400 engine would have the same problem. The camshaft bore C/L to crankshaft C/L is the same for both the RB and B blocks and they share the same timing sets. When the RB block was created, they just added material to the deck height in the same fashion that there are different deck heights for the Chevy big block engine: there is a standard deck and tall deck. Was the 1959/1960 383 block with the 3.75 stroke cast with an RB or B block deck height? It appears they are rare and hard to find. Therefore, if the 1959/1960, 383 block was cast with the B block deck height, has an OEM 3.75 stroke, what would preclude its use in SS class as a 440 engine?

SSDiv6,

We have two separate issues here:

1.) Blocks with "cross breeding" from a 383 engine "family" for use in a 440 to get an extremely light rotating group.
2.) Blocks being altered completely different than what is approved as a Hemi replacement block by NHRA for a Hemi. The approved RB block has about 0.600 on the deck total. So what 0.400 at the most? If you go below that the water hole doesnt allow water to the cylinder heads. So any Hemi with anything lower than about 10.300 isnt using the NHRA approved block. If I am wrong about this please inform me.

If you are cutting down the approved block on deck a couple hundred thousandths that is one thing. If you are altering sand molds or substituting alternate unapproved castings.....that is something completely different. Just like was stated here previously, there is no way you can cut an RB block even close to 10.00 deck. In either case grossly illegal for Super Stock.

The 440 guys have a much easier way to go. However, cross breeding as stated in the rule book is prohibited.

If we let this happen, it is a slippery slope. We will have a Pontiac with RA-IV heads that looks like a 289 Ford, and a "G" string intake wide enough barely to fit the Q-jet.

The real question is where does NHRA draw the line? It cannot be Mopar guys get it and no one else does. I am respectful of the Mopar guys doing this for power, but we gotta be able to do the same. Otherwise if they want a big motor and a very light piston with a big stroke with a 10.200 deck, they need to build a Pontiac.

Lynn