Assembling a 410 Mopar with High Flow Induction

(Pat)>> If you like Mopar you've come to the right place. We're building a small block with a wicked induction system. [ MUSIC ]

(Pat)>> Welcome to Engine Power. What you're looking at is an engine that has a heritage that dates all the way back to 1971, the 360 cubic inch small block Mopar. Actually this one will be 410 cubic inches when we're done because it has been bored and torque plate honed 40 thousandths over size and we are increasing the stroke from the stock 3.580 all the way up to 4 inches. You know we build a lot of Ford and Chevy engines here on the show. So we thought it would be time to give you Mopar guys some love. The 360 Mopar shares a few things in common with their small block Ford and Chevy counterpart. From the factory they roughly have the same bore and stroke combination. What the Mopar power plant lacked was strong aftermarket support on the induction side, but that is changing. You're looking at a table full of parts designed to make Mopar small block run its best, and one of the most exciting developments in the Mopar world is right here. Mopar fans have a good reason to get excited with the introduction of Trick Flow's power port 190 cylinder head for small block Mopars. An exclusive feature of this head is the modified push rod location. Which allows the head to fit both LA and Magnum engines with flat tappet or roller cam shafts. In addition accessories holes have been drilled into the head to fit both engine types. It all begins with engineering. Existing heads are scanned with a laser. Then using thousands of data points the new cylinder head is designed. It receives upgrades such as new ports, valve angles, as well as relocated combustion chambers and spark plugs. The heads are precision machined on state of the art c-n-c equipment. For maximum performance the runners and chambers are fully c-n-c'ed as well. Trick Flow uses their own custom multi angle cutters to optimize air flow for their port designs. By making the seats concentric it ensures proper valve seal, which is essential for making horsepower. Final assembly is done by hand. An experienced technician installs the valves and checks the spring height. Then installs the springs, retainers, and locks. Despite all of the benefits of industrial technology there is still no replacement for a seasoned professional giving the cylinder head one last quality assurance check. Trick Flow's Power Port 190 cylinder head promises the goods and it delivers. On their in house dyno their 360 cubic inch Mopar power plant made 499 horsepower at 6,200 r-p-m and 457 pound feet of torque at 4,900 r-p-m. [ engine revving ]

(Pat)>> We've designed this build as a healthy street engine with a broad power band and great drivability. It's a bolt together project with off the shelf components. An easy job for any hot rodder. To hit the ground running we picked up a fully machined block from ATK. This is a Mopar Magnum 360 block. It has been align honed, torque plate honed, and the lifter bores have been honed as well. The cylinders have been bored to 4.040. Cam bearings, gallery plugs, and brass freeze plugs are all pre-installed at the factory. The magnum block was produced from 1993 to 2001 and found its home in Dodge and Jeep trucks, vans, and s-u-v's. Woo, that's nice. Before we get started we'll mask off and paint this Mopar a color that some of you might find blasphemous Ford red. [ MUSIC ] The main bearings are from Speed Pro. Once the mains are installed we'll check the main bearing clearance. We're in a good range for this application, between 25 and 28 ten thousandths. We install the new rear main seal offset to the block line. It helps prevent oil leaks since a solid piece of the seal covers the break between the cap and the engine block. The bearings are coated with Permatex Ultra Slick Assembly Lube and the crank shaft goes gently into place. It's a Scat 43-40 forged unit with a four inch stroke. That's an increase of 420 thousandths over the stock crank, which is 3.580. New ARP main bolts are torqued in sequence to a final value of 110 pound feet. As always crank shaft end play is checked. It comes in a five thousandths. Now the journals on this Comp Cams hydraulic roller can get slicked up. This is a shelf stock cam, not a custom grind. Duration at 50 thousandths is 236 degrees on the intake and 242 degrees on the exhaust. Valve lift with a factory rocker ratio is 544 thousandths and 541 thousandths respectively. Rounding out the specs is 110 degrees of lobe separation angle. The retaining plate also doubles as a timing chain tensioner. With it installed the timing set is ready to go on. It's a double row billet setup from Summit Racing Equipment. The center cam bolt is torque to 60 pound feet. We say it every time and we do it every time. As always the cam is degreed. The intake center line is in at 105 degrees, which is five degrees advanced. The rotating assembly is the heart of any engine build, and this one's got a strong pulse.

(Pat)>> How do you know if the amount of ethanol in your fuel meets your performance requirements? Here's today's tech tip to set you straight.

(Tim)>> E-85 is a great choice for high performance engines. It has a higher octane rating. Plus provides a more dense air/fuel intake charge, and lower engine operating temperatures compared to pump gasoline. The US Department of Energy allows E-85 to contain 51 to 83 percent ethanol. Not knowing what your ratio of ethanol to gasoline is can lead to big tuning issues, especially with boosted engines. A tool like this Innovate Motorsports ethanol content gauge allows you to monitor your fuel's ethanol content and temperature in real time. So you can make informed tuning choices. The Innovate Motorsports ethanol content gauge also monitors fuel temperature, air/fuel ratio, and either boost vacuum or fuel pressure depending on the model you choose. Share the data with an aftermarket e-c-u and make on the fly adjustments.

(Pat)>> The next thing for our small block Mopar stroker is the rest of the rotating assembly using the Scat kit we got from Summit Racing Equipment. The rods are forged and have an I-beam design. Center to center length is 6.123 and these have ARP 87-40 fasteners. For the r-p-m limit we have in place for this build they are more than plenty. To complete the rotating assembly Mahle Power Pack forged pistons with a 16cc dish will connect to the rods using full floating 984 thousandths wrist pins. A big feature is the low tension ring set. The ring thicknesses are 1 millimeter, 1 millimeter, and 2 millimeter on the oil ring. The top ring is a ductile iron material with a plasma mahle face. Main and rod bearings are supplied with the kit. Scat uses quality companies like King, Federal Mogul, or Clevite 77 for power and reliability depending on the application. Before we stick everything together we have to prep all of the components. We lube the rod bolts with ARP Ultra Torque, assemble the pistons onto the rods, and install the wire locks. Our rings have already been file fit. The top ring is 20 thousandths and the second ring is 22 thousandths. A clean bore is critical for proper ring seal during break in. After we've made the bores spotless with lacquer thinner we'll wipe down the cylinders and piston skirts with break in oil. The rod bearing clearance was checked and came in between 23 and 25 ten thousandths. We'll zero out the ARP rod bolt stretch gauge. Then tighten the fasteners down to 46 ten thousandths stretch. On our torque wrench that equates to 78 pound feet. We do this for all the bolts, not just one. The timing cover is a stock replacement that we got from Summit Racing Equipment. We're just threading in the fasteners loosely for now. Since there are no dowels in this setup the balancer will align the cover correctly. Be sure to lube the seal with plenty of assembly grease. We use anti-seize on the inside of the balancer and more assembly grease on the outside. This is an SFI approved harmonic dampener also from Summit. [ MUSIC ] Now the ARP fasteners can be tightened down for good. Like always true top dead center is set before the cylinder head goes on. With the piston stop installed we'll turn the engine over until the piston touches the stop. Then make a note where zero is indicated on the balancer versus its ready on the timing cover. Ours reads six degrees after t-d-c. Now turn the engine over the opposite way until it touches the piston stop again. That ready should be the same as before except it should be six degrees before t-d-c. In our case it is. So we know that true t-d-c is accurately indicated by a zero on the timing cover's indicator. If it was off we could make a new zero mark on the cover. After verifying the pick-up height is correct the Melling high volume oil pump and pickup assembly bolts up with some orange Permatex thread locker. It's torqued to 45 pound feet. [ MUSIC ] Summit Racing provided a Milodon extra capacity oil pan to button up our short block. [ MUSIC ] Now it's time to install our retro-fit hydraulic roller lifters from Comp Cams. Now these are used when you want to put a hydraulic roller cam in a block that previously had a flat tappet. One thing of note on these lifters is they have a uniquely shaped tie bar assembly that has to be specifically clearanced for on the block. It's just a little bit of grinding, and that's all part of custom engine building, and you have to make sure that the roller is set flat on the cam shaft. Otherwise you are gonna have big problems. Comp recommends soaking the lifters in break in oil to make sure they are thoroughly lubricated. [ MUSIC ] With our block properly clearanced the lifters fit like a glove. Up next a set of cylinder heads designed to bring out the best in our small block.

(Pat)>> Now for the main reason why we're building this engine, the Trick Flow Power Port 190 cylinder head. Now a few details before we bolt these on. They have a 2.020 intake valve, a 1.570 exhaust, and they're housed in a fully c-n-c'ed 60cc chamber. The exhaust ports come in at 81cc and obviously the intake port is that c-n-c street ported 190cc. We ordered ours setup for a hydraulic roller cam shaft, which has a 1.550 double spring with a titanium retainer and a 10 degree lock. Cometic m-l-s gaskets with 40 thousandths thickness rest under the cylinder heads. We're using the ARP stud installer. It lets us install the stud and nut combination after the head is set on the deck so we don't drag aluminum down into the threads. ARP's 87-40 chro-moly head studs are perfect for demanding applications, and they are available for this specific head through Trick Flow. The heads are torqued in three steps to 110 pound feet. For once, since this is a common length for several applications we actually had the right size push rod in stock. It's Comp Cam's chro-moly push rod with an 80 thousandths wall, five-sixteenths ball on each end, and they are 7.400 long. Studs are recommended to secure the shaft rocker assembly. The rockers are from Harlan Sharp and they have a 1.6 ratio. They are specifically designed for these Trick Flow heads. The nuts are torqued to 30 pound feet. [ MUSIC ] [ torque wrench clicking ]

(Pat)>> Being a hydraulic roller setup the lash is set one half turn past zero lash. Trick Flow has even gone the extra mile and developed their own intake manifold for their new cylinder head. This is a single plane design that has an operating range of around 3,000 to 7,000 r-p-m, but before we stick it on you know what we've got to do. We'll lay a bead of Permatex Right Stuff 1 Minute Gasket Maker on the china wall and a tiny bead around the water ports. Trick Flow entrusted us with one of the very first designs of this kind they've ever cast. Their small block Mopar manifold is out now. [ MUSIC ] Permatex Orange tread locker combines the strength of red with the removability of blue. Perfect for our valve cover studs. [ MUSIC ] This Milodon oil pump drive features a bronze cam gear, and it gets lubed up with some Ultra Slick assembly lube. [ MUSIC ] This setup has to be indexed correctly for your distributor's orientation. A long straight bladed screwdriver helps seat it properly. Next our MSD Pro Billet distributor gets dropped in. It has been locked out and the rotor is pointed at our number one terminal. [ MUSIC ] Permatex thread sealant is used on the water pump bolts because the two lower fasteners are threaded into the water jacket. They're used to fasten down the Maziere electric water pump. The studs, gaskets, and carb spacer are next, followed by Holley's Ultra XP carburetor. This one is rated at 850 c-f-m. We still have a couple of things to button this engine but we will have it on the dyno very soon. [ MUSIC ]

(Pat)>> You can learn a lot about how your vehicle is running by checking its operating temperatures, and the Matco Maximus Thermal Imager provides the information that you need to quickly and accurately evaluate automotive components. The 3.2 inch high def color screen shows a combination of visible and infrared light displaying a clear easy to understand image. It reads Fahrenheit temperatures from -4 to 842 degrees as well as degrees Celsius. It can store up to 20,000 images on its built in 3 gigabytes of storage and its imaging distance is from 1.5 to 130 feet. To find out more visit Matco Tools dot com. Up next, headers! There are a bunch of choices but we'll help you make the right one.

(Pat)>> Headers are one of the first go fast parts that most of you will buy for your vehicle, and there are so many different configurations of headers it would be hard to name them all, and a wide variety of materials are used in their construction, from mild steel, stainless, and even in high temperature applications Inconel. They can have many types of finishes, from bare, painted, and even chrome. Ceramic coating, a baked on finish, is a popular choice because of its appearance and durability, but it usually increases the cost of the headers by a couple hundred bucks. No matter the materials or finish each header design has its purpose, and we're gonna cover a few of the most common ones to help you choose which one is right for your ride. A shorty header, like the name says, is short in comparison to a conventional long tube but they are typically longer than your stock manifolds. They have larger tube diameters, which will increase exhaust flow for a little extra power. Sound is also a plus. They will amplify the throatiness of your exhaust. The reasonable cost and installation benefits explain why they're so popular. Perhaps the biggest advantage to shorties are their ease of installation. Simply put they fit in tighter quarters than any other design. Mid length headers are a half way between a shorty and a long tube. Their design allows for longer primary lengths, which help develop more torque and power. They don't have any problem with ground clearance because they are designed to sit above the bottom of the chassis. A mid length header is a good compromise between a shorty and a long tube. Generally speaking you'll get more power than a shorty and definitely have less fitment issues than a long tube. Long tube headers are the go to in many cases. They give excellent peak power and torque numbers, and that's because the tubes are designed to be equal lengths. Having the same lengths increases performance because the scavenging effect is matched on each cylinder. The only disadvantage I can really name is packaging. Long tubes take up a lot of real estate and interference with your engine's components can make for a challenging installation. Whether shorty, mid tube, or long tube, if you don't have a set for your daily driver or race car check out Summit Racing to see the many options they offer. For more information on anything you've seen on Engine Power today visit Powernation TV dot com. [ MUSIC ] To have an engine make more power a common technique is to increase its cubic inches, and you can do that three different ways. You can increase bore size, the length of the stroke, or a combination of the two. You've heard the term stroker when talking about high performance engines. So that's what we're gonna go over today. But what exactly does stroker mean? Simply put it's an engine that has the stroke of its crankshaft increased beyond its stock specification. This mod can be done two different ways. First you can offset grind the crank shaft. Before aftermarket crankshafts were readily available the crankshaft's rod journal would be intentionally ground to a smaller diameter and to a center line further from the actual center of the crankshaft. This effectively lengthened the travel of the piston in the cylinder increasing its cubic inches, but the offset grind yielded a small increase because the crankshaft can only be ground so much. In addition it was labor intensive, expensive, and potentially weakened the stock crankshaft. The second method is to replace the stock component with a purpose built aftermarket crankshaft. These are designed specifically for longer strokes, are constructed out of better material, and are built to yield maximum cubic inches without sacrificing strength. We build stroker engines here all the time, and they fall into three categories. Over square, meaning the bore is larger than the stroke. Square, meaning the bore and stroke are equal and under square, meaning the bore is smaller than the stroke. Over square strokers are common in most racing applications. The larger bore and shorter stroke produce the needed air displacement while keeping the average piston speed lower at high r-p-m, which improves reliability and allows efficient air induction. Square strokers have a good balance of horsepower and torque production. They can be tailored to make stout low end torque or high end horsepower depending on the components selected. They are excellent for weekend warrior race cars and just about any high performance street car. Under square strokers really shine in lower r-p-m high torque applications. When the engine's bore size is limited an aftermarket crankshaft will increase the size by 50 or 60 cubic inches. For instance a 351 Windsor with a 4.030 over bore and a stock stroke of 3.500 equals 357.15 inches. Increasing just the stroke to 4.170 gives us 68.36 additional cubes. The result is a 425.53 cubic inch engine. Several aftermarket companies offer not only stroker crankshafts but entire rotating assemblies with all the associated parts to get your bullet together. The only thing that limits stroker applications are the physical size of the engine block and your bank account.