this morning i had this thought. i have no idea where it came from, but i still had it. can you put 426 hemi heads on a 440 and vice versa? and can you put max wedge heads on a 440 as well?
Max Wedge heads are typical "B" / "RB" Mopar heads. They will fit any big block Mopar. I`ve heard that you can put Hemi heads on a 440, but I don`t know exactly what`s required.
Street Hemi's have four extra bolts through bosses cast in the valley, so they don't really work. Early race Hemi's didn't have them, but had head gasket sealing problems.
hes right. STAGE V engineering did a big block mopar to hemi head conversion. you can not do it with stock parts however even though they look close and share a number of parts, they really are two different engines. to get around the head bolt issue the STAGE V heads had a bolt through the intake runner floor. they were very expensive even back in the late 90's i think they went for $2500 undressed. and of course they were in aluminum.
Like the other guys have said. 1. pushrod clearance (cut and weld the block), 2. extra bosses in intake side of block. Hemis (we are talking 66-71s) also have cross-bolted mains, an 8-bolt crank flange and different area where the mounts attach. Stage V did conversion heads, but with all the fresh new stuff coming out, this would be a waste. Might as well use a hemi block or go aftermarket if you plan on building power. The expensive stuff is the top end anyway, not a block.
"Hemi" only means "big money".... Oh sure, they look super cool,,, but unless your making over 1000 hp, you will never really see any advantage to running the hemi over the 440 [on the street].
There are Hemi heads for the 440. My bro-in-law is in possesion of a 440 race engine w/ hemi heads that his dad built back in the 80's. From the looks of it he will be selling the heads sometime in the near future
Here's one done by Steve Magnante Using the 3.54 gears and 2200 converter, the best time has been 11.48 @ 122 on pump gas. No doubt, more gear and converter would get the car near 11-oh on pump gas. Not too shabby for a magazine writer Nah, you wouldn't want to run that on the street!
The point was that he could get basically the same numbers for A LOT LESS MONEY with a 440. In fact, I remember reading an article in one of the Mopar magazines several years ago where they had two Charger owners drag race. One car was a 440 6-pack car, the other was a 426 Hemi. Both restored to stock. The 440 6-pack car won the race by a slight margin. A hemi is always cool, but not always worth the trouble or expense if you look at it on a dollar per horsepower level.
Stage V conversion heads do not JUST bolt on to a 440 or other B/RB block. The block needs to be prep'd for installation. This requires grinding the valley walls to allow for the different pushrod angle, you also have to either holes in the block for -4 or-6 fittings for the oil drain lines that need to be installed to allow the oil to drain back from the cylinder heads. The conversion head is also limited to the size valve you can use. I did a conversion for my 59 Chrysler 300 and it made very good power with a mild 272 degree cam and 10.5 -1 compression. I think it made 523 HP and 513 lb/ft torque @ 3600 RPM on the Dyno. Its a very nice combination and you can use the stock Hemi intake and exhaust on them.
I've done this using production parts. The upper row of cylinder head bolts really isn't that big of a problem. You can either A) O ring the heads and use 1/2 inch studs for the middle row, and forget the uppers altogether, or B) drill out a hole in the bottom of the port that matches the 440's head bolt hole (The upper row of bolt holes on the wedge block do not line up exactly with the hemi stud bosses) or C) and this is the best way...is add material to the valley of the wedge block that will allow you to screw a bolt through the stock stud hole in the bottom of the Hemi intake port. Use a 12 point bolt. A 6 point will be difficult to work with. You're going to have to grind clear into the water jackets to clear the exhaust pushrods..intakes are not a problem at all. You're also going to have to add oil drainback lines to the bottom corners of the cylinder heads...you can get away with just the rears if it's a drag only engine. The only other thing that may be an issue is the water jckets at the top corners of the block. I put a set of K heads on a motorhome block, and had to add material to the water jacket opening to get it to seal. If I was going to do it again, I'd start with a 413 block because it can be opened up to the stock 426 bore size and use off the shelf pistons.
Yup, and what RacerRick said.......can be done with the correct parts , the correct knowdledge, and the correct mechanic....
I saw a 383 with hemi heads the guy built it to make min weight break he welded spuds in the lifter galley for the upper row of head bolts this was in 73-74
I have never heard of anyone doing that. Not sure if it's possible. If it is, you would need the wedge pistons, cam, push rods and such. Also, Hemi heads on a 440. There was a company called Stage Five Engineering that sold a conversation. Don't know if they are still around. Gene.
sort of, the 2nd gen hemi was designed using the wedge, but there are changes. The engine mounts are completely different, requiring either 'elephant ears' or something fabricated or aftermarket. Obviously, the hemi studs that face down into the lifter valley are different, but there are other things too. Here's an article from 2008 and one picture shows the different head gaskets. https://www.hotrod.com/articles/ccrp-0809-building-hemi-for-less/ more info here https://www.hotrod.com/articles/incredible-new-block-can-make-hemi-wedge/ and another article touting it as available in 2019 https://moparconnectionmagazine.com...rformance-joins-mopar-connection-for-2019-20/ Hemi blocks are getting hard to source again, https://www.billmitchellproducts.com/mopar-p5153862ab-engine-block-cast-iron-426-hemi/ "unavailable from Mopar" so you could probably find someone who would be interested in swapping for a wedge block, even a used aftermarket one. I'd guess a hemi block would trade for a complete 'builder' big block easily. Even more so if it's an original installed block from a muscle-era car. If you really want to build a strong big block wedge (why else use a hemi block?), you should do some digging into what is available aftermarket and be honest with what your requirements and costs really are. Stock blocks and heads have very real limits and aftermarket is much more costly than other brands. The design is from the 1950s. There is another more modern design that has much more potential and is still being explored. Not HAMB friendly, though. Since I see you asked over on Moparts too, this should answer your question. Hope all is well in Yarnell, it's getting pretty chilly up here in C.V.!
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