Dodge 440 Engine Rebuild - Mopar Muscle

7. Not every machine shop has its own crank grinding machine, but Coast does enough volume to warrant it. Grinding your own cranks also allows for tighter tolerances and better quality control over the finished product. Our crank cleaned up at .010 on both the main journals and the rods journals.

8. Boring a 440 block is usually kept to 0.030 oversize on later manufacturer blocks, as the wall thickness can be a bit thin. We went 0.040 for a bit more displacement, while making sure there was plenty of meat in the walls.

9. Final honing is critical to a quality rebuild, while many other machine shops simply stop at boring the cylinders. The proper crosshatch pattern left by a good hone job is critical in seating the rings in the bore for a quick break-in and smoke-free performance.

10. All the rods get resized by a rod refinishing machine that makes the big end perfectly round and true. The caps are slightly milled, then bolted together and bored, and checked for perfect size.

11. The new hypereutectic 0.030 oversized Sealed Power pistons are pressed onto the rod with the pins. After a final cleaning the new rings get installed and laid aside for assembly in the block.

12. Once all the old parts are cleaned, checked, decked, and finished, the assembly can begin. The first parts back in are the cam bearings, pressed in with an installer. While it may seem primitive, this is the best way to seat the bearings firmly. The block and heads also get painted, and all freeze plugs and pipe plugs are sealed and installed.

13. Coast Motor Supply always checks and double-checks all of the parts, applications, and every spec before assembling an engine. One builder is assigned to each project, and their name goes on the final build. This creates the quality and craftsmanship from a proper engine rebuild.

14. Main bearings are carefully fitted into the block and caps. With the bearings dry, the reground crank is installed and checked with Plastigage to measure the clearance of the bearing shells. If something is wrong, this is where it will be found. If the specs are met, the bearings are lubed, the seals are installed and reassembled.

15. Proper torquing of the main bearing caps is critical to longevity. The bolts are clean and lightly lubed, and a three-stage torque sequence is used to tighten the bolts. Once tight, the crank is spun by hand to ensure the proper feel. Engine building is both an art and a science, and experience counts.