wedge head big blocks produced from 1959-1978

There is an ID pad to help identify the engine.

for this particular example, the "C" means 1967 model and the "440" is the displacement. Other markings can provide clues about production date, oversize bores, undersize crank, etc.

B engine:

350, 361, 383, 400

ID pad found here:

RB engine:

413, 426, 440

ID pad found here:

Basic thoughts on the big blocks: tough tough tough engines, big power and love heat. One of the best engineered V8 engines for demo derby purposes and pretty good for other applications too . Timing chain is a must, I don't care how good it seems to run. This gear came out of a 400 that ran perfectly:

I've pulled some out of running engines that were worse than that even... missing close to half their teeth. It won't take much stress to shear off a few more and so the smart thing to do is change it out for a replacement metal gear. A single roller set is fine, as long as you get rid of that factory nylon gear.

Use a 2.2L K car oil filter and wrap it with duct tape and old seatbelts

oil dipstick tube is in a horrible location, not a whole lot you can do about it though. After a couple of runs most of mine get plugged off at the base of the block.

Spark plugs are vulnerable to getting broken off, space the engine up to get it away from steering components especially in an Imperial

for stock shows the A/C compressor makes for a fairly effective distributor protector

up to 1972 the lower rad hose is on the driver's side, after that it is on the passenger's side. Water pumps are interchangeable if you need to though

Intakes and distributors swap only within family- B to B or RB to RB. For newer 400's with Lean Burn or electronic ignition if you want to run points just ask for a distributor for a 1969 383. For newer 440's ask for one for a 1969 440.

Wedge heads are interchangeable between all big blocks, as are exhaust manifolds, water pumps, oil pumps, oil pans, timing covers

cranks can be swapped within family or between families with extra machine work

400's and early 70's thru 1978 440's had cast cranks, all others had forged cranks
(exact year of 440 changeover is mixed and frequently debated. Personally I've never seen a 1972 440 with a cast crank and I've never seen a 1975 440 with a forged crank. I've heard stories to the contrary but haven't seen it with my own eyes.... take it for what it's worth). Cast cranks use a weighted torque converter and forged cranks use a neutral torque converter

1967 & earlier are closed chamber heads, 1968 & later are open chamber

NO the stock exhaust manifolds cannot be flipped. For most types, the flange hits the valve cover and the main section interferes with the spark plugs.

various accessory brackets can be a real pain to work with since they changed them around every other year, and mixing and matching mostly creates a lot of headaches. Try to keep a factory set together or be prepared to fight with it is the best advice I have. Or just run nothing but a single belt from the crank to the water pump ;D

I like headers with a 1-7/8" primary tube for the big blocks.

the problem i had with my last car was the front end pinched at the firewall and in doing so it allowed the k member to come up and knock the oil filter enough that it was leaking. i'm experimenting with welding a pipe plug on the end of the filter housing and there by doing away with the filter all together. that and fixing the frame with some kickers off my cage and possibly a good carb protector.

yeah some guys have machined a billet filter bypass which looks like a big metal disc and spins on in place of the filter. You could also consider an aftermarket remote filter mount, personally I never seriously considered it because I don't know that it would be better to trade for having long hoses running around under the hood. The K car filter and seat belt trick has worked pretty decent for me.

Anybody built a engine cradle for the BB I keep breaking the engine mount ears off?

Yeah, same as him^^ our 400 keeps breaking the engine mounts, but it still runs strong ha

get a hold of 76 yorker... hes in the process of making a badass one, just like all his other products

ROBBO'S DERBY PRODUCTS, HAS BEEN BUILDING AND SELLING THESE FOR THREE YEARS NOW.. ONE CLIENT HAS BOUGHT THREE FOR THREE DIFF MOTORS HE HAS AND LOVES THEM.. THESE ALSO HELP PROTECT THE OIL FILTER..

whats the difference between the 60's 440's and the mid to late 70's 440's. is one better than the other for derby purposes. Oh and how do you keep these things from gettin hot and shutting down.

Alright. I'll check them out. Thanks

66-67 440 is pretty close to 10:1 with closed chamber heads, 68-71 is around 9.2:1 with open chamber heads, 72-78 is around 8:1 with open chamber heads. Speaking in the most general terms you will have an easier time managing heat with lower compression, but any Mopar V8 in good condition is a good derby engine. Personally I don't derby 440's because they are worth real money to sell so I'd rather pocket the cash and derby a 383 or 400 if the application calls for a big block, but that's your call.

got some 1 3/4 four into one headers for my 400  as opposed to 1 1/2 i run last yr... i currently don't have a collector on the 1 3/4 headers, any preference??

the 1.75's will probably sound a whole lot better than the 1.5's, at least that's always been my experience. I don't think there's any significant advantage to the configuration of the headers, shape, collectors, etc. so it's just personal preference regarding look, sound, and functionality if you ask me. True there are small effects on power production through different exhaust configurations that you can measure on the dyno but on a derby car it's a moot point.

Personal preference is the 400. It has beefyier main webbing of any of the mopar big blocks. It tends to run cooler than the 440 as well as what dm440c said. The 440 is worth more money. And the 383 has a slightly weaker bottom end.
For guys that want to freshen one up here is a few of my tricks. I start with a good worn engine that the bearings are still intact. I bore the cylinders out .008 to. 010. The theory behind that is it simply has more room to expand. Polish the crank. Clean the stock rods and pistons pertaining they are in decent shape. Like dm440c said timing chain is a must. I prefer a double roller chain. The oil pump gets swapped out for a high pressure pump, not a high volume pump. I recommend clevite or king bearings and a good set of CAST rings such as perfect circle. Some guys go wild with the cam but i prefer something based around bottom end torque over rpm. Ive heard it before and will swear by it. When it comes to cam grinds less is more!!!! Heads i do little to. Deck them if they need it and make sure the valves arent burnt. Porting heads for a derby is a waste of time imo. Stock intakes work fine. I prefer an edlebrock 650 or 750 carb. Depends which one the engine likes best. Edlebrocks do blubber when u hit but with the right throttle response they will clear right out. Thats a few things i do. I usually break or get stuck before the engine fails!
A good running Stock engine is great to!!!

^^^^^ I agree with a lot of that, except

the part about the 400's having a more substantial bottom end.... yes there are some 1972 castings (I believe it's the casting numbers that end in xxxx230) that had some bonus webbing around the mains, but after that the 400 blocks were the same design as the rest of the big blocks. These bonus webbing blocks are sought after by guys looking to build a stroker race engine because of the increased strength for higher sustainable RPM's, but shouldn't matter for derby use. I've never found a circumstance in demo derby where a 400 could handle more abuse than a 383, to me they are equals in terms of robustness. I do prefer the 400 because I like the slight edge in heat management due to the lower SCR but I'll happily run a 383 any day.

question: you mentioned Edelbrock carbs and "650 or 750 depending on which one the engine likes best", and "they blubber when making a hit".....

I'm just wondering what kind of tuning you do to them. I would assert that proper jetting & float settings should allow a 600 CFM Performer series carb to run well on any engine displacement from 318 to 440 presuming the use of "small" cams or in other words cams that have duration near to stock. For race applications where target RPM is much higher, the laws of Volumetric Efficeincy may well push you to larger CFM carbs but for derby use 500 to 600 is plenty for any engine. Any carb, no matter what it is, needs a little tuning work to provide max performance on any particular engine. Yes it is possible to grab one off the shelf and bolt it to an engine and have it run well, maybe even perfect if you get lucky, but optimizing the tune is a skill that pays dividends. This is one of the reasons I like the Edelbrock Performer series carb.... it is dead simple to tune.

Dm440c i have two main carbs i run 650 or 750, both edlebrock. I ran the circle track 500 cfm rochester one time found it to be lacking . On my edlebrocks I set the floats down a bit and will change out jets if necessary. I completely agree they are easy to tune. Maybe its just me but full track shots they will sputter a tad. Usually never die on me tho. Maybe i'm not taking the tune far enough but they keep winning money so i'm happy with their performance. And ur are right that in a derby situation a 383 is an equal. I find them to be worth more money. Much like the 440. Call me bias but the 400 is good as any derby engine available!

I will also add that i'm not spending big money on these engines either. 300 to 500 bucks for a rebuild along with some used parts will make a nasty engine. The last cam i used was used. I'm gonna say the lift was around .450 to .460. Duration i have no clue. My reasoning for using it was it came out of a 440 in a mud truck with a stock converter. The cam is above stock but not overly radical. Engine still runs great and already paid for itself. the engine before that got a stock 3 bolt motor home cam out of a 413 with the same results....success.

yep, in total agreement there... best fallback advice is always "do what works for you" so once you get them to where you are happy  with the tune then lock it down and rock it out.

You weren't happy with a Rochester lol... I'm in total agreement again, I think they blow more than they suck but for some reason 90% of the derby world is infatuated with them. They can have 'em. The only factory 2 bbl carbs I've had any success with are the small 318 Carter carbs, the rest should be melted down and come back as Budweiser cans as far as I'm concerned.

I do like the Holley 4412 2 bbl (and the Motorcraft version) and I like the Edelbrock 600 Performer series (based on the old AFB) 4 bbl. The AVS series is ok but an unnecessary expense IMO since there's no need to have a vacuum tunable secondary air door on a derby carb.

I've had good luck buying used carbs off ebay. $150 will get u a nice carb. Be carefull buying on ebay not all good deals are good!!! Earlier in my derby career i ran 318's with the 2 barrel carter with good luck. However in my area guys are spending 3 g's on their engine's so i have been relying on the big blocks to keep them at bay.