(Almost) Runner 440 Advice

[RockyPat]

Hello everyone,

I have found a 1972/73 440 HP block that is said to have been running great before disassembly. The owner says the rotating assembly is good, and that I could probably hone the cylinders and re-ring the pistons and have a runner. The crank is a cast model from what I can tell. He says that the motor is standard bore, but it has had a double roller Mopar performance cam installed. He says the timing chain is lose and should be changed out. Also comes with some 452 heads oil pan, water pump housing and some other accessories. The owner supposedly took parts off to put them on a freshly machined 440 that he bought.

I would like to spend very little money to get it running well enough. If possible.

I have pictures to show what the engine’s condition sort of looks like.

What would you guys pay for a 440 like this? Is it worth it to get a possible runner engine to verify that the block is good and to do a cheap rebuild? Or is it better to start with a stock engine and do a total rebuild?

Sorry for so many of these posts. I figure these are good posts for a lot of newcomers like myself who look at similar deals all the time and need advice.

Thanks!

 

[RockyPat]

I have learned from 440 source that later blocks have the extra ribbing on the sides of the block that can help with durability. I see that as a plus, but the cast crank is not as durable as a forged one. I would like to use this crank if I got the engine and it worked. Give and take.

 

[hunt2elk]

I sold 2 440 standard bore blocks last year that I had cleaned and checked for cracks. Got 500 for 1 and 550 for the other. Took 4-5 months before they sold.

 

[gkent]

There are millions of cast crank motors out there - even one with twin turbos !! Don't let the fact its cast that scare you. BUT ... I don't think that balancer is correct for a cast crank.

Clean, hone and rings sounds like a good plan.

Offer him $500. - the worst he can say is no. If he says no then toss the ball in his court. I hate "make me an offer"s and will usually lowball the guy. If nothing else, a lowball offer scares them from asking a ridiculously high price.

 

[69Bee]

Crankshaft looks forged to me. Turn the crank to have the rod crankpins straight up so we can see the side of the crank rod pins. We need to see if the parting line is wide or narrow.

 

[Runcharger]

That may be a forged crankshaft. I could never screw together a 7.5-1 440 if I had it apart. I would have to buy a lightweight set of forged pistons so it would run like a 440. I would say the value looks like around $500 if it is indeed standard bore.

 

[R413]

That is a steel crank, which is good. The ribs on the side of the block don’t mean anything. They started in 1969. The 1966-1969 blocks are just great with out the ribs.
426 hemi blocks don’t have ribs on the sides either.

 

[65Fury440]

In picture number 2 at about 6 oclock , it looks like a chip out of the deck at the edge of the bore.
I'd be afraid the fire ring would be about halfway compromised.
With that being said, as teenagers we got away with some pretty dodgy stuff and it worked out.
I'd also say $500 would be fair.

 

[RockyPat]

I sold 2 440 standard bore blocks last year that I had cleaned and checked for cracks. Got 500 for 1 and 550 for the other. Took 4-5 months before they sold.

Thanks for sharing your experience. $500 seems like the most common dollar amount that people have recommended.

 

[RockyPat]

There are millions of cast crank motors out there - even one with twin turbos !! Don't let the fact its cast that scare you. BUT ... I don't think that balancer is correct for a cast crank.

Clean, hone and rings sounds like a good plan.

Offer him $500. - the worst he can say is no. If he says no then toss the ball in his court. I hate "make me an offer"s and will usually lowball the guy. If nothing else, a lowball offer scares them from asking a ridiculously high price.

Thanks for the reassurance about the cast cranks and about my "what if" plan for the engine. I agree, the worst a seller can say is no.

 

[RockyPat]

Crankshaft looks forged to me. Turn the crank to have the rod crankpins straight up so we can see the side of the crank rod pins. We need to see if the parting line is wide or narrow.

That may be a forged crankshaft. I could never screw together a 7.5-1 440 if I had it apart. I would have to buy a lightweight set of forged pistons so it would run like a 440. I would say the value looks like around $500 if it is indeed standard bore.

That is a steel crank, which is good. The ribs on the side of the block don’t mean anything. They started in 1969. The 1966-1969 blocks are just great with out the ribs.
426 hemi blocks don’t have ribs on the sides either.

Thanks for pointing this out as a possibility. I will have to inspect the crank more to see if it is indeed a forged unit. From this picture diagram, it seems like this crank is cast:

The crank in the engine seems to have square edges and the narrow parting line from what I can see, but I could be wrong. Thanks

 

[RockyPat]

In picture number 2 at about 6 oclock , it looks like a chip out of the deck at the edge of the bore.
I'd be afraid the fire ring would be about halfway compromised.
With that being said, as teenagers we got away with some pretty dodgy stuff and it worked out.
I'd also say $500 would be fair.

I did see the chip. It did concern me a little bit. I would hate to have to deal with a messed up fire ring. Maybe this one is not the one after all. Thanks for bringing it up!

 

[RockyPat]

I forgot to add, the seller says that the engine has a Mopar performance 280 cam. What do you guys think of the cam choice? Thanks

 

[gkent]

If this is the "chip" everyone's in a panic about it sure isn't something I'd be concerned with !! It doesn't appear to below the taper.

 

[RockyPat]

If this is the "chip" everyone's in a panic about it sure isn't something I'd be concerned with !! It doesn't appear to below the taper.

View attachment 1156676

Thanks for the comment. You don’t think this chip would be a problem?

 

[Nate S]

Any idea what this came out of? Looks remarkably similar to one I put together 30 years ago. Same crank, cam, block, pistons.

 

[gkent]

Thanks for the comment. You don’t think this chip would be a problem?

No problem AT ALL. That line you see around the top is the taper to install the rings. The chip doesn't look to go much below that line. And the top ring will be sitting AT LEAST 1/4" below the deck. I've seen valve reliefs filed deeper and further down than that.

 

[RockyPat]

Any idea what this came out of? Looks remarkably similar to one I put together 30 years ago. Same crank, cam, block, pistons.

Unfortunately I do not know what this block came out of. Cool nonetheless!

 

[RockyPat]

No problem AT ALL. That line you see around the top is the taper to install the rings. The chip doesn't look to go much below that line. And the top ring will be sitting AT LEAST 1/4" below the deck. I've seen valve reliefs filed deeper and further down than that.

Thanks for letting me know. I will keep this in mind. Maybe I can use this to bring the price down.

 

[gkent]

Maybe I can use this to bring the price down.

Absolutely! Say something like: "It'll probably need to be bored 60 over to get rid of that and then It'll need new pistons and then the walls might be too thin - I dunno, maybe I should keep looking for a better block that doesn't need all that"