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I'm putting a 440 in a 65 belvedere. I could use some advice.

Johnb1977

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If anyone has any advice I could use some. I'm switching from a 318 poly to a 440 in my 65 belvedere. If anybody has any thoughts or knowledge I'd sure like to hear from you.
Thank you,
John
 
Very simple to swap. just use factory bigblock mounts and a big block trans. I swapped out the 273/904 to a stroked 440 in my '65 Coronet, but if I would have had a poly, I would have kept it. Poly's have 727's behind them and can be built to make some decent power for a lot less than you may think.
 
440 Engine Swap

John,

It would be very worthwhile to contact Schumacher Creative Services in Washington at (206) 364-7151 and get one of their 'Engine Swaps Simplified' catalogs. It contains a lot of information regarding several different types of swaps using your existing K-member and the various components to consider like mounts, pans, linkage, radiator, etc. It worked out perfect for my 440 in a 65 Belvedere. Regards,

Arland
 
If anyone has any advice I could use some. I'm switching from a 318 poly to a 440 in my 65 belvedere. If anybody has any thoughts or knowledge I'd sure like to hear from you.​


I'm kinda partial to the 318 poly myself.......​
 
Real easy swap, actually.

Don't ditch your k-frame. Like 65Belv said, call Shumacher. He's got the parts you need. I swapped to the later ('66-up) 727 trans ans use an aftermarket shifter fitted into the factory console. To do this you'll need the correct trans mount, also from Shumacher. Their headers will fit perfectly but they're a little on the spendy side. Real high quality though. I am using a cheap set of 1-3/4" primary BlackJack headers that are listed as fitting '66 and up cars but fit ours with no issues. You'll notice that fan clearance is a little tight due to the engine sitting about 2" further forward than the later b-bodies. I use a factory flex fan with a 1" spacer and have no problems. My radiator is from a '69 b-body with air conditioning. The mounting holes don't line up so I drilled my own.

Other than that, it's pretty straightforward and no different than dropping a 440 into any other b-body.

Good luck with the build.
 
John,

It would be very worthwhile to contact Schumacher Creative Services in Washington at (206) 364-7151 and get one of their 'Engine Swaps Simplified' catalogs. It contains a lot of information regarding several different types of swaps using your existing K-member and the various components to consider like mounts, pans, linkage, radiator, etc. It worked out perfect for my 440 in a 65 Belvedere. Regards,

Arland
+1 on schumacher parts, just used a set of there motor mounts on a hemi install. Quality stuff.
 
If you use your original K frame you'll also need a 65 or earlier oil pan or one with 5" from front of pan to beginning of sump.
 

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1. Schumacher mounts on factory V8 K-frame
2. Hedman 78030 headers fit perfect.
3. Deep sump pans like the one from 440 source fit fine but you'll need to notch the k frame on the right side. Not a big deal at all.
 
ditto on the Hedman headers fit great on my 63' .. only issue I had was radiator inlet had to be moved over because of location of oil filter on 440 ..I'm using original radiator but couldn't use clutch fan because of clearance .. so far no problems..good luck .. you'll really enjoy the difference :):)
 
Install your studs and headers/hi po manifolds before the 440 engine slips in

AND ** Install your dipstick before the 440 goes in- That was a big pain in the *** to get it in properly :p
 
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