Need BB Advice!!!

[69dartgt]

I need advice on what to look for on a 440 as far as good ones, bad ones, casting no's, etc. I have been offered two 440's for about $150 each, both complete (one missing the carb), and both presumably out of RV's. Are RV big blocks a different casting (only for RVs) or are they the same as every other BB? Are there casting no's to steer clear of or are they all the same quality? Any good books on the subject that I can get at Borders/Amazon.com/Walden? I was raised on small blocks and I feel like stepping into the BB world but need guidance. I need to look at these engines Sunday the 15th...PLEASE HELP!!!!

[Chuck'64]

As far as I know they are basicaly the same just check if its forged or cast crank, if its forged the balencer on the front of the engine will be about one inch thick and if it is cast it will be about 2 inches thick and say for cast cranks only

Chuck

P.S. For $150 each buy them both they arent easy to come by for that price!

[ehostler]

As I recall, certain year RV blocks had different water passages and you could only use the RV head with them. I may be wrong, however that is what I recall.

[ajmopar]

some of the rv 440's used a head with an extra water passage around the spark plug, I believe to keep the combustion chamber cooler and ward off detonation. If I recall correctly, they used a smaller taper seat spark plug (like the ones used in a late 70's through 80's slant six). I have seen different blocks as well, the "waffle blocks" stand out in my mind. I think the coolant area around the bores stuck out more, but this would be on late model blocks that you can't overbore very much, at least without a sonic check. The later cast crank 440's are easy to identify by their counterweighted balancers. I remember seeing a '78 440 with a very odd looking tapered balancer. The really late 440's had a miserable 7.8:1 compression, but if the block is still boreable, you can build it just like the older ones, up to the point of the cast crank becoming a liability. At $150 a crack, even in US funds, I would pick up both.

[dirty dan]

$150 was a good price 15 years ago.
Now they are more like 300-500.
Don`t drag your feet Buy them.
Before someone else does.

[intperf]

Mother Mopar used two different 440's and a 413 in the early 70's as RV blocks. The standard everyday 440 which for the RV was normally a cast crank truck style block and a special RV block 440 and 413. The RV blocks have a special water pump, heads, intake, etc... And are about useless for anything other than an RV, Most of the special RV blocks are 413's but a couple that I have seen are listed as 440's they are easily identifiable from the water pump and heads, the water pump is up almost even with the top of the intake and the heads are real restictive due to increased cooling jackets. The standard 440's are just that and normal part #'s and identification available. There is no clear cut way to figure which one mother mopar provided to the rv companies. I have had 2 Winniebago Chieftain's one had the standard 440 and one had the RV 440 both were 1976 models. There I go rambling on again, hope my 2 cents helps.

[Devilbrad]

Check the stamped pad on top of the blocks next to the distributor opening, it will tell you what size motor you are dealing with. Low deck b-blocks are on the passneger side of the distributor on the head seating surface, and high deck rb blocks (like the 440's) are on the drivers side of the distributor on the machined surface the manifold seals too. Both these surfaces are visible on a complete motor. Also one side of the block will have a casting date moulded right into. The earlier the better!!!!

Brad

[gotcha]

Here's the casting number info on the 440's.

The extra cooling around the plugs and combustion chambers is correct. The heads are the difference and have extra cooling capacity.

The RV heads usually carry a casting number of 3751213.

The block casting numbers are as follows:

2536430...66-72

3698830...73-78

4006630...78

Also the commonly known extra external stiffening rib on the outside of some blocks.

76,77, and 78 are the "thinwall castings" are are not to be bored over .030 without sonic testing.

Just more info for you.

P.S. Buy 'em if not destroyed.

[69dartgt]

Sounds like I shouldn't forget my wallet Sunday when I go to look at these things...also maybe make sure I've got a tool or two to pop a valve cover/scrape some grease/look at some casting no's (heads and block). Next question is, anyone willing to come over and make room in my shed for these things and tell my wife that I really did need to buy 'em?

[Devilbrad]

Just tell her your storing them for a friend!!!! I had a guy I worked with buy a 69 Barracuda off of me. He told his wife he was storing it for me and working on it for me while it was there. LOL Havent heard from him in a long time, wonder how "my" car is coming along???

Brad

[TwiZtiD440]

I myself have an RV 440. Forged crank and had 346 heads. I have pics if anyone is interested in them

[69dartgt]

Hey TwiZtiD440, post some pics for educational purposes not to mention the ooh, ahh, oh factor. Mail 'em to me if they're too big to post here...

[The Dartman]

A friend of mine had a RV 440 block with 906 heads in an ex pro stock 1974 4 speed Duster that ran 10.50's before we went with a different block with Stage IV heads with a (ick) Powerglide (10.37 now).

We had the head off and he pointed out what he called "steam passages" in the block as a means to identify a RV block. He also said that an RV block cooled more efficiently than a regular block, even though the RV heads were'nt being used.

But... I'm a small block guy too...
Dartman

[TwiZtiD440]

First off, this is the block last winter when I got it from war hoops, got her dissassmebled and the block is having machine work done to it as is the crank. I sand blasted the heads, valves, and intake myself. Sold the heads and valves to the shop where I'm having the work done at, as cash torwards the work done to the block, crank, and the Ross pistons I'm ordering through them. Casting Numbers are as follows,

Block - 3698830-440-6
Heads -3462346
Intake - 3893444-1 ( very blurry )
Crank - Can't find the pic with the #, but i did look it up and it was a forged crank, its now been degreased, Magna fluxed, shot peined, and cut 10/10

Lots of more pics to come, soon a site that has all my pics before and after stuff, and my new and costly Eddy Heads, Pistons and what ever else is to come, enjoy the pics!

[TwiZtiD440]

Heres a pic of the block from a diff view, nice and dirty

btw: My 440 came out of a Motor home, that was in it because of an interior fire. Forgot the name of the motor home, did'nt really care, checked the number on the block which I could see from the wheel well, checked out for what I wanted, forged crank, so I bought her for $250, only thing missing was the Exhaust manifolds...

[TwiZtiD440]

Another pic of the valve train

Note: Left of the block, the head of my home made Engine stand, I fashioned myself one at my school for about 50 bucks in material, Pretty ain't she? ( Yes I'm proud of myself, first welding project....ever )

[TwiZtiD440]

the 346 heads after I sandblasted them

[TwiZtiD440]

High defition of the casting numbers on the heads, after sand blasting, pretty eah?

[69dartgt]

Cool pics...check these out...my Dart before the work began...Ugly engine!!

[69dartgt]

Ugly up close...

[69dartgt]

Work in progress...my 360 halfway through the build...

[69dartgt]

And from the top...sort of...

[TwiZtiD440]

Cool pics! Wish I had mine that far assemled

I'll post my progress as it comes, and I'll open a side site to the new site I'll be managing soon, that can host a page of pics and such for who ever wants one.

[PRO]

Heres a little more info,HD 440s have a ribbing structure cast in them running front to back near the freeze plugs,its raised 1/8th of an inch and about 3/8 wide.RV motorhome blocks have bigger water passages and will look like a figure 8 instead of round holes as viewed from the top,I pass on most motorhome engines because theyve lived the hardest life imaginable,extreme heat and load.There is also the industrial 413-440 which uses different heads,that is they have a different exhaust port configuration and manifolds,youll know them by the hard water pipe(3/8")that runs from the waterpump to the intake manifold and attaches near the base of the carb(they run coolant thru the carb base and back into the head).They are useless from a hi po standpoint and the crank has a thicker rear flange.Happy hunting....PRO..