Are 440 RV motors any good?

[Moulder]

I got a line from a friend that there is an RV at a car lot that has some fire damage in the rear. Are these motors any good for a street car. I thought that once I read that they might have different heads on them and forged cranks. Is this true?

[PRO]

Some things to keep in mind its possible and probable that its a 413,check the pad also it can be a typical 440 or 413 or it may be an Industrial 440/413 which among other things has different heads,Look at the exhaust manifolds if it has 6 attaching bolts its a typical engine if it has 7 its an industrial head which is no good for anything but a heavy truck,the industrial motor is also identifiable by a hard 3/8 line coming off the top of the water pump running to the intake near the carb base,what is normally a heat cross over is now a water cooling passage although both motors will use the same HD block and can take either head so it isnt a total loss and certainly is worth looking into.The trans may have the e= brake built into it which isnt gonna work in a car it looks like a small brake drum.Remember these engines live Severe duty lives hauling all that weight and probably WOT most of the time so theyre lucky to make it to 100,000mi before they usually need a rebuild........PRO

[Tarrbabe]

I am not an expert on this subject but, depending on the year model, it may or may not have a steel crank. The heads have extra cooling holes because of the heavy duty service expected of the engines. Because of the heavy duty service expected of these engines, Mother put her best parts into the motor homes and trucks. I don't know of any draw-backs to the motor home engines. Depending on the year model.

[Moulder]

What year of motor home should I look for and what years should I stay away from?

[scott313]

I purchased a (73) 440 Motorhome engine. It came with the HP Rods (casting 2951906) & Forged crank (thin damper). I was able to get away with a .030 bore and the block turned out perfect. I just got it back balanced and the shop was impressed as to the condition. The heads (if motorhome 3751213 casting) are simular to the 906. With some work they could be good. I elected to sell them on E-bay and get the Edelbrocks. Replace the Damper with a new unit.

[Chuck'64]

I have a question the stamped steel head gaskets that I have do not have the extra holes for cooling that rv blocks and heads have can I just cut them out or do I need a different head gasket? This is a moderate commpression engine(8.5-1) I was told that the steel head gaskets would be just fine is this true?
Thanks for the help
Chuck

[dirty dan]

If you are useing the mobile home heads (wich I don`t recomend)
Then you need those holes.
If you are useing the car heads ,just forget about the exta holes.

[Chuck'64]

What are the casting numbers for motorhome heads in 1976