rebuild the 383, or find a 440 that will ship cheap??

[youstacood]

hi all,

trying to decide what to do. there is a 383 in place of a 440 on a 72 rr/gtx which i might buy and it has thrown some bearings due to the guy's girlfriend never checking the oil...that is what happened to the original motor...she shouldnt drive. anyways, i was wondering what was the best bet...rebuild the 383 for some juice, might be expensive due to being in hawaii, or order a recon 440 long or short block?? i am trying to find a cheap short/long 440, and the cheapest longblock i found is 1600, and then 300 core, and whatever shipping is...kinda expensive. i also have no clue what is on this 383, so i considered getting the edelbrock close chambered aluminum heads, a different intake, and a 750 carb for either engine. anyone have suggestions?? anyone live on oahu???

[ehostler]

What did they do with the original engine? If it is still on the island, I would try to find it and then rebuild it. It will be a big help on the value of the car.

[Bigshot]

I would definately find a 440.

[Mutine Bullfrog]

No replacement for displacement!!

I just picked up a 440 block at a swap meet for $80. PAW has a 440 long block kit for about $2700, just put it together. Never used one , but some guy previously posted a site for a 383 stroker kit raising displacement to 496 for $1400 (http://www.440source.com/). Ether way it looks like $3000 to $4000 easy. good luck.

[youstacood]

i dont think the original is useable on island, if so, i will go find it. i will ask the guy later(before the 21st i hope!!, and if my wife wil let me buy it) i would like to go as cheap as possible with a new one, no hassles from machine shop. anyone know what the paw number is? i always se ethe ads. i can have one from s and s engines with 452 heads shipped for 2398 bucks. i then would need an intake, longer distributor, and good to go! thanks guys, i appreciate the input

[ehostler]

Unless the original engine has a hole in the side of the block, it can be rebuilt. I would at least get the original block and hide it in a corner of the garage.

The original, numbers matching engine and tranny will add alot more to the value than just the right size engine. Especialy when you are dealing with a car like this with a 440.

[Mutine Bullfrog]

www.PAWENGINEPARTS.COM

You can try to sell the "i would like to go as cheap as possible" to your wife, but I'm not buying it. Never Ever, Ever works that way. LOL

Good luck and definatly try to get the old block. He should have it unleass he sold it. Engine blocks are really hard to just throw out. They usually wind up stuffed in the back of the garage and covered with plenty of junk.

[youstacood]

it turns out to be the guy who owned it before the people i know who own it now tossed the engine sometime, he screwed it up. now it just has a 383. i am trying to find a 440 coming from the west coast so shipping is cheaper, and not a sheisty company who stuffs these together and just wants money. anyone heard of recon?? i see them use those extreme recon engines on horsepower tv, but their website is broke. any suggestions? i like the paw idea, but cant browse the goodies before thinking. and yes, it would be just cheap...the fun expensive stuff will come later, when im out of the navy and can AFFORD it. with a real job, you know!!>>???!?!?!

[b_brat43]

The cost of rebuilding the 440 vs the 383 is about the same. However you will need to replace a few parts that are not interchangeable.

It kinda depends what you want both are great motors. Currently I'm replacing a 318 in a 72 satillite with a 383. I've hav both a rad 400 and 440. Personally I had more fun with the 400 which is just like the 383 with a slightly bigger bore.

The other issue is it is a lot easier to get decent gas mileage out of a 383.

[George G. Leverette]

If the 383 can be rebuilt that is the best choice. When an engine change is made many PIAs surface, like radiator clearance, pully alignment, intake manifolds and the beat goes on. 440s are more suited to school buses, farm tractors and C-bodies. The 383 was the factory performance engine of choice, can you say Roadrunner Supre Bee, Cudas and Challengers. Only a few factory 440s were built to challenge the 454 Chevies, they needed the torque because they ran out of breath at 5200 RPM the 383s were still making power until 6300 RPM in factory trim, if you have the best big block engine stick with it.

[70Ted]

i guess that means coronet r/ts, and charger r/st with a 440 arent performance cars.they also built cudas and challengers with 440s.

[ehostler]

Yep, that 440-6 that was just barely slower thean the 426 Hemi (in the quarter) wasn't a performance engine...

[youstacood]

the car came with a 440 in it, the gtx package...the guy who owned it before blew it up...so should i rebuild the 383? it will cost me a dime out here...and should i have my 440 crank shipped here from home to make it a 426 or what? i have parts back home that are probably never going to get used. maybe i should build that motor back home and have it shipped here...be cheaper than having some clown i dont trust do it for same price and have it blow up right? who knows...i will figure it out!! maybe i should call some shops and see what an estimate would be, and probably pull stuff apart and check, but it isnt my car...yet.

[ehostler]

If you are looking at value, then the 440 is the only way to go.

[Dick]

Thunderbolt Engines and Transmissions in Texas lists a 440 long block for $1150 plus $300 for the core.

I did some research a few months ago and they seemed to be a good company, in business for many years and starting out on Mopars from the beginning.

Unfortunately, I posted the URL and it turned out that there was a trojan lurking there. Some of our members were affected and some were not. IE users had the most problems.

As a result of that, I contacted the people at Thunderbolt and they were very nice and appreciative. They had no idea there was a problem. They said they would have their webmaster look into it.

I just checked the site again and my Trend-Micro did not pick up any problem. However, I run Firefox which is not affected.

However, I would exercise caution, so I am posting the details without the website. Call or fax them for info. Sorry for the long post.

THUNDERBOLT ENGINES & TRANSMISSIONS
6847 Harrisburg
Houston, Texas 77011
Toll Free 1-800-562-3609
(713) 923-8888
fax (713) 923-7959

[youstacood]

firefox is awesome, and thanks for the info on the 440...looks like if i get the car, i am getting one form them...texas shippin shouldnt be too bad!! thanks again! and everyone, use firefox...secure, fast, and it does take some getting used to, but awesome...long live mopar!!! screw windows.........and microsoft for that matter...

[youstacood]

i just requested a quote and more info on cam and heads...only if i can sell my 88 monte now......stupid car...never should have bought it!!!

[youstacood]

thunderbolt finally replied...they want a grand total of 1800 bucks to ship out here to me...nt a bad deal at all, eh? i still noever got the answers i wanted, like what crank, heads, and valve sizes, but i gues it dont matter too much, just the crank!!! thanks for the help and info everybody

[Dick]

Originally Posted by youstacood

thunderbolt finally replied...they want a grand total of 1800 bucks to ship out here to me...nt a bad deal at all, eh? i still noever got the answers i wanted, like what crank, heads, and valve sizes, but i gues it dont matter too much, just the crank!!! thanks for the help and info everybody

That sounds like a fair price. However, you probably will not be getting the high performance version of the 440.

[custom880]

The biggest problem you have is your location. If you were on the mainland you could score a 440 for next to nothing. You would no doubt have to rebuild it but it still would be a great engine. A GTX should have a 440. If you find a later year 440 like a 77 or 78 don't be discouraged. They are still great engines that just need better pistons. The blocks are very good and the heads are pretty good as well. A Motorhome engine can still be had for a few hundred (under 400.00). I just bought a 78 440 truck engine complete and running with 54 thousand miles on it for 200.00. They are out there if you look hard. Again your biggest problem is being off the mainland. Shipping kills you everytime.

[custom880]

I just thought of something. Just for giggles check out the military bases. They used a lot of Mopars years ago and many of them were trucks with the 440 in them. You might find something there. Worth a try.

[ehostler]

It's worth a try; however, I'm sure they were all sold off at DRMO sales long ago.

[youstacood]

most trucks they have are 318 or 360 trucks...i thought of that. all of them have been dispo'd, so no luck anyways. thunderbolt people said that it would have forged crank and 2.08 and 1.74 valves...kinda crappy!! with shippin, core and engine cost, it would come out to be 1800 bucks. not too bad i though. so, 3000 for car, 1800 for engine...intake and distrubtor...about another 400...and windows...300...totals up to be about...5500 bucks...not too bad for a car that looks ten years old..no rust in trunk or on frame that i could see. then i can give that 383 to my neighbor for his 67 dart gts clone...that will be fun! i have a 440 parts and block back home...wish i was still in the states, i would use it! anyone want a 69 block, 69 crank, 69 906 heads, and the high performance intake manifold??? will give a good deal..since i will prolly not use. just let me know, parts are located in north east indiana. will take 500 bucks for all...crank and heads we redone at shop in florida 4 years or so ago...might need to be polished up a little, and heads might need pulled apart, tanked, and reassembled again. just let me know if you want them!