Mopar 440. What can be said about this engine?

I ran into a vehicle (53 hudson) with a 440 from a mopar. That's all the info I got. Anybody have any links that could lead me to specs and details?

 

Lots of tourque. Easy to hop up, fairly cheap, too. Big block Chrysler engines have a very good aftermarket presence. Newer cast cranks have no disadvantage to steel cranks in the non-race world. Manual transmission stuff is pricey.

 

A magazine called "Engine Masters" had an article on how to rebuild one for cheap last year. They may have back issues.
2 cents

 

440's are awesome. These guys are good, http://www.440source.com/ also http://www.hughesengines.com Dave Hughes makes amazing cams. Plus you can buy top fuel cranks off ebay for very little. They are usually 4.5 stroke but they are all over the map. I got one for 80.00, 4.625 stroke. They go right in a 440.

 

About as close as you can get to 426 Hemi performance without a 426 Hemi. Spend a few bucks on one and you'll forget all about that 426 Hemi.

 

About the cheapest MoPar you can build, even a 500" stroker is in easy finacial means for alot of people, start off with some cleaned up 906 heads and graduate to edlebroks or B1's as you can. Most 440 cars could keep up with the Hemi due to the extra tonnage the hemi carried. A 6pk car and a Hemi were almost always an even match until the Hemi got into enough revs to really breath.

 

Great engine. There are some nice things about it that are unusual.
You can remove the intake manifold without draining the radiator.
You can easily remove the distributor to work on it, the drive gear stays in the block.
The oil pump is outside, not in the oil pan.
They may not be practical but, one of the coolest looking intake systems ever made are the 'Long Ram' manifolds & they fit the 440.

Lucky667

 

The largest Mopar engine. Lots of info on the net.
Big blocks first came out in the late 50s, so it's more similar to a FE ford than a BBC.
Dist. in front at an angle, tin timing cover, external oil pump. Also has an open valley, requiring a stock pan or custom plate under the intake. 2 separate groups of big blocks. Big "B" block (350, 361, 383, 400) and Raised Big "RB" block (383, 413, 426W, 440). The late hemi (64-71) was designed to fit onto the RB block (with modifications, like the extra row of head bolts and the cross bolted mains).
All were hydraulic cams stock. Rocker arms are shaft mounted and oiled. Lots of parts, some very good deals lately.
To spot a B block, it will have a raised pad next to the dist. with stamped numbers. It's just behind the water pump ports in the picture. There will NOT be a pad in front of the rail for the intake pan. RB blocks will have the pad in front. You can see this in the picture.

 

a 440 RB is the greatest block ever, totally bulletproof, basically unlimited potential for street use.

check out moparts forums.

 

mopar engines are very well engineered. deep skirt blocks for the biggins, 18* heads, big diameter lifters for good flat tappet profile cams, small blocks had 6.123" rods (for the guys bragging about 6" rods in their chevies)and they had shaft rockers from the factory. they tend to cost a little more to upgrade, but then they dont need to be upgraded as soon...

unREAL power can be pulled from them.

 

Tough, fast, reliable. When I finally sold my Mom's '67 440 it would still run up to 90 in second gear and chirp the tires going into drive! Great, monster motor, better than any GM of the era.

 

All good things about the 440...and this is a long ram intake set-up, originaly for 413's but as stated work on the 440's as well....one of the COOLEST intakes to be offered by the factory.. IMHO..

 

Max Wedge intake with fenderwell headers. crazy tough

 

Had a couple of Chryslers, ah yes;;;; Maybell,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

I just have to correct one thing in your post, the B-blocks are 361/383/400....I'm sure you just slipped on the keys when you typed 360...

 

What can be said about the tried and true Mopar 440 wedge?

Affordable...torquey...reliable.

I forgot to preface those adjectives with "very."

Pete

 

I wouldn't go far as to say that. Nothing but nothing beats a 426 HEMI in the looks and performance dept. as far as Mopar engines are concerned. At least to me it doesn't. And I've owned both.



Pete

 

there are no "car" "station wagon" or "truck" blocks in any given year. there may be differences in castings from year to year, but all mills cast in any given year, are identical. six pack rods are a little heavier, not worth any big money (unless your doing a numbers restoration) because better aftermarket rods are cheap enough/stronger than sixpack rods, pretty easy to bust over 600 cubes out of a 440, alloy heads flow so much better for the money than paying someone to port iron heads (unless you have a friend) but the stockers are pretty decent, a stock 440 tuned up right usually beat a stock hemi on the street.

yes you can do a hemi conversion on them if you get the right parts.

 

I've had plenty of experience with both myself. You are correct in that a Hemi pegs the cool meter, but $$$$ to HP, it can't compare to a well built RB motor, or even a the right B motor in the right hands.

 

I think maybe you just had the 'wrong' kind of 'RB'...

496ci with optical 'enhancements'...

 

Also,with a little looking there's some cool vintage speed parts for them that make the H.A.M.B guys happy.I'm gathering parts for a 500in. build for my 65 Satellite, 440 Source is a good place to look for parts.They have a great price(899)for a pair of aluminum heads complete .

 

I put together a 72 steel crank 440 for my 55 Dodge 1/2 ton, Havent't had the chance to get enough time to place it in the frame and mock up mounts yet, but i know from previous factory 440 cars I've driven and rode in that i will indeed have to box the frame and be ready for gobs of torque. I did a basic hop up, had to bore it and toss in some new KB pistons, comp cam, etc.........serious power from a budget motor, i know I'll be impressed. and yes, lots and lots more aftermarket parts available than even 5-10 years ago for decent prices.

Any b r/b combo is a winner with a little tweak.....i hear tell of a 74 Monaco 4 door hardtop with a factory 400 2 bbl that would smoke the rears....must have been a "wedensday" engine

Derek

 

Had lots of 440's, never broke one. The rest of the drivetrain was a different story! If the price of gas was lower, I'd still be driving them. Got 318's now.

 

Actually, he did. Except it was by one key. The "B" Block cubic inches are 350/361/383/400. The 350 was a one year only motor, 1958, and came in Plymouth (Golden Commando) and Chrysler (Golden Lion). Both had dual quads from the factory. I have one in my shop now, and it's the only complete motor I've ever seen out of the car it came in.

Oh, and "RB" doesn't stand for Raised Big (Block). It is the designation for exactly what the 413/426/440 engines are, [R]aised lock design.

FYI: The early motors, 1958-1960 (I think) don't interchange with the later engines on the bell housing end. They have the modern bolt pattern for the bell, but the flywheel flange stick out (the distance it hangs out the back of the block) is the same as the Hemi/Poly dimensions. So you'll need a flywheel/flexplate and bell or transmission (automatic) from those years in order to use either transmission. the stick is the same for all years. Pat at Wil-Cap can make you a flywheel that will work with the early generation and a later bellhousing.

440 "Service" blocks, as Ma MoPar calls them, come with cross bolted mains. The "Service" blocks also come without conventional motor mount ears on the sides of the blocks. The reason for this was exactly what the blocks were called, "Service". They were made as a replacement for "Service" applications. Generators, fork lifts, etc. Drag racers started using them as they came with cross bolted mains, and they were going to use a motor plate anyway. So the lack of mounting ears just meant the block weighed less in that area, and the weight was exchanged for the bolts and different main caps.

Cool speed parts abound, you just have to look for them. Remember, the 413 came out in 1958. And, other than the crank stick out dimension, the top of the motor remained unchanged until production ceased. So all the cool stuff you could get for any motor from Weiand, Offy and Edelbrock, etc. in 1958 was more than likely available for the 413.

NOS Weiand "Say Why-And" front cover with Crower Pump


NOS Weiand Drag Star


NOS W&H Ducoil


Ronco Magneto with Tach Drive

 

I thought the 350 ci. was built from ’58 through ’61. I purchased the duel quad set-up from one of these engines (complete, factory air cleaners to intake) in 2000 for the HP383 in my ’65 Sport Fury. I was told it was a 3 year engine. At this time I’m rounding up parts to make my car a 440 4 or 5 speed. I have the 440, clutch/brake pedals, and the 833 four speed. Where would be a good place to look for the rest of the parts to do the change over? I also want to sell the dual quad set-up for the Golden Commando 350 and I’m not sure what its worth. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

65 Sport Fury
First off, welcome to the hamb (might want to do an intro in the intro section before somebody gets cranky). For the 4 speed conversion, if your car was already a 4 speed then the 440 should bolt right up as long as it has the hole in the back of the crank for the transmission input shaft. If your car was an automatic then Brewer's Performance and P***on Performance have quite a bit of 4 speed stuff. I have a bellhousing I have been wanting to get rid of if you need one, I would be willing to sell (send me a private message). There were several different input bearing retainer sizes so you'll have to measure yours before you get a bellhousing. Lots of info on this site, http://www.bigblockdart.com/techpages/4sptech.shtml
There are also plenty of 5 speed set-ups available from places like Keisler's. The dual quad set-up should fit the B series 350-361-383-400 motors, don't really know what it would be worth though. Good luck on the Fury.

 

65 Sport Fury, If you have the original little oval air filters with your set up they should bring quite a bit more money. The carbs & manifolds are hard to find, but the oval air filters are almost impossible to find.
I checked several old Motors Auto Repair Manuals to confirm this. 350 was (1958) one year only in Dodge, Plymouth, & DeSoto, Not Chrysler. Also the 383 used in 1959 Chryslers was a RB. In 1960 both of the B & RB 383's were used in Chryslers.

Lucky667

 

you can buy top fuel cranks off ebay for very little. They are usually 4.5 stroke but they are all over the map. I got one for 80.00, 4.625 stroke. They go right in a 440.

Be very careful. These cranks are frequently ground for large-radius (non-stock) main and rod bearings, have non-stock journal diameters, non-stock crank flange position, register and bolt patterns, already balanced to very strange weights, and have noses of strange lengths and configs for pump drives, crank-wheel dist, belt cam drives, etc. Most of this makes it expensive (if possible) to use them in a p***enger block.
Strokes over about 4.25" require an external oil pickup.
They were also generally sold because they didn't p*** a magnaflux or X-ray test, a "ring" test, or exceeded the number of p***es believed safe. These tests aren't necessarily relevant - it may last another 50,000 miles with only 500 hp going through it, or break in 5 minutes.

 

Jeff, there's only one way to find out of course... Have it shipped by UPS !
If it arrives in one piece, it must be a good one.

 

Just be sure to ask the right questions - you may not get an answer ("I'm selling it for my Aunt Sadie"), or not the truth ("sure, you can just drop it in, they're all the same"), but at least you have something to complain about if it's not as described. Get multiple photos - some people here can identify race-only stuff quickly from flange and snout pics. If the only diff is 8 bolt flange, that's fine - it's probably the stock hemi pattern (but ask if it has been moved back, different rear seal).
On addition to fuel cranks, you'll also see some with 2.20" rod journals - this is fine, it's for Chevy BB rods.