Have built a few 440s using the later casting and have had no problems. I found when I was running 440s that there were more early 440 motors around than later 440s maybe because the later motors were still being used in their original vehicles,while the early ones the vehicles were worn out both body and motor so they were cheap. The only problem I found was when you bought a later 440 it just did not have the good crank. You got more bang for you buck buying the early forged crank motor.

Pick up the 440s one day they will be next to impossible to find cheap. I still have 5 440s as spares and two are early and three are 72 and up.

I thought that was true for the 350 hp motors, but was not sure. And for some reason I was thinking that the 71 piston was 1.99, but I don't know where I got that.

To the OPs question - I don't know. I doubt that it is a 2.00 or 1.99 piston, but not sure if there was something in between that and the 1.91 piston.

440's went to cast cranks in mid-73.
72's had forged cranks.
Guess that has already been stated.

NHRA piston guide,
69 440- .027 below deck
70 440. .051 below deck
71. 440 .051
72. 440 .123 below deck

67 440 .059
68 same as 69

NHRA specs are not ACTUAL FACTORY and should not be used as a guide for any spec that is Factory as delivered mopar related.

So my assumption that a steel crank engine in a 72 was a leftover 71 is incorrect so these 72 engines were built to 72 specs, I.E. dished pistons and not leftover engines built to 71 specs, I.E. flat tops. Pistons are cheap enough in the grand scheme of things I was just trying to cheap out and get extra blacks in the process. I think the NHRA guidelines help in the conversation from the simple fact that they show a significantly shorter piston which is based on a significantly short factory version of the piston.

Thanks for all the input folks.

So they just pulled those numbers out of the hat? Whitch one do you think is wrong?
Just did the NHRA allowed pistons, 68-71 use same piston but show different ch? Should have checked what head gasket they allowed.

Wrong again.

The low compression 1972 engines have FLAT TOP pistons. They are just really short to give the low compression.

Here's a screen shot from the video I made where I was removing a broken head bolt from my 1972 440. The bottom end is dead stock. This piston was at TDC and you can see how far down it is.

Closer cropped shot. Best I can offer until I tear the engine down again.

Did all the earlier ones have valve reliefs or just 6 pack pistons? I think an earlier post said all had the same piston year to year. Feets clearly has no valve reliefs so that might be a tell tale sign of compression, I have always known/believed valve reliefs in a piston denoted "high compression" regardless (within reason of domestics) of the make.

RBs From 65 up 440-6 only, 64 down Max wedge.
Same pistons year to year, no

Those numbers actually line up well with what I said, minus 1970.

I've got a stock '72 short block in my shed. I'll try and measure how far down in the hole the pistons are tomorrow.

I want to make sure I understand your information, so only 6 pack engines had pistons with valve reliefs from 65 up and only Max Wedge pistons had valve reliefs is 64 and older. And 440s did not use the same pistons from say 65-71.

Thanks

One example, 67 had the closed chamber 915 head, so the piston was down in the cylinder more. In 68 the 906 open chamber came about and the piston was raised to keep same CR. I do have some 70 standard pistons I can check against the 68-69 ones I have too, just got to find them, hope I didn't toss them. I can also measure the ones still in the 72 block, if it will turn over, never had any 71s so no idea on those. 70-71 6 Pacs where the tallest CH in 440s and had valve reliefs. Also have a 74 with low pistons, six-pac rods and steel crank, internally balanced, came out of a motor home, got its own balancer too.

Don't go to any great trouble but it would be interesting to know. If you have a good set of standard bore 68-69/comparable pistons you want to get rid of PM me.

The reason for all these questions is I have a 76 RV engine with very low miles that I should be able to pop a set of good pistons in with some good heads and have another respectable engine ready to go.

Thank you

I don't know where they get them, Chrysler maybe ?? But I know that a 69 440 piston is not .027 in the hole , it's more like .050 in the hole.

For some reason Chrysler piston spec is .020ish HIGHER than actual. Perfect example is a 68-69 383 HP, the factory piston on blueprint spec is .0025 in the hole ... CH is 1.932 ..., NHRA spec has the piston .021 ABOVE the deck. There isn't a 383 delivered from Chrysler with a piston that high above the deck surface.

Also the NHRA spec for a 906 is 79.5cc chamber, ACTUAL is 90-92cc.

Advertised compression ratio from Chrysler on the 383 is 10.0, actual is 9.2, built to the NHRA allowed spec of 79.5cc , +.021 deck and .070 max overbore yields close to 11.5 ...

the only dished factory pistons I have seen in a Chrysler was a 73 360 and the 68-69 383 2bbl , I've never seen a dished piston in a 440.

Common core math maybe

10.725 blueprint RB deck
6.768 rod
3.75/2 = 1.875 crank stroke

68-69 2.03 piston is .052 in the hole
66-67 2.00 piston is .082 in the hole

I'm not sure what 70 is because NHRA spec is different for 70, which has 2 piston specs 440-4 and 440-6pk.

The 440-6pk in 70 is the only piston spec where NHRA and factory actually match up, 71???

Update, found three different pistons. First is 1.937 these I think are the 67 440. Next is the 70 at 1.99 next is a 72 HP set with the six-pac rods at 1.875, these are approximate numbers. Did find my earliest 440 block, cast date 7-2-65
About NHRA discrepancies on years deck heights, the 70 piston is the same as 68-69 so who knows where they come up with their figures. If I was running a 70 440-4 I would want the same compression as the 69 engine (need to look at the HP factor on both years, might rate it lower on 70).
Sorry I don't have a full set of the 1.99 pistons, should be a lot available though. I would keep the low ones, sure nice pulling up to the reg. gas pump. That's what I ran in my 64 Plym and would run 7.55 all day.