I may have to be doing this for a friend of mine in the near future. His 383 is VERY tight to the passenger side shock tower. Will the 440 go in without major mod's? What about engine mounts? Give me some items to look for based on your personal experiences.
Thanks,
Larry

A 440 should bolt in the same as the 383 . A 440 wouldn't be any different that an original 426 wedge. The exhaust may be slightly different.

What about oil pan, engine mounts,and I can tell you, #4 and especially #6 sparkplugs, are a pain in the rear to change with the 383. Won't the shock tower need modified?
Thanks for the help,
Larry

The oil pan and mounts will be the same. This is an easy swap. No, you won't have to modify the shock towers.

I went from a 361 to a 440 in my 65 and it fits with no problems.Im also using 69 hypo exh manifolds.

Also, remember the RB is taller than the B block by about an inch.. clearance on that side should be better.

This makes it a lot better.

If you have any concerns at all about oil pan clearance, now would be the time to notch your K-member. Then any oil pan will work.

If it is already a 383 use the 383 pan. The mounts should be the same as well.

The plugs you are talking about are a tight spot to get to. But, it is manageable. No shock tower work needed. Like was stated, these cars had 426 wedges from the factory- same as the 440 externally

My car was a 318 so I used Schumacher mounts and a factory C body 187 pan. The passenger side of the k frame had to be notched just a bit. I also have the cheapy hedman headers and mini starter.

This should be a slam dunk swap with a nice performance gain.

The RB is a factory option in those cars so there shouldn't be any swap issues. Schumacher has the correct motor mounts if yours are shot. Oil pans, headers, etc are available also.

My 65 500 has a 440 in it. No fit issues. I have the 2" TTI headers and 3" exhaust and no fit issues. A couple of the plugs are interesting to do but sometimes that happens regardless of what its in. A good variety of wrenches, sockets etc. will help. When I put the headers in, I didn't even have to jack up the engine. Just removed the mini starter. It has a console shift 727 in case that matters.

I used a 69 - 73 C-body pan on my 440.
Again, since you've got a 383 in it now you've got a pan that fits.

If you swap the K frame you might have interference issues with the steering column mounted shifter.

I did this with the stock K-frame:

Here is the 440 block in my 63. Yes the pass side is tighter because as you know the eng is not centered with the frame rails since they build them this way. I can tell you I can change my plugs in 15 minutes as long as the eng is cold. The only way I change them hot it with these long welder type gloves I have but I usually never change them when it's hot unless I am trouble shooting a problem. Here is a pic of my 440 in my 63. I have the stock K-frame and eng mounts. Ron


PS: I use a Moroso 8 qt pan that fits great and you dont have to modify anything.

My 440 has been in my 65 since 70.The plugs on the pass side are tight with the 2 inch TTIs.I used a stock 66 440 oil pan for yesr and no problems.I have the Moroso 8 qt for 66 up on it now and its been on 15 years.Just had to notch a tiny piece on the pass side of K for added clearance.The 440 will probally rip the cheap rubber mounts.I used to tear them up in a month.I went poly from Imperial Services and no problems in 7 years.Rocky

had one...did it...worked well

Thanks guys for the info. I'm starting to feel more comfortable about this.
Thanks again,
Larry

Easy swap since the car has a 383. Just reuse all the existing accesories.

About 15 years ago i had a 4 door 65 ply belvedere i had put a 78 440 in it in place of the org 273,it dropped in with no problems.