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Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? #2034472
03/19/16 02:06 PM
03/19/16 02:06 PM
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Spokane Valley, WA
Big Bad Bee Offline OP
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The 440 I had builtive always heard that the RV engine rods were the same as sixpack rods. My engine is an RV motor and it had a forged crank and thicker/wider rods. Even my engine builder said they were sixpack. Were they sixpack rods or did the RV motors have a completely different part?

I sold them to a kid and went with the LY rods by the way... up


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Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: Big Bad Bee] #2034538
03/19/16 04:31 PM
03/19/16 04:31 PM
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Yeah the later model stuff had the bigger heavier rods. I'm pretty sure they were the same forging as the sixpack rods.

Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: Big Bad Bee] #2034595
03/19/16 06:17 PM
03/19/16 06:17 PM
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Rio Linda, CA
John_Kunkel Offline
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Depends on the year, not all RV 440's had the heavy rods. All the heavy rods are the same and have the same forging number.


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Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: Big Bad Bee] #2034600
03/19/16 06:25 PM
03/19/16 06:25 PM
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Romeo MI
MR_P_BODY Offline
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Did you have it re-balanced when you changed
the rods
wave

Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: John_Kunkel] #2034613
03/19/16 06:39 PM
03/19/16 06:39 PM
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Spokane Valley, WA
Big Bad Bee Offline OP
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Originally Posted By John_Kunkel

Depends on the year, not all RV 440's had the heavy rods. All the heavy rods are the same and have the same forging number.


john, you're saying that the RV "heavy" rods are they the same casting and casting number as a six pack rod?


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Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: MR_P_BODY] #2034614
03/19/16 06:41 PM
03/19/16 06:41 PM
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Spokane Valley, WA
Big Bad Bee Offline OP
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Originally Posted By MR_P_BODY
Did you have it re-balanced when you changed
the rods
wave


You bet I did! Changed to KB Pistons also! The engine builder I hired balanced the whole assembly.


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Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: Big Bad Bee] #2034617
03/19/16 06:43 PM
03/19/16 06:43 PM

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Buses, campers, the 440's that were in Cranes etc, dump trucks--many had the six pack rods--not all--it just depends on year , application, etc but many had them--I have seen more broken six pack rods than std 440 rods over the years and more when used in race applications--I think they are brittle--just no sense in using them unless street application then they are just fine--I bought some NICE H Beams off ebay this week from dealer in Texas on Ebay--came with ARP bolts--looked very well finished--.990 pin and all $300 plus $28 sh not bad...One had big end a tad tight and as usual pins need fitting ( normal for all brands ) so there is just no reason to run that old stuff--I say that and yet we do several a month with redone stock rods--they go out and play hard--never an issue but then we are using an 880 gram piston / pin vs the near 1200 gram of stock slugs it makes all the diff.

Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: Big Bad Bee] #2034626
03/19/16 07:03 PM
03/19/16 07:03 PM
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TRENDZ Offline
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I had one of these a long time ago. The engine had a waterpump that went to the heads. I never took it apart thinking it was a cast crank engine. It had a wide balancer on it. Found out later that they had the big balancer because of the rods. If I remember correctly, they had gear drives for cam timing also.


"use it 'till it breaks, replace as needed"
Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: ] #2034636
03/19/16 07:32 PM
03/19/16 07:32 PM
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Spokane Valley, WA
Big Bad Bee Offline OP
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Originally Posted By crabman173
Buses, campers, the 440's that were in Cranes etc, dump trucks--many had the six pack rods--not all--it just depends on year , application, etc but many had them--I have seen more broken six pack rods than std 440 rods over the years and more when used in race applications--I think they are brittle--just no sense in using them unless street application then they are just fine--I bought some NICE H Beams off ebay this week from dealer in Texas on Ebay--came with ARP bolts--looked very well finished--.990 pin and all $300 plus $28 sh not bad...One had big end a tad tight and as usual pins need fitting ( normal for all brands ) so there is just no reason to run that old stuff--I say that and yet we do several a month with redone stock rods--they go out and play hard--never an issue but then we are using an 880 gram piston / pin vs the near 1200 gram of stock slugs it makes all the diff.


This has been my understanding on the six pack rods but I'm catching hell from a guy who swears RV blocks had heavier but not six pack rods.
The balancer on my motor looks identical to pictures I've seen of the six pack balancer also.
I considered going with new H beam rods but had my builder recondition a set of LY rods to save money. My engine will only see a couple quarter mile passes just to say I did it.


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Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: Big Bad Bee] #2034639
03/19/16 07:41 PM
03/19/16 07:41 PM
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Rio Linda, CA
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The problem arises from the use of the term "six-pack rod". Not all 440's with the heavy rods were six-packs but the rods were the same as the '70-'72 six pack.


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Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: Big Bad Bee] #2034689
03/19/16 09:17 PM
03/19/16 09:17 PM
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Campbellsport, Wisconsin
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I also heard that RV blocks had different water/coolant passages? Any truth to that?

Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: Big Bad Bee] #2034692
03/19/16 09:19 PM
03/19/16 09:19 PM
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fredericksburg,va
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Originally Posted By Big Bad Bee
Originally Posted By crabman173
Buses, campers, the 440's that were in Cranes etc, dump trucks--many had the six pack rods--not all--it just depends on year , application, etc but many had them--I have seen more broken six pack rods than std 440 rods over the years and more when used in race applications--I think they are brittle--just no sense in using them unless street application then they are just fine--I bought some NICE H Beams off ebay this week from dealer in Texas on Ebay--came with ARP bolts--looked very well finished--.990 pin and all $300 plus $28 sh not bad...One had big end a tad tight and as usual pins need fitting ( normal for all brands ) so there is just no reason to run that old stuff--I say that and yet we do several a month with redone stock rods--they go out and play hard--never an issue but then we are using an 880 gram piston / pin vs the near 1200 gram of stock slugs it makes all the diff.


This has been my understanding on the six pack rods but I'm catching hell from a guy who swears RV blocks had heavier but not six pack rods.
The balancer on my motor looks identical to pictures I've seen of the six pack balancer also.
I considered going with new H beam rods but had my builder recondition a set of LY rods to save money. My engine will only see a couple quarter mile passes just to say I did it.

I have a 74 mh 440, thick rods, steel crank but same balancer as a regular 383-440. Extra water holes down by the spark plug too. Piston 1/4 inch down in the cylinder. Engine has never been apart. The problem I saw with these rods, they didn't have the big end like the heml, or the bolts.

Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: John_Kunkel] #2034694
03/19/16 09:21 PM
03/19/16 09:21 PM
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Posts: 10,938
Spokane Valley, WA
Big Bad Bee Offline OP
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Originally Posted By John_Kunkel

The problem arises from the use of the term "six-pack rod". Not all 440's with the heavy rods were six-packs but the rods were the same as the '70-'72 six pack.


Understood. Thank you for the clarification. I've heard this information many times over the years but because I only have one personal experience to go by regarding these rods, it's always good Go back and confer with the guys who know. up


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Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: Big Bad Bee] #2034826
03/20/16 01:36 AM
03/20/16 01:36 AM
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Downtown Roebuck Ont
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I've seen them in a 350 horse 440 out of a 69 or 70 T+C Wagon. Roller chain, big rods and a windage tray too.

Kevin

Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: Abodysforever] #2034829
03/20/16 01:47 AM
03/20/16 01:47 AM
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Originally Posted By Abodysforever
I also heard that RV blocks had different water/coolant passages? Any truth to that?


They all come out of the same casting boxes as the rest
wave

Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: MR_P_BODY] #2034919
03/20/16 10:27 AM
03/20/16 10:27 AM
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The 76-78 blocks are the same casting outside, they do have larger water jackets, which is why you can only bore them to a .030 max to be safe. The motor home block is the same as all the blocks cast from 76-78. The machine is what makes them a motor home block. As mentioned earlier, there are 2 small holes drilled per cylinder in the deck to the water jackets, lined up with the spark plus and between the head bolts. The heads will have the same holes. These blocks are as good as any early block.

Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: 68dodge] #2035368
03/20/16 10:25 PM
03/20/16 10:25 PM
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Big Bad Bee Offline OP
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Well, since we're going there, here's the engine that prompted the post. This is not my motor. It's a 440. The guy removed his water pump housing and found this freeze out plug in the block. Never seen one like this before.



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Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: Big Bad Bee] #2035380
03/20/16 10:43 PM
03/20/16 10:43 PM
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That is because the waterpump housing on the RV engines connect directly to the cylinder heads. The lower hole on the block is still used.


"use it 'till it breaks, replace as needed"
Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: TRENDZ] #2035446
03/20/16 11:48 PM
03/20/16 11:48 PM
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Spokane Valley, WA
Big Bad Bee Offline OP
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Originally Posted By TRENDZ
That is because the waterpump housing on the RV engines connect directly to the cylinder heads. The lower hole on the block is still used.


so the water pump housing and heads are different on an RV motor?


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Re: Did RV 440ci Engines Have Six Pack Rods? [Re: Big Bad Bee] #2035531
03/21/16 02:23 AM
03/21/16 02:23 AM
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Downtown Roebuck Ont
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Originally Posted By Big Bad Bee
Originally Posted By TRENDZ
That is because the waterpump housing on the RV engines connect directly to the cylinder heads. The lower hole on the block is still used.


so the water pump housing and heads are different on an RV motor?


Yes. Much huger.

Kevin

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