I will choose a 440 over ANY small block ANY day. They are proven to get better fuel economy and obviously more power and torque. Plus, it would be sacrilege to remove a big block, especially from a stock BB truck and install a 360! You just don't do it.

This is my opinion as well. In fact, I am trying to get rid of my 2001 4x4 to get a 60's or 70's big block rig. I only use a truck 2,000 miles a year, so fuel mileage means nothing to me.

Me three...no way any SB is is going to be better for towing.

-------------- 440 --------------

Here's my 'stock vs stock' story I've told here a few times over the years.....

Back about '90 I had a '76 Club Cab, 2 wheel drive, 8ft bed, 1/2 ton with a 2bbl 360 in it. No matter what I did, that 360 would give me no more than 12 MPG. Put any kind of weight in the bed, or drive aggressively, I could EASILY drop it down to 8-9 MPG.

I had a '77 440 out of a cop car that I swapped in. I never went in the engine, internally it was just as it was in the cop car. The engine was originally Lean Burn controlled, so I swapped on an earlier TQ and (stock) electronic ignition. I used headers only because I couldn't find manifolds.

Behind the 440, I used a 727 out of a '77 truck that had a tighter convertor than the cop spec hi-stall unit. Out back I had the 3.23 9 1/4 rear out of the cop car.

In day to day driving, I'd get no less than 12 MPG. If I drove sanely, I could hit 14 around town. But, I was addicted to the 4bbl wail of the TQ so, it was usually around 12....

I drove the truck from MA out to Phoenix, AZ with most of my worldly possessions in back when I went to school out there, and actually got 16 almost 17 MPG on the interstate. If I had to guess, I had about 800 lbs worth of stuff in the back.

After the 440 swap, it NEVER dipped into the single digits as the 360 so easily did and the truck was easier and way more FUN to drive (ever throw 18" ft of truck sideways on a twisty dirt road? ) .

Now, I understand even a cop spec 440 , especially a '77, isn't the most powerful engine out there, but the difference between it and the 360 was night and day.

If your doing a lot of towing, its hard to beat the 440 in a gas motor, but its got to be built for towing, not a race car, or a 4x4 car crusher.

Until the efi Magnums, the best gas mileage I ever got out of a truck was with a big block truck. Once the efi Magnum came out, gas mileage was a different story all together. But the Magnum didn't do much better than an average LA 360 when you hooked the trailer behind it, and that was 2-3 mpg less then a big block with the same load, and the big block had more power pulling the load up hills then either small block.

That all said, a Magnum motor with a carb is stupid thinking, it won't perform to the level of the efi in either power or mileage. If your doing the Magnum, step up to the efi as well. I've heard the story about how you can't fix them if they break down on the road. Hey, reality check, unless you can fix your broke down carbed truck on the road, most shops are not equipped to fix a carbed truck either! Then chasing down parts could be a nightmare as well. Then you also have to consider the cost of converting the magnum motor to carbs and standard ignition systems. Its time to learn modern tech, step into the new century, its been here for 17 years already and the last carbs were factory installed 11 years before that.

It would also be wrong not to point out all the stuff that needs to be changed when you put any small block where a big block was. Gene

A carburetor has never left me stranded on the side of the road. For what they cost, a guy could keep a spare one with if he wanted to be paranoid

Between my wife and I, we have probably driven several hundred thousands of miles with efi vehicles and have never been stranded along the side of the road either.

There have been more then a few times when I've helped people with carbed vehicles that were laying along the road dead.

All this means is that now both of us will probably experience our first stranded along the road situation. I've got AAA, I'm good. Gene

Don't temp me with a good time.....it's crossed my mind more than a few times

It's got nothing to do with preferring carbed over EFI. Look at my profile picture...I daily a '99 Dakota R/T every day I know plenty about EFI and how to work on it. But retrofitting an old truck with new hardware and ECU requires tons of time and energy (nevermind cash for the efi setup, complete new gauges, new fuel pump setup, etc...) that is better spent on my daily.

Replying again...like I said converting a '76 truck to EFI is way too expensive and time consuming. And way more money than converting a 5.9 mag to carbed. I already have the carb and I can get an HEI setup for next to nothing. All I'd need is an intake (which I know a buddy who has a spare one) and an inline fuel pump which are damn cheap and have pressure regulators already inside them.

I have no idea to be honest. It may have been a small block truck. This truck was a sort of Frankenstein build my dad did when he was in his 20s...He took his truck that had a good frame and cab and threw in the 383 out of his '67 coronet (which was totalled) and a set of axles out of a donor one ton truck. 383 block cracked (coolant leak + new england winter + refilled with water, you figure out the rest) and replaced with the current 440 from parts unknown.



That's exactly what I'm looking at. Couple times a year nothing serious. If it was serious I'd be looking at newer 2500s. And I don't know where you got ramcharger from it's a W200 crew cab long bed.


I think I'm putting this truck on the backburner for a while. I wanted to get it working but I want to do it right and right now I have better things to be worrying about. The truck has too much sentimental value in it for me to see myself getting rid of it unfortunately.

Thanks everyone for your input and maybe when I get around to revisiting this beast I will come back to you all with updates.

-JC

I converted my jeep to 5.2 magnum efi using a 94 ram engine harness and ECU. The cost was next to nothing using junkyard parts. In your case it wouldn't make sense anyway with you having the big block in there already.

Well, can't explain how Power Wagon went in and Ramcharger came out. I'm blaming all problems on GMO foods these days. A few years ago it was those doggone transfats.

In the meantime, it's fun to plan the project.

R.

A twin stick 440 powered Mopar truck would be a fun rig. Forget mileage these old trucks are not much fun to use daily. Trust me, I daily a 93 D250 that rides a lot better than a lifted leaf spring D300 and whenever I drive the work F250 I'm blown away how quite and comfortable it is.