440 engine

Hi! Needs some help,
Looking to build a 440 engine, but need help?
Do Know any thing about " Mopar engine numbers" how to read, and what they mean???

Went to see a 440 block for sale but owner does not have any details or history on the engine
440-Engine Numbers
Block top engine plate stamped: G 440, below: (4 14 letter E)
On the side of the block numbers: 5-15-70 below date: 2536430-5
Serial numer: 1C228917

Would love someone help me out with some help full information!
Is there any way of finding out what Car it came out ?

Thank you so much,
Sonny

bare or short block? Is the price reasonable? std bore? Do you get a good feel about the guy?

71 440. Look at the passenger side of the block near the oil pan rail, should be a 3/4" x 3" milled pad with numbers stamped in it, that will be the VIN number of the car it came from and some members here may be able to tell what it came out of.

'71 440 out of a "C" body. It should have a forged crank(good) if original. No history or details means its a core at the most. $200- $300 tops if you don't know what your getting. If it turns over and no visible damage then maybe worth more.

E stamping (cast crank) doesn't coincide with a '71, more likely a lightly stamped B for .010" undersized crank.

2-300 for the block makes sense. everything else is irrelevant, your going to throw the heads away and buy aluminum, they are cheap in todays market and not worth rebuilding cast iron. same thing with rods, buy good aftermarket h beams and be done. pistons, same thing, buy good aftermarket. now crank is where its funny. if its cast, buy a stoker kit and be done, if its forged, sell it and buy a stoker kit and be done.

without knowing what your plans are for the engine, hard to give any more advice.

Agree. It's a 71 440 out of a C body

Agreed

Are you set in your decision to build an engine? or have you considered a crate build?

You people who say "throw away the heads and rods" truly are idiots. If he is building a street engine there is no need for ANY aftermarket parts. I guess all y'all have plenty of money to throw away then...

Jimmy have a happy birthday.

If your building a stock grocery getter, than yeah keep all the factory components and refurbish, but if your building any "respectable" 440 today, you just need a block, Stealth/Eddy heads, Source Stroker assy or other brand stroker kit is really the way to go, or if you have "money to throw away" buy a crate or built to spec crate engine, as I get older I prefer the built to spec crate motor as I have other areas of the vehicle to focus attention on, or less time to bother with an engine build.... different strokes for different folks...

agree....I would check out and recondition and reuse the crank and rods for sure.

It depends on what you are looking to do with the engine. It's pretty easy to get 400-450 hp out of a basically stock 440 with simple bolt on's. I made 430 hp with a 9:3 to 1 compression ratio, stock 452 heads, with a mild cam, thru cast iron exhaust manifolds.
Your engine should have 346 heads on it iirc. They are a decent casting to start with. Have the valve guides checked, replaced if need be, a valve job and surface cut to level them. A lot of us don't have the money to buy aftermarket heads,rods or stroker kits. Have your rods inspected and resized, the block cleaned, magged and bored, the crank inspected, magged and ground, if necessary. Then talk with your machinist about pistons and a cam for your intended use. You can do all this for 2/3 the cost of a stroker kit and have a fun engine.

last time I had a set of cast iron heads redone the bill was about $700.00 give or take. that included cleaning, magnafluxing, installing hardened seats. (almost went to bigger valves because of the seats but held off, would have been another $200-250) new bronze guides, set up the springs add new retainers, deck the heads and the intake side. so if I added the 250 for the new valves and some mild bowl blend work, your right at the price for a new set of heads. no way will I ever rebuild a factory set of heads again. maybe you get lucky and don't need guides or just burnish the ones you got, save a few bucks I guess, but still not worth it. I bought a set of used stealth heads for $650.00

$650 Stealth heads don't come along every day. I've worked in a machine shop rebuilding cylinder heads for 30+ years and yes, it's not hard to put a ton of money into a set of heads. However, with that being said, if you start with a decent set of 452 heads that already have the induction hardened exhaust seats, it doesn't cost a lot for guides and a decent valve job. It should go without saying that if you're starting with a set of heads that have had 3 or more valve jobs or are rusted hulks, it's going to cost you. The bulk of cast iron heads I've seen are straight and flat, needing only a clean up pass on the surface. If you are milling the heads to up the compression, save your money and buy better pistons. Not everyone is looking to build a 600 horse motor for their cars. In my opinion a factory 440 HP engine IS a respectable engine.