440 block

how rare are 440 blocks becomming.im tryin to put together a stroker out of all my spare parts and the only blocks i can find locally are gold plated and diamond encrusted.

I sold a 1966 shortblock that was going to take some effort to take apart last Summer for 200 dollars and almost had to deliver it to get that much. My Friend has one prised fairly in the Moparts ads. I'm down to about 2-3 (440) blocks now and will probably keep them around.

I see them on craigslist for $300 to $500 on a regular basis but they are harder to find than they used to be.

thats kinda what i thought.one guy thought he was doin me a big favor at 700 bucks,thats nuts.i found an old 70,s modle motor home with a 440 in it the guy said i could have it if i come take it out.sounds like a lot of work.

I sold one last year (bare block w/t caps) that had been hot tanked, mag'ed, and verified that it would clean up at .030 for $500. It was a 69 block

Good ones are getting rare enough that I think I'll keep an eye out and grab a couple to stick in the corner.

I wouldn't spend my money on a 440 block to build for a Hi Po application as long as I could get a 400 block for the same or less money

yep......but if it's FREE it might worth the effort to grab it. Plus isn't the motor home blocks suppose to have advantage as for as thicker casting or something ?

thats what i hear

I always keep this in my favourites.

http://www.440source.com/blockinfo.htm

ill pick up any 400 blocks i can find but i already have EVERYTHING i need for a 496 RB.

A quick sample in my area.


http://meadville.craigslist.org/pts/5404113147.html

Thxs !!!! Great info !

A lot of 440's for sale around here that the owners must think have a gold bar hiding inside the oil pan. I don't plan on getting rid of my 76 short block.

Let's not get that myth revived again!

R.

Out here they`re still available and cheaper than those figures.......

Trust me I would pay those prices either. I used to have a hook-up with a local coal mine. Don't ask me why they used 440 engines on their generators but when they changed engines I picked up the old ones complete for 50 dollars. Those days are long gone.

Several years ago you could get complete motors and trannies for $200-$300 dollars...........

Here's another take on it.....
$700 for a complete 440 long block that's already out of the car isn't a bargain, but depending on how much of it you need, it's not stupid money either.
If someone is looking to build a stroker and will use nothing but the block, then keep shopping.
But for a guy looking for a 400-500hp basic build, and can use all the cores(block, crank, rods, heads), it's not that bad..... Provided the cores were all rebuildable. Crank not cracked, heads not cracked, etc.
The only way I'd pay that much is with the understanding it's only worth that price if all the cores pass a mag test.
So, this would have to be a case where I knew the seller and could pay after all the cores checked out.

Around here, a nice BBC mark IV std deck 4 bolt block can go for a grand.

I paid 75.00 for a complete 440, and got a bunch for free ....lol

Right now I have one bare block .030 over, another short block alum rods and JE pistons also .030 over, then I have one 440 short block that was sitting outside with no heads on it....it was free...lol

Well, free is certainly better than $700

Hell, I used to buy whole cars cheaper than that. My first race engine, I bought the block from a Plymouth dealer, paid $250 for a brand new block.

Show off.................

used to...................................meaningless.

R.

Just sold two 69 blocks and one 70 for $300 each and they were .030 over. I sold a thick web 78 block standard bore for $450 Pre 68 blocks and 72 and later seem to go cheaper.

anyone hear of one in Fl. HOOK ME UP

Good ones have the strengthening ribs on the exterior of the block.

I have 6, maybe 7, it's been awhile since I've looked at them. I want to keep the 2 HP stamped ones I have and 2 of the LPs. Phrased like a TV sales ad, "Yours today for only $349.99". Problem is they're 250 miles from you, stashed in a storage unit in Leesburg.
If you can't find anything closer, text me (not a voice mail I'll never hear), I'll PM you my number.

Wisconsin must still be land of the cheap. 440s are easy to find. Fwiw, I just sold a "630" standard bore 400 block for $200. That's about average for up here. You can still find lots of cars for a few hundred bucks and pull the engine and the 727.

Any of the pre-66' big blocks up there (361,383,413)?

Once in awhile you can catch a 413 for a good deal.

The best 440 block is from the early 70's most likely from a motorhome. The number stamped on the side of the block is 4006630-440 that is the one with the thicker webs. after you get it torn down, look for core shift. then mag the block, if all of that is good, then proceed. the HP stamp is useless, only has to do with factory work shifts or some such crap, nothing to do with high performance. If you are just starting out, then I agree with Cab Burge, get a 400 block and build it, much better foundation for your performance build.

The HP stamp DOES denote a factory high performance engine. Nothing different about the block itself (other than the stamp) but it was assembled with different pistons/cam etc.
An HP block was cast on day shift. An HP2 block was cast on swing shift.

I was commenting on the 440 engine block. But thank you for the clarification about the factory internals.

Hey Greg!All the 1968 and earlier HP motors I have seen (maybe a couple dozen)were ALL "HP"
All the Big rod motors were 69 casting and later and stamped "HP2"(including 2 genuine 3 bolt cam six pack motors)
FWIW. My two cents...

Hey Case,good to see you post. Yes the 'HP2 means six pack, or at least six pack rods'
Seems to live on.
We gotta go shootin!

That just means they are later model. The ribs were added in 69 I believe. Also most believe and it has even been printed by Mopar, that later blocks are thin wall. I sonic checked a ton of them, from all years. I have found none of significantly thinner casting thickness, regardless of year.

Good thing since my block is a 69' with the rib job and originally out of a station wagon.

Only reason I want a couple 440s is for muscle car builds.

Race stuff I already have a couple 230 400 blocks thoroughly checked and bagged that I'm starting with. Once I progress to where I need an aftermarket block I'll order a KB.

Metro Detroit has 440's and 400's pop up on Craigslist all the time. Over the past 10 years I can tell you that I have never paid more than 200 dollars for a bare block. Lately I've seen the prices for long blocks up to 400-1200 dollars. Unfortunately the good deals are typically the project that never happened and the survivors just want it out of grandmas garage...

No , there is nothing special about a motorhome block outside of extra cooling holes and there are only certain heads that have those extra holes, none of which are aftermarket.

The HP was STAMPED during ASSEMBLY, it has nothing to do with casting.

As far as different pistons and rods, depends on the year and the engine.

More BS here than in a feedlot!

1. The 4006630 block is regular production from mid 1975 to end of production. NOT a heavy duty block.

2. The date cast into the side of the block is the date the block was cast.

3. The Engine ID pad on top front says everything about how the engine was assembled: Model year, usage, date of assembly, nonstandard parts, etc.

3. HP means the engine was assembled as a High Performance option engine.

4. The 1 or 2 behind the HP means ONLY that the engine was built on Shift 1 or Shift 2. As Shift 2 was the daytime shift it stands to reason that a lot of the Six Pack engines were built then, but that is a coincidence.

5. If it takes living in Detroit to get a $200 440 core, I'll pay the $500 and live somewhere else.

R.

Living in Detroit is not for the weak!

I had a set of 452 heads from Paul Rossi Called Street fighter II... they were the motor home heads with the cooling holes, large valves, and a pocket port.. The cooling holes were to help with detonation.. they worked good for me back in the day..

So John......what exactly (if anything) are you taking exception to in my post???

SOME 440's cast in '76 and later have CONSIDERABLY thicker main saddle supports. The only block we have found to have these supports are the 4006630-440 casting #, which was used from late 75 until the end of production in 1979. In case you have heard that 440's were discontinued in 1978, this was for cars only. 440's continued to be offered in trucks and motorhomes all through 1979, and we have had many 440 blocks stamped with the 1979 model year on them.

Shown above is a picture of a 4006630-440 (1978 model) 440 block. The "A" measurement typically is about 3.190". This is about 60% thicker than the early 440 blocks shown above. "B" typically measures about .520", which is still about 40% thicker. The blocks with these thicker supports were not cast during any specific date period. There is no external markings or numbers which show they are different from the other blocks. They DO seem to be more commonly used for truck motors, however just because you have a truck 440 does not mean it will automatically have the thicker main supports. One important fact is that while 4006630-440 casting # blocks are the only blocks we have found to have these thicker supports, not all these blocks will have them. There appears to be no other way to tell if a block has them or not other then actually looking at the supports themselves. Without the crank and rods removed from the block, it is very hard to tell.

I also had a set of those heads , bought them new , I had Dwayne Porter do some more porting to them after I sold them to a friend, the block I got him for his build also had the extra cooling holes in the deck so it saved me from adding them.

The part about an HP and HP2 being cast of specific shifts, maybe it was a typo on word usage because the foundry has no clue what any block will be used for during the casting process ??

As far as pistons only the 70-71 440-6pk had a different piston , the 350 and 375HP (and 69 440 6pk) 440's all used the same piston in the model year it was built.

Just a clarification since there was some incorrect , and myth's , being thrown about in this thread ...

I don't need someone to tell me the blocks are different. I never said they weren't.

But there were an erroneous statements:

"The best 440 block is from the early 70's NO It was from 1975 til the end!

most likely from a motorhome. NO it was the regular block found in pickups and New Yorkers and vans!

The number stamped on the side of the block is 4006630-440 that is the one with the thicker webs." WOW, finally got one right!

"An HP block was cast on day shift. An HP2 block was cast on swing shift." NO. The blocks have cast into them the casting date and I believe symbols that tell what time they were cast, but ANY block could turn into an HP, HP2 or whatever. Not like the Chevy world where the HP bigblocks will have "Hi Perf" cast into the block.

" Yes the 'HP2 means six pack, or at least six pack rods'" NO the 2 only means second shift. An HP engine is an HP engine, doesn't matter what shift it was assembled on. Whether the engine had the heavy rods or not depended on if it was an HP engine and what model year. So the 1969 HP engines did not have heavy rods, either 4 or 6 barrels, while the 1970 HP engines did have heavy rods, whether 4 or 6 barrels. Other 440s got heavy rods too but haphazardously.

Other nits to pick: While Model Year 1978 and 1979 440s are pretty common, I believe the actual block casting was finished in 1978.. I believe there were some Model Year 1980 440s as well but haven't seen one.

One correction to my earlier post: I got confused on work shift nomenclature. I apologize.

R.

True, I should not have said "Cast" An HP engine was ASSEMBLED on day shift. An HP2 on swing.