1974 440 motor

[chargers_r_us]

I just picked up a 1973 Dodge Charger with a rebuilt 440 motor that seems to run very good. It is stamped 2 74 on block, so I believe this one is not going to be as good as the 71 and older 440's, but is this still a really good motor for my car? It has a 727 tranny, and I picked up an 8 3/4 rear end for it, but right now it has an 8 1/4. It has a purple cam in it, and was bored .030 over and a new crank and some other parts were installed, but I am not sure what the new crank was....whether it was steel or what. I think the 74 motors had much lower HP than the older motors, but is still a very desirable motor... Thanks for any input or suggestions! I wonder what HP it may have!

[Cooter]

After 1970, ALL 440's were low compression, low HP engines.
doesn't matter what hp it came with, all that matters is what hp you put in it.

HP was around 260.

[heyoldguy]

If it "seems to run very good" to you, that is all that counts. Enjoy it!

[c00nhunterjoe]

If its bored then its not stock, therefore the factory ratings are kut the window. It could be anywhere ffom 8:1-12:1 without knowing what pistons got put in it and if there was any machine work done. Run it and enjoy it, or build it up and make it faster. But in the end, once youve started the rebuild process, a 440 is a 440. The number stamped on the block doesnt matter.

[Kern Dog]

There are a lot of half truths and lies being passed around. The facts and myths associated with Chevy engines often gets mixed in with what is told about Mopar engines.
ANY 440 block has the potential to be a great engine. It could be a 1966 version or one cast in the final days of 1978 production. If you could go back in time and choose any 440, many may pick the 1969 440 with the 6 pack/6 Barrel package.....BUT as Joe said, if the engine has been opened up, it is anyones guess as to what is inside. You'd have to take it apart to know for sure.
Another point: The 440 (As well as every other engine built in the same time frame) was saddled with the task of passing smog/emission tests that became progressively harder each year. By 1978 here in California, the 440 was down to 185 Hp due to low performance log type exhaust manifolds with a smog pump, single exhaust, retarded cam timing, reduced compression and a single snorkle air cleaner. If you take that very same 440 and build it to 1970 specs, you would literally double the HP rating of the 1978 440.

[Nacho-RT74]

if it got low compression pistons on the rebuilt job, which basically is the MAIN diff on power on the later blocks againts earliers, just need to get earlier pistons and you are done.

then you can add some tweaks without too much money on them, metal headgasket is one of them and is cheap and easy to do.

another differences could be the camshaft... easy to do too ( the basic purple camshaft is what HP engines got from factory, it was the top of the productions cams ). Windage tray, spring valves with dampener, double timing chain... everyting depends if is an HP engine or not

earlier engines got forged crank for a while laters got cast. This won't make really a power difference really beside just streghtness, but if we can talk about an advantage of cast crank, they are a little bit lighter, so will rev up easier. A cast crank will hold with plenty headroom the earlier HP rating.

[chargers_r_us]

Thanks for the comments! Yeah, I am looking forward to getting some resto done on this 73 and seeing what it will do! I picked up an 8 3/4 rear end for it, and I  need to install that. The 8 3/4 is not posi, and I will be looking for a posi unit to install in due time. I need to put some shocks in the rear, and do some  body / interior work, then paint. Get some new lug nuts for my Cragars, mount them, and I think this car will be a nice daily driver / cruise night car! In the mean time I should be able to get my 2012 back on the road. The 73 sounds great with the 3 inch exhaust, and the guy who had it before me did a great job making a bulge hood for it. I would put up some pics if I could get them to come up on here.

[myk]

Make an account at photobucket.com.  Just upload your photos and the website will usually resize your files and make them website friendly; then just copy and paste the link to the image and you can get results like this:

[John_Kunkel]

a new crank and some other parts were installed, but I am not sure what the new crank was....whether it was steel or what.

Look at the harmonic balancer, if it's huge and has "440 cast crank only" on the front it's obviously a cast crank motor.

I think the 74 motors had much lower HP than the older motors,

'72 and later had lowered compression and the hp was measured differently. As stated earlier, once it's been rebuilt there's no way to know the actual hp without knowing precisely what's inside.