Found out why my 440 motor snapped a rod, and blew up.

[1969chargerrtse]

The guy rebuilding my motor is without adopt, the best engine builder I know, but he's not the fastest for sure.  I called him today to check up on my 68 440 short block he is slowly rebuilding.  He used to do this full time, but because of Ins etc... he got a job as a machinist and things take a little longer.  Anyway, I had thought it took in water and snapped a rod.  He went through the heads and finds nothing wrong.  He said, do you have the piston and rod that snapped?  I said yes, he said I think I know what happened.  They put in oversize pistons which came with pins and they just slapped it together.  A pin froze, and the rod snapped.  So I went and got the piston.  The piston is 40 over, and the rod is frozen on the pin.  He said when he does mine, he always measures both parts and hones the piston pin sleeve , and on and  on he went to explain it.  So, looks like that's why it blew.  He said, he and a friend who is over there building a 427 Chevy motor, went to move the block over to a bench, empty, and they couldn't believe how heavy it was.  That's when I chimed in with, MOPAR!.  

[dukeboy_318]

ouch, hmmmm, not good when that happens, sounds like you've got an engine builder you trust

[1969chargerrtse]

ouch, hmmmm, not good when that happens, sounds like you've got an engine builder you trust

Oh, 110% and still charges like 50.00 an hour like he did 15 years ago, remember I'm in CT.  A hamburger is 5 bucks.

[dukeboy_318]

not bad price for him, bad price for the burger, 

[tecmopar]

I don't know what brands of rod and pistons you had but most 440 rods are supposed to be "stuck" on the wrist pin as they are pressed fit, not floating. If you had floating and it locked up then yes, thats the problem but double check this before he hones out the pin end of the rod and there is no way to keep the pin in there. Look at the other pistons and see if there are spiral or wire locks in the pin holes to keep them in, if not then you probably have the pressed fit type, good luck.

[1969chargerrtse]

I don't know what brands of rod and pistons you had but most 440 rods are supposed to be "stuck" on the wrist pin as they are pressed fit, not floating. If you had floating and it locked up then yes, thats the problem but double check this before he hones out the pin end of the rod and there is no way to keep the pin in there. Look at the other pistons and see if there are spiral or wire locks in the pin holes to keep them in, if not then you probably have the pressed fit type, good luck.

Thanks, they were press fit into the pistons, and float on the rods, but are sezied.  Trust, me he knows what he has to do, maybe I didn't explain it best.  Bottom line, rod don't move with piston, not good.

[69_500]

Took 2 people to move a 440 block to a bench? Hmmmm, must be used to picking up small block chevies all the time. I know it about killed me to put a 440 bare block on the shelf in my shed. But once I got it up on the shelf, it wasn't too bad picking up the 383 and 360 blocks to put up there next to it. Start with the heavy one and work your way down.