Factory Torque Converters?

[Hot_Rodder]

Since I can't find my transmission book right now, I'd figure that I would go and give it a shot here... I'm wondering if the torque converter may work with my replacement motor or not? The factory motor was a 400 with auto, when I got the car it came with a 361 with the same auto transmission (and I'm assuming the original torque converter). The 361 is gone, and since I highly doubt that I will find the original 400 for my car, I'm thinking of just going on ahead and throwing this 440 in but am wondering if the torque converter will work on this 440? As far as I know, all the cranks have been cast and not the forged cranks (at least this is the highest probability....) so I would guess that it would... Right now I'm looking to get the motor in the car and running to make room on the porch... I'm not planning on exactly running it down the road, just to be able to go out there and fire it up and listen to it rumble (lol). I have new bolts (ARP) for flex plate to converter, and had to replace the flex plate (for get full me for got to take my flex plate off he 361  ) and I now have a brand new one from 440 Source, along with new ARP flex plate to crankshaft flange bolts. The flex plate is on there now. When I get around to rebuilding the motor as I've been planning to for some time (and now the time schedule has been extended some bit due to certain things going on , I'm at the point now where I want to hear at least something interesting run in the yard, lol. The 4 banger S10 by far don't cut it, and neither does the all factory Grand Marquis with the 4.6 V-8.... The fuel pump in the ol' International pick up seems to have gone out so..... Anyway, any comments/suggestions? Or am I just being a bit impatient?

[69rrgrabber]

The most important thing to look for is weather you have an internally balanced 440 or externally balanced.  All factory forged cranks are internally balanced.  I think around 1973 they became externally balanced.  Look at the hormonic balancer on your 440.  If it is about 2 inches thick then it is externally balanced.  The internally balanced motor has a 1 inch thick balancer. 

Next, check your converter.  If you have the 2 inch thick balancer then you need the weighted converter.  There will be 2, 1 inch by 5/16 thick pads welded to the converter, they are hard to miss.  The converter for the internally balanced motor has two pads too but they are very thin, like 1/8 inch.

For a stock motor you will be fine with the stock 12 inch converter, they used them from the factory in the 318 up to 440, just as long at the weighted converter goes with the thick balancer.

CAC

[Hot_Rodder]

Though I will be sure to check this out, I'm pretty much 100% sure that the 440 is externally balanced being a mid year '70's motor, quite possibly from a truck. The converter is quite possibly also for external balance application being that the motor wa just a regular 400 4bbl originally. But as I said, I will double check all this to be sure.

[John_Kunkel]

All factory forged cranks are internally balanced. 

Not so, the '70-'71 440HP is forged and externally balanced.

If the OP's cast crank 400 was replaced with a 361 and the externally balanced converter was reused there would likely be a noticeable vibration so the converter might have been changed at the time of the swap.

Bottom line, never assume anything...determine the type of crank for sure and use the correct converter for it.

[Hot_Rodder]

Well, if I read everything right, and I'm think I did.... Then looks like I will be needing to get another torque converter... The 440 is a '76 truck block casting, but the converter has the one thin piece of metal on it's side.... Not a thicker plate of metal... The crankshaft harmonic damper on the motor is quite thick, telling me that it's quite possibly a cast crank (which I wouldn't doubt anyway). My luck here lately just hasn't been good hardly at all, and doesn't seem to be showing signs of improvement.. 
If you all want some pic's, I can get some posted on photobucket, but I don't really see the need in posting pic's of common stuff, lol.

[John_Kunkel]

Have you checked the stampings on the top data pad? For example, if the pad is stamped 6T440E the "E" means it has a cast crank and the thick balancer backs it up.

You can use the neutral balanced converter on the dcast crank 440 by using a B&M #10237 flexplate, the flexplate will provide the needed external balance.

[Hot_Rodder]

I did check the machine pad up on top, and I don't recall seeing an "e" on it, though I do remember seeing the T440, there were a couple numbers under that, let me check and see what all it says again....
And it says:
7T440

2  1  2

Otherwise no other markings that I can see.... I've not even looked at the VIN at the oil pan rail... Being a truck block, and one from '76 why worry about it? As for the B&M flexplate, I'm wondering what will be cheaper, trying to hunt up another torque converter, or getting another flexplate, the one on there now is brand new....

[John_Kunkel]

7T440 identifies a '77 440, the absence of the E means it has a forged crank which is unlikely in '77 so it's more likely cast and theblock is mis-stamped especially since it has the thick damper.
The page in the link below shows the various dampers:

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


2  1  2 Is the build date February 1st and the shift (day) it was built.

[Hot_Rodder]

Only thing that I can figure is that perhaps it was a manual trans application, and the crank was possibly modified so an auto could be ran.... But I doubt that, it does have a '69 intake on it now (was on it when I got it too), bad thing is, it's the exact same intake that came off my '69 Charger R/T that I sold a little while back..... I guess maybe now would be a good time to just pull the dang oil pan to put the new windage tray on it since I'm sure there's not one on it now... Might even go ahead and throw the replacement oil pan and matching pick up on it too.... This way I can get a direct look at the crank and figure it out since there's no other way of being able to tell what it is.....