440 pricing and difficulty of rebuild?

[dodgecharger72]

I have access to a '69 440. Steel crank, 906 heads... along with a 727 for $300. They are both running and available for a test drive in a chrysler. Is this a good price?

And secondly, if I bought this I would want to rebuild it. I have a general knowledge about mopars and feel pretty comfortable working on them, however I have never worked on an engine. Is it possible with the right books and DVDs(Wayne Smothers?) I could tackle a job like this on my own? I would of course take it elsewhere for the machine work.   Thanks guys...

[skip68]

That's a great price.    GRAB IT !   

[Tilar]

I have access to a '69 440. Steel crank, 906 heads... along with a 727 for $300. They are both running and available for a test drive in a chrysler. Is this a good price?

Is this a trick question?  I wish someone would offer me that kind of deal. I'd have the $300 in their hands so fast they wouldn't have time to change their mind.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

Definitely a good price for that combo. Rebuilding an engine isn't difficult, but you need to know what you're doing to get it right.

When having an engine rebuilt the biggest cost is the machine work and new parts, not the final assembly.

[Cooter]

Well, They are going for around a grand here needing rebuild..Just the engine alone...HP motors are even more with the "numbers" croud....
I'd say better get on that one before somebody buys it and then it WILL cost you over $300.00..

[Challenger340]

The $300 price is unheard of these days, I'd be camping that one

As for getting in there and working on it, or rebuilding, I would be pretty careful to think it through first, and decide WHERE you wish to go, and how much power you are looking for ultimately ?

Rebuilding, can get expensive, even when doing it yourself and contracting out Machining.
Be absolutely sure to find a good Machine Shop with an even better reputation, preferably that speak Mopar.

What kind of shape is the 440 in now as a running engine ?
Is it still an Original 69 engine ? or has it been rebuilt prior in it's life at some point ?

[Al]

That's a very good offer. Wish I could lay my hands on it over here in Europe. 

[dodgecharger72]

            It has 78,000 miles on it and from what the owner says it has never been rebuilt. As far as the rebuild I am mostly wanting to stay stock. I have called around town and have got quotes from $1100 to $2900 for a complete rebuild. I would be willing to save and pay for the motor to be rebuilt by a professional if that is what you guys think is best. I would like to do this right the first time. However, I work for a school and go to school so in a few months I will have summer vacation which means I will have a lot of time on my hands to tackle a project like this.

[squeakfinder]

     That would be a good price for the motor alone if it needed a rebuild. If your going to hire out the entire build, I'd be asking around to find somebody who has experience building Mopar engines. $2900 doesn't sound out of bound for a build with a few performance goodies.

[dodgecharger72]

       Thanks for the help guys. And I think the price may be due to the economy and the fact that this guy lives in the middle of nowhere. If I were to get casting numbers, could anyone here verify that this engine is in fact what this guy is saying it is? I would really appreciate it

[maxwellwedge]

Post away on your numbers. $2900.00 sounds really cheap for a complete rebuild. Ask what kind of innards you are getting for that price.

[dodgecharger72]

     I will definitely post them as soon as I get them. It could be up to a week from now. And I didn't really go into detail with the machine shop.
     I am seriously considering getting the Don Taylor step-by-step book along with a federal mogul rebuild kit and doing it myself.

[greenpigs]

Get the the motor then the DVD. After that watch the DVD till you feel comfortable enough to tear the 440 down. Then check the proven combo section before you buy anything.

[dodgecharger72]

Okay that sounds like a good idea. Are there any good engine building DVDs? From what I understand the Wayne Smothers one is more of a performance tuning video rather than an engine building video.

[greenpigs]

He goes over most everything that you will encounter in a performance build.

[Rayzor]

Around here in Oregon the  cast crank 440 motor are a dime a dozen. I have 2 that I bought for less then 150 each. Steel crank runners though go for 400 and up as a core.

[Grim Jhaixus]

I say a Haynes manual is all you need. I also say rebuild it yourself, even if it turns into a nightmare, but STICK WITH IT. You might lose some skin and have to regrow some knuckles but there is no feeling quite like hearing an engine that you built by yourself run. It's better than getting laid, it's better than your kid getting straight A's.

[dodgecharger72]

Haha thanks grim, thats mainly why I want to do it myself.

[dodgecharger72]

If its a cast crank I probably won't buy it.

[bull]

And 440s are a lot easier to get parts for than 383s. Not to pound this into the ground but yes, that's a pretty good price for that vintage. I turned down the same setup for $1,000 a while back. That's too much but $300 is quite doable.

[squeakfinder]

 Should be a steel crank at that age. But, the numbers on the side of the block, or the flat pad by the distributor should tell.

[dodgecharger72]

Thanks a lot guys, I am pretty excited to get into this.

[Challenger340]

If it is in fact a '69 440 "un-rebuilt", with 78,000 original miles on it, don't even consider rebuilding it for any $1,100 to $2,900 Mark.

It has FAR BETTER Pistons, and performance potential in it now, than you'll ever get with the parts used in those price ranges !
Leave it ALONE,
save for possibly a Cam/Intake & Carb change Later.


Bob out.

[greenpigs]

I agree but I would 'blueprint' the motor. Yet again this goes back to the DVD. 

[dodgecharger72]

'Blueprinting' as in indexing the spark plugs??    And what about the parts in the Federal Mogul kit? I would feel a lot more comfortable knowing that the engine has new parts in it. From what I have seen most people who buy these engines rebuild them. I'm not looking to get huge amounts of hp out of it, I am wanting a stock build that's around 400 hp.