340 Engine Value

[troy.70R/T]

I have an opportunity to buy some motors from a guy and some of them are 340's Here are the questions I have about them.
     1. What are complete 340 motors worth? They would need to be rebuilt.
     2. Does it matter what year they are as far as how much they would be worth?
     3. What is the casting number on the block to identify it as a 340?
I am pretty sure that he said one of them came out of a 74 Challenger?  Thanks guys.

[tricky lugnuts]

Good little engines!

Hope this helps. Please double check any info you may rely on!!! 

1. I paid $1,000 for one about 12 years ago. It was in running condition but eventually needed rebuilt. As far as what they're going for today, it could be anybody's guess in this market. It looks like non-running cores, a couple folks asking about $1,200 each on eBay today, and that's without brackets, carbs, accessories, etc. The HP manifolds for 340s are an expensive piece.

2. 68 through some 72 are forged cranks. Some 72 through 73 are cast cranks. Some people prefer the forged cranks. There are also different cylinder heads - "J" heads and "X" heads. The X heads have bigger valves, 2.02 intake, while J heads have 1.88 intake. The X heads can also be an expensive piece. They came on the 68-71 engines, but the J heads can be machined for the bigger valves. I'm sure the most valuable blocks, or engines, are the TA or AAR pieces.

3. There are several casting numbers on the block, but all should end in "340" if it is a 340 engine. The numbers are on the side of the block.

See:

http://www.yearone.com/updatedsinglepages/id_info/mopar/mopar%20casting%20numbers/castingnumbers.html

[troy.70R/T]

Thanks for the info Tricky Lugnuts. I did do a little research. I was looking on ebay and found a 340 with the number 3577130.T.A.340.2    cast into it. It was advertised as having came out of a Challenger T/A the casting date was 69 I think. So my next question is this. If it did come out of a T/A is that the reason for the T/A cast into the block? also will the cast VS forged cranks motors have thinner harmonic balancer's like they do on big blocks?

[tricky lugnuts]

I think the T/A and AAR blocks do have "TA" stamped into the blocks, but I have never seen one. I would double check that before putting down the money on one!!!

I don't think it's a thicker, thinner thing like on the RB engines. Per the cast cranks, those are externally balanced and it looks like those will have a weighted vibration damper, as opposed to the forged crank engine:

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/archive/index.php/t-15330.html

Been a while since I looked at my old 340 so I can't really remember what the weight looks like, but according to some people it should say for 340 cast crank only . . .

[troy.70R/T]

thanks for the link Trickylugnuts. I should be able to tell if they are forged or cast now when I go back to look at them.

[Troy]

Yes, the value is somewhat dependent on the year. I need one for an early 70 (prior to October 1969 cast date) and they seem to be much more expensive than a similar 72-73 engine. I can't remember all the exact specifics for what changed year-to-year but the "performance" years (like everything else) are 68-71. Anyone with an original 340 car may want a "date correct" engine - even though it's a whole lot harder to tell on a small block.

Troy

[tricky lugnuts]

I think that the biggest changes to the 340 were the crank, from forged to cast; the intake valves, from 2.02 to 1.88; and the compression ratio, from 10-1 or so to 8.5-1 or so.

They're still out there, just got to be patient!

Saw a 1972 and 1970 engine over on Moparts classifieds. And here's this one on eBay, an October 1969 casting with a bare VIN rail:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mopar-340-Engine-Block-1970-70-Cuda-Challenger-Dart-GTX-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ380079871142QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_500wt_956

[troy.70R/T]

Do you think the guy had the old vin Number milled off?  makes me wonder.

[tricky lugnuts]

Don't rightly know - with a sleeved cylinder I'd doubt it was a factory replacement block, but I guess you never know!

Personally, $750 sounds a bit high for a bare block. I just figured I'd post the link for you. Good luck with your search.

[troy.70R/T]

Well I think it was a factory origional that someone/ seller had sleeved and had all the numbers milled off so he could let people think it was a warranty block??? just my thoughts. worth more with no numbers to most people.