Keep original motor in car, or beat on a substitute?

[375instroke]

I've put 20,000 miles on my Charger in a year and a half.  88,000 when I got it, and 108,000 miles now on the original 440.  I'm thinking I should just keep the motor assembled and preserved, and build the spare 440 I have to beat on, and not worry about keeping 906 heads, standard bore, or whatever.  Perhaps use a donor transmission, too.  What do you think?

[69chargerrt440]

I know im about 14, but I know alot about car, but I think thats a good idea, you dont want to mess up the original motor and trans. If your looking for another 440 I have an 68 440hp that originaly came out of a 68 Charger, the block work is done and is borded .030 over, I have everything for it. I also have a 727 trans also. 

[vancamp]

ive been thinking the same thing pull the numbers motor build a warmed over stockish looking 440 to drop in its place, i dont get to drive it as much but when i do i would like to not worry about windowing the numbers block.

[PocketThunder]

I've put 20,000 miles on my Charger in a year and a half.  88,000 when I got it, and 108,000 miles now on the original 440.  I'm thinking I should just keep the motor assembled and preserved, and build the spare 440 I have to beat on, and not worry about keeping 906 heads, standard bore, or whatever.  Perhaps use a donor transmission, too.  What do you think?

20k in a year and a half?  holy crap man.  i put on 1800 in the last 3 months and i thought i was doing good.  ($500 in gas)    

I have the original numbers engine in my car also and i chose to keep it in the car.  If i built another engine to beat on then the original engine would just sit in my garage forever and always be in the way and probably never get worked on again, or for as long as i owned the car. 

Paul

[The70RT]

I guess if you were planning to sell it someday.....or if you were being judged on originality NOM you would want to leave it in. I will be driving mine until i die so it doesn't matter. The new owner might have wished I saved it for him 

[terrible one]

Personally I would take my chances, but it's all in preference and what that original block means to you. Me, I think it would be kind of ironic. You take the engine out to try and preserve the "numbers matching" thing but it gets replaced by a non matching motor and then the car isn't numbers matching anymore! Also,I know you can do a lot for preservation but then the old motor is then just going to be sitting which can be the worst thing for them sometimes. Then, do you stop there? What about the transmission? If it were me, I would keep the old mill in there. It may be time to go through it and give it a rebuild but then I would put it back in it's rightful place. 

[375instroke]

I'm more concerned about the wear factor.  Not blowing something up.  The trans case doesn't really wear out, but the cylinder bores get honed out, and wear, and then what?  Sleeve all 8 cylinders.  With the miles I'm racking up, I'll be at max bore in 10 years.  I could drive another car, but what's the point?  Why have a car you want if you don't drive it?  I need to find another Charger to really build up, I guess.

[PocketThunder]

I'm more concerned about the wear factor.  Not blowing something up.  The trans case doesn't really wear out, but the cylinder bores get honed out, and wear, and then what?  Sleeve all 8 cylinders.  With the miles I'm racking up, I'll be at max bore in 10 years.  I could drive another car, but what's the point?  Why have a car you want if you don't drive it?  I need to find another Charger to really build up, I guess.

For as much as you drive find a 5.7 or 6.1 hemi to swap in.  ..   

[bull]

Why chance it with the car at all? Everything else on the car from bumper to bumper and roof to rubber is rare and special. I would have it hermetically sealed and built into a basement under your house.

[Troy]

You drive about like I do (average 14-18k miles per year on the old ones). They wear out pretty quick. I'd swap in a non-numbers engine and trans - especially if you have a spare. Plus, you can build the replacements when you have time and do the swap over a weekend.

Troy

[1969chargerrtse]

I've put 20,000 miles on my Charger in a year and a half.  88,000 when I got it, and 108,000 miles now on the original 440.  I'm thinking I should just keep the motor assembled and preserved, and build the spare 440 I have to beat on, and not worry about keeping 906 heads, standard bore, or whatever.  Perhaps use a donor transmission, too.  What do you think?

20k in a year and a half?  holy crap man.  i put on 1800 in the last 3 months and i thought i was doing good.  ($500 in gas)  

I have the original numbers engine in my car also and i chose to keep it in the car.  If i built another engine to beat on then the original engine would just sit in my garage forever and always be in the way and probably never get worked on again, or for as long as i owned the car.  

Paul

What's the scoop with your car?  Did you fix it up after the deer accident?  Color match?

Oh, I have no idea what to do about the motor swap thread.  Hard call for me.  I guess the bury in the basement thing would work?

[472 R/T SE]

Kudos to you for driving it as much as you do.  If it wasn't such a pain in the ass to get my cars' in & out of the garage I'd drive them more.

My purple car was loaded up from the factory.  I have it all (cruise control, a/c stuff) waiting for the next owner.
For now though the #'s drivetrain is retired & the car is built the way I would have ordered it new.

If it's gonna be your main source of getting from point A to B heck yeah retire the #'s especially if you have another motor.

Years ago I was gonna buy a R/T & swap out the motor with a small block for daily driver duty just so I could have the car at least.