How many still want a 440?

[Fred]

Mine's a 472 hemi..................thinking of a 528.   
Don't care about the petrol. It's a toy.

[Vainglory, Esq.]

I would like to have a nice fuel injected Hemi to drop in for the gas mileage and reliability. I want to drive the wheels of her.

Me too. Already got the hemi, just need the injection.  But mine's a toy anyway. Every gallon I put in doesn't bother me in the slightest.

[Supercharged Riot]

I'll take one. My 383 dont feel mean enough

[1974dodgecharger]

Mine's a 472 hemi..................thinking of a 528.   
Don't care about the petrol. It's a toy.

could a 528 be a daily driver?

[Fred]

Mine's a 472 hemi..................thinking of a 528.   
Don't care about the petrol. It's a toy.

could a 528 be a daily driver?

If you've got deep pockets...................yes! 

[1974dodgecharger]

Mine's a 472 hemi..................thinking of a 528.   
Don't care about the petrol. It's a toy.

could a 528 be a daily driver?

If you've got deep pockets...................yes! 

well minus the deep pockets ill pay for the gase IM talking about daily starting, stopping, etc...without it getting cut off in traffic. I saw how much expensive those 528s are and man at 18k for the engine WOW.

[Fred]

Mine's a 472 hemi..................thinking of a 528.   
Don't care about the petrol. It's a toy.

could a 528 be a daily driver?

If you've got deep pockets...................yes! 

well minus the deep pockets ill pay for the gase IM talking about daily starting, stopping, etc...without it getting cut off in traffic. I saw how much expensive those 528s are and man at 18k for the engine WOW.

No worries, it's as reliable as any engine. I don't have any problems when stuck in traffic. And the hydro-boost breaks do an excellent job. And she starts first time every time. (I'm talking about my 472 but I can't see that it should be any different with the 528)

[1974dodgecharger]

thanks fred, im deciding on a future engine project either a 528 in a 68 charger or get a engine built by Al's engine barn they have a 440 with blower setup for 13k or so a direct bolt in or save more for the 528 and have to tune it on my own.

[Mike DC]

Don't get all crazy on me here, but I'm SERIOUSLY considering putting an LS7 under the hood of the '68 and mothballing the 440. It's literally thousands less than a 6.1 or 6.4 HEMI, they're bulletproof, have a MASSIVE aftermarket and at days end make GOBS of power for not a lot of money.

And no... this is not a joke. I've been doing a lot of research and for my needs (long distance rallying, road racing and auto cross) it makes sense. If ya'll have a well thought out alternative let me know. Also, I don't want to hear "It's not a Mopar" or any of that BS - understand that this is a car I'll NEVER sell, so look at the big picture here and not just the brand.

IMHO the quest for hi-performance in any given layout will inevitably lead to a "spec" car.  We're already headed that way in the PT hobby with everyone using modern Corvette suspension parts, Tremec gearboxes, and Mustang-based steering racks.  The swap to a LS-based motor is just another step in that direction (albeit a huge one).  

I have mixed feelings about it.  Past a certain point we're just re-skinning the same parts with a different brand of body shell.  And the next logical step on that path is to just get all the PT parts in one piece and re-skin the underside of a modern ponycar with the 1960's outer shell.  

So do you want to go fast cheaply, or do you want the car's style & uniqueness to play a large enough role to skew that decision?  The two goals severely diverge here.  

------------------------------------------


If you do swap it, I would put a note on the dashboard saying "The GM engine costs $____ less than the Mopar equivalent.  If it bothers you then write me a check and I will gladly fix it."

[bobs66440]

If you're worried about gas mileage, you're in the wrong hobby. 

[doctor4766]

If you're worried about gas mileage, you're in the wrong hobby. 

So true.
Who here really cares what mileage they get?
The thrill of the drive far outweighs how much cash just got put in the tank.

[kab69440]

Unless you change your rear end ratio, you won't see that much of a gain dropping in a 318 where the 440 once resided. My 440 powered Charger with 2.76 got more than twice the mpgs than my 318 Power Ram with 4.11s.

What did that power ram weigh? How tall were the tires on it?

Not the best comparison IMO.

I'm guessing 5k or so. Tires were 35".
All I am saying is that RPMs are RPMs and that the single largest factor in fuel economy is the final drive rate, not the cubes under the hood. Given two otherwise identical cars a 318 might eek out a small few  mpg more than a 440.

[Cooter]

If you're worried about gas mileage, you're in the wrong hobby. 

Exactly. Now what I can't figure out is Nobody will run a GM 1 wire on their cars, but are contemplating dumping in an LS engine...Hmmmm.....


Sounds bout the same as when I installed a "Ford" T-5(Borg Warner), Trans in the General Lee.

Power cost Fuel mileage. Simple. Ever see what all those 5.7/6.1 Hemis get in town? They suck until that MDS sh*t kicks in..

[66FBCharger]

My R/T is a toy, though when the weather is good I drive it as much as possible. I drove it this weekend. The weather in the Northeast is in the 60's and 70's all this week. I will drive it as much as possible.
I agree that we don't buy these cars for the mileage. I bought my car because i love the styling and the power and have qwwanted one since I was 14 and 33 years later I got one.
My viewpoint is, if you could get better mileage you could spend some more time driving and enjoying it. If not, it wouldn't stop me from enjoying the car. I would just not buy lunch at work so I could spend that money for fuel to drive my Charger.
I am planning on installing a Passon 5 speed in my R/T to knock the 3.54s down and allow me to take longer trips (Chryslers @ Carlisle, etc.).

[404NOTFOUND]

Gotta have the 440 cause it's the biggest one they made. If gas goes way up, I might have to drive it less. That said, there's nothing wrong with a 318 Charger if that's what you got.

[greenpigs]

If you're worried about gas mileage, you're in the wrong hobby. 

A 440 & 4.10 gears in my Charger, so you know what I like.

[41husk]

I think I would rather go green and down grade to a 426 hemi   Just to save gas money

[PocketThunder]

Don't get all crazy on me here, but I'm SERIOUSLY considering putting an LS7 under the hood of the '68 and mothballing the 440. It's literally thousands less than a 6.1 or 6.4 HEMI, they're bulletproof, have a MASSIVE aftermarket and at days end make GOBS of power for not a lot of money.

And no... this is not a joke. I've been doing a lot of research and for my needs (long distance rallying, road racing and auto cross) it makes sense. If ya'll have a well thought out alternative let me know. Also, I don't want to hear "It's not a Mopar" or any of that BS - understand that this is a car I'll NEVER sell, so look at the big picture here and not just the brand.

I dont know Mike, that sounds like putting socks on a rooster.   

[Dino]

I can live with the mileage the 440 gets although I do want the engine to be running as efficiently as possible.  I was planning on dropping a newer 360 with efi in but I'd never get my money back so that's not going to happen.  I love the 440 but since I cruise more than anything else, a 318 would have been just fine as well.

Will I drive it less because of the price of gas?  Yeah probably, maybe, well it depends, maybe not, of course not, what the hell are you talking about!

[bill440rt]

If you're worried about gas mileage, you're in the wrong hobby. 

Ding! We have a winner! 

I think the saying goes it's not how many miles per gallon, but SMILES per gallon. 
Not too many 440 to slant-6 swaps going on out there.

Best way to maximize gas mileage (without component swapping), is to just keep the car as well-maintained and tuned as possible.

[Troy]

I "cruise" a lot. I put 14-18k miles per year on my old cars but rarely "get on it" and never race. The 440 Six Pack in the Challenger gets almost 3 times the mileage of the Power Wagon and only 1 mpg less than my Tahoe. My previous 68 Charger R/T with 440 4-bbl routinely got 14-15 mpg (and it would run on 87 octane). My first 68 Charger with a 318 got about 18 mpg so I'm really not losing much with the big blocks. For my driving needs a 600-700 hp motor is useless overkill. A stock(ish) motor is relatively cheap and reliable so it really makes no financial sense to swap in something like a new Hemi just for better mileage. Most people don't drive enough to ever break even on that deal. Now, would I do it for easier starting, more efficient running, less maintenance, and less frustration? Probably - if I had a car that wasn't originally a 440. As mentioned, the right gears (and especially some sort of overdrive) will go a lot farther than most people think - for way cheaper than a Hemi swap.

Troy

[Nacho-RT74]

I already had a BB ( 400 ), and made the 440 crank stroke, so I already have a 440.

however I never have wished a 440 itself.

and I don't have gas prices problems ( but will have )

[ITSA426]

No replacement for displacement.  I suppose if the 440 is too big I can downsize and drive the 426 a little more.  It doesn't get better mileage though.  You'd think it would, being a smaller motor and all.

[Dino]

No replacement for displacement.  I suppose if the 440 is too big I can downsize and drive the 426 a little more.  It doesn't get better mileage though.  You'd think it would, being a smaller motor and all.

[AirborneSilva]

Mine currently has a 383 but I will be building a 440 for it after I get a few more things done so I can atleast drive