68 340 engine or good block wanted

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jimharvard

jimharvard

JimHarvard
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I've got a 68 4 speed fastback formula s with a 71 340 that i want to replace with a correct 68 dated motor. looking for a complete motor in any condition or just a good 68 block i could build. i've got two fastbacks both listed on the members section.

thanks.
jimharvard
 
He sent you a Private Message, check your inbox at the top right corner of the website, where it says "Welcome,Jimharvard" Thats where his message is.

Good luck on your search
 
Depending what month your car was made would depend on the year block you would need I think.Early built Mopars would have received a 67 model block and later months would have received possibly a 68 model block.I have been told that Jan - Aug 1968 built vehicles usually received a 1967 model block and Sept - Dec built would have received a 1968 model engine block and so on for other years also.Has anyone else ever heard this.I actually have been told this a few times and have looked at cars build dates and seen that this could very possibly be a true statement!
 
1969340dart said:
Depending what month your car was made would depend on the year block you would need I think.Early built Mopars would have received a 67 model block and later months would have received possibly a 68 model block.I have been told that Jan - Aug 1968 built vehicles usually received a 1967 model block and Sept - Dec built would have received a 1968 model engine block and so on for other years also.Has anyone else ever heard this.I actually have been told this a few times and have looked at cars build dates and seen that this could very possibly be a true statement!
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casting date needs to be before the build date of the car. So any car built in the 67 year would have a 67 casting date even a car built in January 68 would have a good chance of of a 67 casting date on many of the parts.
 
1968FormulaS340 said:
casting date needs to be before the build date of the car. So any car built in the 67 year would have a 67 casting date even a car built in January 68 would have a good chance of of a 67 casting date on many of the parts.
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My father in law was the original owner of our car. The car was bought new on 5-31-68. The engine block, which is the original one with the car, was cast on 6-23-67.
 
340GTSDart said:
My father in law was the original owner of our car. The car was bought new on 5-31-68. The engine block, which is the original one with the car, was cast on 6-23-67.
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Thats not hard to believe. The block date is and should be before the car build date.

6-23-67 to 5-31-68 is a wide gap but as long as its not the other way around Im good with it.

The build date of the car may be much closer to the engine than the date he got the car.
 
1968FormulaS340 said:
Thats not hard to believe. The block date is and should be before the car build date.

6-23-67 to 5-31-68 is a wide gap but as long as its not the other way around Im good with it.

The build date of the car may be much closer to the engine than the date he got the car.
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That could be true. He test drove one 3 days earlier, but wanted a red one. That's when they told him that they had one coming in on Friday as a dealer stock car. He bought it the same day it came in (Friday). I don't know how long they stayed at the factory before they were shipped to the dealer.

I just checked the build sheet, but it's in such bad shape, I can't see if there's a date on it or not. Up at the top it has the sequence number, then down the page the different options. The top left is missing, don't know if there is even supposed to be a date on this.
 
wow... i just love the passion you guys bring to this web site ... it must be a mopar thing...
thanks for the education on the engine dates ... i was trained as "a body man" and didn't do much engine work... i appreciate all your advice. and keep me in mind if you run across a 68 340 ...

jim coster, pittsburgh
 
I have the original block for sale from my friend's one owner 68 Dart and the casting date is 6-19-67. He bought the car off the showroom floor in March of 68. He is the original owner and I was the one who took the engine out of the car many years ago. I also have other blocks of differing casting dates. If this helps let me know.

Ken
Edison, NJ
[email protected]
 
I have a 67 model 340 block I was going to build my 416 stroker out of.Then after I purchased all the .030 over pistons and 4" crank etc.I find out the block is actually .040 over so I had to use one of my other blocks.If this 67 model block will help you make your car more period correct I would sell it for what I have in it which is $510.00. It had a fresh bore job and then I had the seller have the shop line bore and clean the block so it would be ready to build. There is a little bit of rust but easily cleaned up which I will do but it is a really nice looking block. Let me know if you are interested and I can have my Soninlaw take some pictures of the block and e mail them to you.If not I am going to order a set of forged .040 pistons and use it for my 67 Dart Gasser build.

Bobby [email protected]
 
my '68 is a real 68 340 s, orignally an auto converted to a 4 speed.. i'll have to check the fender tag to decipher the build date

different question....

i have a lead on a june '68 340 block that i can get for $900. it looks to be in very good condition .. polished and painted..
do you guys think that is a good price ???? it seems like a pretty good deal to me after some initial research...
i want to put edlebrock's alluminum heads on this 68 block .. any of you have any experience with those heads... ???
thanks for all your help..
jim c...
 
Jim, $900 for a block seems a bit high. The block that Bobby (1968340Dart) has for sale with all the work done for $510 sounds better. I was asking $450 for the block from my friends early 68 Dart. Is the $900 figure for just the block or the whole engine?

Ken
 
hey ken..

the guy wants 900 for just the block... it has been all cleaned up by a shop and is powder coated mopar turqoise.. it basically looks new.. the most important part to me is that it is date coded some like june 14, 1968 .. which would make it an accurate fit for my 68 formula s. i haven't seen many '68 340's around with the correct dates on them so i'm willing to pay a little more for this one.

what do you think???

jim
 
Jim:

I just bought an entire 340 Duster parts car with the original, complete (only minus the Thermo-Bog), matching numbers 340 intact last December for $1,500. That got me a complete 340, the K-Member, the front disk brake set-up, a tranny core, and more odds & ends than I could shake a stick at. And he wants $900 for a bare block??? Tell that guy go to go pound sand... It's inanely priced crap like this that makes the hobby unapproachable for so many people today. There are blocks out there; it's not like they only made a few hundred of the things...'68 or otherwise...and there aren't any 1968 E Bodies to blame the prices on...

Just my opinion...

Ray
 
hey ray...

thanks for the info... that was a great deal on the duster... i don't know what to do.. i want this 900 dollar block but buy the time i get done with edelbrock alluminum heads and a rotating assembly, manifold, carbs.. blah, blah, blah... i'm going to have $3-4k in the motor... but on the other hand.... i sent an email to a big time mopar engine building shop and got back a quote of $11,000.00 to build a not too radical 340... so i'm in a quandry.

but hey guys.. please keep sharing your thoughts. i know you guys have more experience in motor stuff than i do..

jim c.
 
jimharvard said:
hey ray...

thanks for the info... that was a great deal on the duster... i don't know what to do.. i want this 900 dollar block but buy the time i get done with edelbrock alluminum heads and a rotating assembly, manifold, carbs.. blah, blah, blah... i'm going to have $3-4k in the motor... but on the other hand.... i sent an email to a big time mopar engine building shop and got back a quote of $11,000.00 to build a not too radical 340... so i'm in a quandry.

but hey guys.. please keep sharing your thoughts. i know you guys have more experience in motor stuff than i do..

jim c.
Click to expand...

What your thinking you'd have in your motor, you can not quite cut in half and only add a water pump/carb on the one I have sitting, and we can even work in a K-member too if needed.
 
Jim. that s to much money for the block! Be patient I pickup up a short block out of a drag car at pittsburgh raceway park for 500.00. Keep in touch and be patientyou will find one in the southwest pa, mopar circuit. Go the car shows and talk to the mopar guys they all have parts. Walt in Uniontown, Pa.:coffee2:
 
hey pagilman...

thanks for the advice on waiting ... that's a difficult thing to do when your in love with old mopars.... i never log onto ebay without finding something i'd like to buy...

nice duster and a nice vivatar... :0) ... when you have friends over, which one gets the most complaments... the engine or the girl??? nice to have both just kinda hanging out in the garage...

i've never been out to pittsburgh's dragway... i hope to have one of the cudas done for the spring and take it out there for a little fun run...

drop me a note if you get a line on a 68 340..

jim, pittsburgh
 
I see several guys mentioning PURCHASE DATE and engine date codes. the PRODUCTION DATE is the one that matters. normal production times would indicate that your engine should probably be at least 2-3 months before the production date on the car. cars can sit for months before being shipped to a dealer, traded among dealers, or left sitting on a dealers lot for a long time, so the retail sale date is meaningless for date coding parts.
Jim, parts cost what you have to pay for them. you are the only one that can decide if the block you are looking at is worth it TO YOU.
it would be pretty easy to make a couple phone calls to determine the value of the machine work and powder coating is worth in your area. add what locating the block and shipping would cost you to that, and see if the difference is worth you not having to haul it to the machine shop, powder coater, etc. if your answer is yes, then buy it. i would verify that the machine work was done by a reputable shop, and that it was magnafluxed and tested ok. if you can't verify this, have it taken to a shop you know and have it checked. (have the seller take it to your shop before purchase, agree that you will pay for checking and purchase it ONLY if it passes)
also remember that .040 over is max bore for these, so if it is bored .030 or .040, you won't be able to rebuild it again without sleeving it, which gets expensive. i would say that you could easilly spend 200-300 plus shipping for a block that still needs to be machined etc. some powder coaters have a $200 minimum, but a block may only be 80-100 bucks of it. you might be able to do a block, valve covers, timing cover, oil pan, etc for 200 (or maybe not?) but also keep in mind you likely won't be able to match the powder coating perfectly with paint or powder from another company.
hope this helps, Doug
 
jimharvard said:
hey ken..

the guy wants 900 for just the block... it has been all cleaned up by a shop and is powder coated mopar turqoise.. it basically looks new.. the most important part to me is that it is date coded some like june 14, 1968 .. which would make it an accurate fit for my 68 formula s. i haven't seen many '68 340's around with the correct dates on them so i'm willing to pay a little more for this one.

what do you think???

jim
Click to expand...
Corrcet me if I'm wrong but I've been told "rule of thumb, red engines have steel cranks and blue engines have cast cranks."
A 68 340 would be red.
A June 68 block is too late for your car anyway
 
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