71 340 engine value

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70orangeswinger

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I Have a line on a rebuilt 71 340 with steel crank and good cam and everything redone properly. It has never been fired. Complete with stock intake. Can anyone give me some guidance as to what this engine is worth?
 
Sounds like a decent deal to me but I'd want to see receipts for any parts that were purchased and might pull the pan and check some clearances before I put it in my car.
 
a 71 340 is a very good engine, but how do we know redone properly? done by who, any warranty, any more info, bore size, crank reground to ?
 
You guys are right. I will pursue the receipts and specs. What I am wondering is could I have a 340 of my own rebuilt for this kind of money?
 
Not likely. Machine work is 25% of the price of this engine, minimum. Many guys spend well over $500 on maching. If its done right with good parts by a mopar(not chevy)Guy, 2 grand is a deal. Cost of a block, cleaning/tanking a block, decking, Boring, align hone,new or freshened crank, pistons, rings, reconditioned rods, bolts, bearings,timing chain, cam, lifters rocker assy, head work or new aluminum heads, intake, carb, gaskets. None of that is cheap like a 283/350 build. Check that sucker out 9 ways from Sunday good and good luck with purchase!
 
in my neighbor hood its 50% of the cost or more 1000 block, 600 heads ect.
 
What's the difference if it's done by a mopar guy or a Chevy guy? I know of a couple shops around here that are owned by guys who just love all cars and engines.
 
like I said, need more info. the block may or may not have been : decked or line honed. may not have new : crank, rod bolts, rocker assemblies. etc.
 
What's the difference if it's done by a mopar guy or a Chevy guy?
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Because there are things about Mopar engines that are unique to mopar. Chevy engines are very simple to rebuild. IMO. MT
 
Could you build one for 2K?
 
The answer is there are many things about rebuilding a mopar that are not "chevy basic" if you will. This is not a knock on GM guys. I dont know their engines, and dont desire to. Like the chevy builder up my way that put a friends rocker shafts on incorrectly during the build. The point I was making, is every mechanic can build a 350 chevy. A chrysler is different, and unless you know otherwise about the builders experience, a mopar builder knows what works and what doesnt. P.S I was being really conservative with minimum machining. Yes, it could be a grand.
 
70orangeswinger said:
That's what I am contemplating...
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If the heads were in good shape and needed only a bit of valve work, and it was just the bottom end that needed work, and you did your own engine assembly then you could easily do it for $2k or less.....but that is a lot of IF's. The problem here is we don't know what you mean by 'properly done' and we don't have any detailed info on what was done to the engine you are looking at, or your abilities for engine work. So this is all only estimates and guesswork at this point.
 
$2,000 is a good deal if it's a good engine. Just spend some time thoroughly inspecting it before you purchase it. Run a compression check if possible and check bearing clearances. Why is it being sold for relatively cheap if it was rebuilt? I have about $1,500 in machine work for my 340 and there's no way I'd sell it for $2,000 unless there was something wrong with it and it needed a lot of work. A good block can sell for over $400 that needs the works. If you can listen to it run, fantastic. If you can't, you definitely want to spend the time to inspect it to make sure you're not being taken for a fool. It would suck to buy a "rebuilt" 340 just to put it in the car and find a nasty knock and burned valves or somethin'.
 
You'll want to know what pistons were used in it- how much it was bored and what CR pistons, how much the crank was ground, if the rods were reworked or replaced, what brand parts were used for it, what was done to the heads- and how they started. Another common problem to look if it had/had fixed is the lifter galley cracks.

Like they mentioned- 3-5 hundred is normal for a good block that needs minor work and it will generally be a '72 or '73 if it's not had lifter galley cracks, holes in the walls, or need to be bored over .03. A motor needing everything in the heads and a complete rotating assembly rebuild isn't going to end up being cheaper than that if you have to piece-meal everything.
 
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