[SOLD] 71 Swinger that lost it's TA block somehow-$2500

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Darthomas

Darthomas

Ashamed to be seen in foreign cars
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Must sell due to divorce.
Located in Chicago.
Stored 20 years.
Never wrecked.
Built in Windsor Canada.
Had a darn Rochester carb on it!
Originally 318-904-7 1/4.,
white with black vinyl top.
Original Tuff wheel, power steering.
Was sad weak 10 inch drums, now
manual discs from 74 Dart, 10.5 inch van brakes in back.
Oversize torsion bars from that place in New Jersey so it corners FLAT, like a go cart.
Addco sway bars front 1.25in and back .75 inch.
1986 Corvette gas shocks in front, Ford 1.5 ton truck gas shocks in rear.
Custom drive shaft with conversion u-joint for Detroit-to-Spicer yokes.
Axles shortened and splines re-hardened
by Strange Engineering in Evanston.
(Back when you couldn't buy axles for the narrow rear end)
Factory air worked when last driven.
Large wheel bolt pattern, Mopar 15 inch flat black police rims with silver trim rings and police ventilated dog dish covers also dressed down to half-flat, half chrome look.
Fiberglass front fenders, one new passenger side fiberglass fender included.
Actual AAR block 340, with competition cams 262 degree,
1973 Thermoquad, 10.5 : 1 compression,
built by Van Senus Speed in Hammond Indiana.
Factory exhaust manifolds. Crossover pipe between duals. Exhaust system new when car parked.
Bright yellow with all chrome trim dressed to flat black.
Recaro seats from 1978 VW sirocco reupholstered to match 71 dart design,
need doing over.
Center console from some early 80's GM 2- door that fit perfectly.
Black vinyl roof changed in 1987, needs it again.
One owner since 1980.
Stored in bone dry garage since 1995.
No recent photos, honest answers to any questions.
Needs trans rebuild. Trans built by Cope Racing Transmission. Drives well but 1st gear must be manually selected from stops.
Quarter panels replaced in 1986 letting go at bottoms. Wheel wells too.
Underhood fender wells average rust.
Parked it rather leave it outside to get worse.
Blaupunkt stereo with hidden giant amp from mid-80s and 2 hidden 12 inch subwoofers behind rear seat under rear deck.
One rechromed rear bumper included.
Will be looking for photos to upload.
Asking $6000, because it's been respected and cared for since 1980.
 
Alaskan_TA said:
What is the partial VIN on the block?
Click to expand...
I have not seen the side of the block since the 1986 rebuild. I did read in the compiled Mopar racing bulletins that the AAR designation was only on the cuda trans am racing blocks.
This one had been in a gold 1972 Duster a guy ran at US 30, but his wife got sick of it after he put in too much cam.
I haf no idea what that meant when I bought the motor in 1982.
Trans was from my friend's 1971 Fury III w 360.
 
I enjoyed it and saved it for someone else to have fun with some day... still looking for photo or two.
Rear gear is 3.23 open, have a sure grip carrier to put in, never wanted to, comes with car.

poly bushings in upper control arms.
Second heater box behind rear seat supplying warm air under each rear armrest, and also to rear window for de-icing in even the heaviest snowstorms.
What else am I forgetting...hidden switch in center console compartment lid for garage door opener....fan controlled by relay off ignition rather than run in accesory position.
Newer Mopar AC vacuum selector switch.
Extra Thermoquad for parts.
Blue Dot tail lights.

Factory AM/FM available if buyer desires instead of existing Blaupunkt.
Dashboard metal not mangled at radio opening

GM flow-thru ventilators installed
on each door striker post to pull air through car, trunk and then exit by doors.
Ziebarted a long time ago.
Unfortunately they did the whole painted sides of eng compartment, but at least not the firewall. Added lots of sound insulation and I think the headliner is in good condition
 
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yeah, list the block vin# , someone might buy the whole deal for the motor????
 
AARs & T/As used the same block & there are a few of both near Route 30 that no longer have their original blocks, so please do check it when you can?
 
it's easy to tell a AAR and TA block, they have a embossed TA340 on the drivers side, the intake valve is swept backwards (offset) and the pushrod rod hole is drilled offset. The block is beefier and made with more nickel then a standard 340 block, which allows you to install 4 bolt mains.
 
It's gonna be fun trying to get to that number in my garage!
Maybe it's gonna be the buyer's day for big profit. All I know is what I remember, and maybe the seller telling me it was special somehow. I know it has AAR, but in 1982, no one was trying to all do all- original cars.
No one bothered.

Well, I did. I kept another old mopar factory-everything all original.

With factory pwr steering and that crazy flyover manifold for the dart, I don't think I can..but I honestly remember someone pointing out the room for four bolt mains to me at some point. Probably during the rebuild at Van Senus. THEY may have recorded the vin....

Van Senus checking records...engine was NOT blueprinted....I don't think.

While Van Senus had the motor I had to drive my uncle Don's 68 Cutlass gold four-door with a hydramatic slushbox and permanent tick from one valve lifter.
Blech.
 
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Well..If I thought I had an AAR/TA block in a car..I would certainly get the vin number and make sure the casting had the TA340 on it... The difference in value of that block is worth getting a flash light and get down on the ground to record it...

Plus removing 5 bolts on a valve cover to check to see if the engine has the TA heads also...JMO
 
70aarcuda said:
Well..If I thought I had an AAR/TA block in a car..I would certainly get the vin number and make sure the casting had the TA340 on it... The difference in value of that block is worth getting a flash light and get down on the ground to record it...

Plus removing 5 bolts on a valve cover to check to see if the engine has the TA heads also...JMO
Click to expand...
It's the heads I bought with it.
Time to find that ancient Chrysler racing notes bulletin compendium.

I KNOW it has AAR cast on the block, never would have dreamed original E bodies are crying out for their motors...
Never knew about embossed TA numbers..
Off to the garage.

Before I put in the 340 I had the 73 intake and Thermoquad on the 71 318, and the port size mismatch on the intake created quite a bit of turbulance, with a huge torque peak at 2500, and worked very well with the 727, which went in before the 340.
I had to notch the valve covers to fit the 73 manifold with much larger runners.
The 340's heads matched the 73's intake.
Still had to keep the notched factory valve covers.

I'll believe you if you tell me there was something weird about the intake valve angle.

Phone is charged enough for engine spelunking.
Is the embossed stamp boss forward or behind the raised casting id ?
 
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The AAR I believe you are talking about is on the front part of the block...that has nothing to do with the block being an AAR/TA block....where the casting number is on the driverside of the block the TA340 is included...plus the vin number will tell if it came out of a AAR or TA...plus the sequence number....AAR and TA were made during a short run in March and April 1970

Heads will have offset on the intake rockers...pushrods holes in heads are drilled at an angle...plus the heads ONLY use those mechanical rocker...if it has non adjustable stock rockers...they do not fit a TA head...
 
70aarcuda said:
The AAR I believe you are talking about is on the front part of the block...that has nothing to do with the block being an AAR/TA block....where the casting number is on the driverside of the block the TA340 is included...plus the vin number will tell if it came out of a AAR or TA...plus the sequence number....AAR and TA were made during a short run in March and April 1970

Heads will have offset on the intake rockers...pushrods holes in heads are drilled at an angle...plus the heads ONLY use those mechanical rocker...if it has non adjustable stock rockers...they do not fit a TA head...
Click to expand...


AAR is raised in casting on driver's side of block, if it's anywhere else I don't remember it.

Bought it with hydraulic lifters, not adjustable...but it was wild days at Smokin US 30 dragstrip. Anything and everything happened.
 
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I have a Triple black 1970 Swinger, 4 speed (26500 miles) with a 1970 AAR TA340 with only 6500 miles on the motor from a 1970 AAR Cuda 340 that was wrecked in 1970. My 340 motor casting number is 3577190TA340. You should see a number like mine embossed on the drivers side of the motor
 
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d1970 said:
I have a Triple black 1970 Swinger, 4 speed (26500 miles) with a 1970 AAR TA340 with only 6500 miles on the motor from a 1970 AAR Cuda 340 that was wrecked in 1970. My 340 motor casting number is 3577190TA340. You should see a number like mine embossed on the drivers side of the motor
Click to expand...
Could not get my face or phone in to see
dr side casting or pass side vin.
Can't see even squeeze hand in dr side to feel for a "long" casting number.
It doesn't have the TA heads, for sure.
Plain hydraulic reg'lar.

Did lose my reading glasses, though.
Remains a mystery today.
Wonder if Van Senus recorded the block ID?
 
pretty simple on the casting number... if it starts with a 2, it's not a T/A block.
 
crackedback said:
pretty simple on the casting number... if it starts with a 2, it's not a T/A block.
Click to expand...
Van Senus did not have records.
Still looking for my rebuild balance card.
But I don't recall the block number having been on the card.
If I'm selling a pig in a poke, I may have to drop price. Was someone spoofing me when they pointed out the thicker skirts and where you could drill for 4-bolts?
Were THEY even fooling themselves at the time and thought that's what it was?
I just know it's not going to be visible with the factory power steering in there..and my cramped garage.
 
Darthomas said:
Van Senus did not have records.
Still looking for my rebuild balance card.
But I don't recall the block number having been on the card.
If I'm selling a pig in a poke, I may have to drop price. Was someone spoofing me when they pointed out the thicker skirts and where you could drill for 4-bolts?
Were THEY even fooling themselves at the time and thought that's what it was?
I just know it's not going to be visible with the factory power steering in there..and my cramped garage.
Click to expand...

Was someone spoofing me. NO, The block is beefier and made with more nickel then a standard 340 block, which allows you to install 4 bolt mains. Do some research on a TA340 blocks. These motors (340 destroked to 303 making 460 horse power) were made for use in AAR Cudas and Challenger TAs that ran in the 1970 Trans-Am racing circuit. The had to build 500 cars with the TA340 motor to sell to the public so they could run the destroked 340 in the TRANS-AM circuit. They are a great motor and will take a beating and with the Six Pack set they came with are fun to drive.
 
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Get a mechanics mirror, mirror on a stick and a flashlight. You can do it from over the fender!

Unless someone took the time to grind of the casting number, it's on driver side of block.

There are plenty of people that have a block ending with 340-6 and THINK it's a T/A block... it's not.
 
Darthomas said:
Cannot find any angle... may get under car over weekend.
Click to expand...

The drivers side of the block towards the back will be the casting number. Since it has manifolds, it should be no sweat to see it with the mirror.

Here is an idea of what it will say. http://www.aarta.com/numbers_matching/images/casting_311229.jpg

casting_311229.jpg
 
The partial VIN is on the passenger side down low, so your power steering is not an issue.
 
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