Old Race 340 Teardown

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Super Sleeper

Super Sleeper

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Sequim, WA
I have the race engine from my brother's Duster Super Stock car, circa 1979-1986. I finally have a chance to tear it down and see what's inside. My friend is going to bring up his deck height measuring set-up when he visits in another week so by then I should have most of the parts out. Here's the car it was in:
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Bob Harris Duster 3 by Jim Harris, on Flickr
It's W2 heads, 3870810 casting, with flat pads for the rocker pedestals. The rockers look very beefy, just like machined from billet. The pedestals are equally beefy.
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The Holley Strip Dominator has doublers welded over the flanges to make them twice as thick.
It's an X-block with splayed four-bolt 2-3-4 mains.
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I have no idea yet what kind of cam spec it is but I'm guessing pretty stout.
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It looks to be in pretty good condition, no evidence of any blow-ups.
So I'm not really interested in selling this engine, at least not yet, but I'm thinking of de-tuning it a bit. Lower CR, smaller cam, steel rods... Any suggestions?
Thanks - Jim
 
My opinion of possible is sell it to a collector of racing stuff or to go in an old race car for show. Find a street 340 for your project. Honestly that is too cool for “de tuning” and running it. Thank you for sharing! Add pics as you can please.
 
Keep the block you can’t replace it. I would do exactly what you said you’re going to do. I would detune and put that in the street car all day long.
 
I see both sides for keeping or selling. You will have almost as much in it to detune versus starting over. VERY cool piece and good luck with it!!!!
 
I would be interested in the engine if you do decide to sell it prior to you changing things up on it, Thanks
 
Those W2 have really been hogged out ! I would love to know the name of the porter/shop. Just for kicks
 
Those rocker arms look like TD. They are good arms and were made in 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7 ratio.
 
Super Sleeper said:
I have the race engine from my brother's Duster Super Stock car, circa 1979-1986. I finally have a chance to tear it down and see what's inside. My friend is going to bring up his deck height measuring set-up when he visits in another week so by then I should have most of the parts out. Here's the car it was in:
View attachment 1715801877Bob Harris Duster 3 by Jim Harris, on Flickr
It's W2 heads, 3870810 casting, with flat pads for the rocker pedestals. The rockers look very beefy, just like machined from billet. The pedestals are equally beefy.
View attachment 1715801878
View attachment 1715801879
The Holley Strip Dominator has doublers welded over the flanges to make them twice as thick.
It's an X-block with splayed four-bolt 2-3-4 mains.
View attachment 1715801880
View attachment 1715801881
I have no idea yet what kind of cam spec it is but I'm guessing pretty stout.
View attachment 1715801882
It looks to be in pretty good condition, no evidence of any blow-ups.
So I'm not really interested in selling this engine, at least not yet, but I'm thinking of de-tuning it a bit. Lower CR, smaller cam, steel rods... Any suggestions?
Thanks - Jim
Click to expand...
Awesome history of this car and motor, but even more so your brother and his "Sleeper".
 
I have those same 810 castings for a future project, I really like the exhaust port shape on mine. I was told by Dave Koffel that these 810 castings were what he called "hand wiped" as they are smoother on the outside of the castings VS. the newer stuff which is rougher and some of the parting lines are sharp. I think the 810 castings were the ones that Bob Glidden used to modify when he ran the Arrow and had good success. As I remember Dave told me Glidden came out with a brand new engine combination with the Arrow and set the record at the first race !
 
Wow, such great replies!
That car ran in the 9.80's. His two biggest showings were the Winternationals and Indy.
Yes, he did have some interest in Glidden's Arrow project. He had one of those de-stoked cranks (325 CID?) in the shed. I've got it now.
Thanks for the tip on T&D rockers. I googled it - they do look similar. I have a number of the receipts for the car because he ran it as a tax deduction for his own race shop. I will look again for that name!
He had a lot of engine work done by Keith Black's shop. I'm thinking the porting was done by them. I noticed that all the oil drainback holes in the block are also chamfered.
Receipts say the cam might be Racer Brown, I'm still looking into it. I have not taken the front gear off yet to see if there's any mark.

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So, I'll come clean a little bit. My brother and I had talked some time ago when I was running my own 69 Boss 302 as an open track car. He suggested that he might convert the Super Sleeper Valiant (essentially a Barracuda coupe, right?) into a Trans-Am inspired open track car. He died before we could dig into that project. So I was thinking of making over the 340 for road racing. Steel rods, different intake, lower CR, and different cam.
There's a pretty good track (The Ridge is Shelton, WA) not that far away...

So, what do you think of that idea? - Jim
 
Pretty advanced build for the day . I knew there would be a gear drive behind that timing cover.
Notice the oil pump mod and the trick freeze plugs .

Sorry to hear about your brother ....
 
Don't know about the core plugs, I'll check the receipts. It seems like a lot of the stuff was pre-production or something. No logos or manufacturer ID on most of the pieces.
 
That is a cool piece. I like the idea of detuning and making a road race engine out of it. Please keep this thread going regardless of which direction you go with it.
 
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With all the mods done on that engine I would think he might be running one of these.
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I bet it was hard to compete against an small block engine like that in the late 70s. Ford had Cleveland heads but what would a Chevy run ?
 
408 swinger said:
I see both sides for keeping or selling. You will have almost as much in it to detune versus starting over. VERY cool piece and good luck with it!!!!
Click to expand...


So he we be better off selling the X block and starting over with a production block? I hope he doesn’t do that. So far, all I see that needs to be changed is the cam and pistons and rods. I would probably throw a 4 or 4.125 crank in it while I was in there and run it. My quick calculation on cost to do the crank kit is 2300 dollars. That takes care of the pistons and all of that. A cam is 400 or 500 dollars. I figure 300 dollars to balance the crank. That’s under 3500 dollars and he keeps the X block and the heads and valve gear. It’s pretty hard to replace that stuff.
 
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