Should I buy this 440?

-
If you need it, I would offer $300 in $100 bills.

IMG_5894.gif
 
Just keep in mind that it might be a police car engine. To me, that means a ton of abuse and possibly poor maintenance but it's probably worth the chance.
 
jas0162 said:
It could be a police motor. They had thick balancers and log manifolds. They didnt use headers or special manifolds or steel cranks in because it was a cop car
Click to expand...
Could it be out of a police car? Yes. Is is anything different in it from a standard passenger car engine? No.
 
mcodecuda said:
It’s not a police pursuit motor. The thick balancer and log type exhaust manifolds give it away.
Click to expand...

Latter model police pursuit 440 HP engines have that passenger side manifold. I have two of them 77 & 78 440HP. The stamp pad on top of the engine could confirm. They're still not super exciting engines at around 255hp but better than the 190hp civilian 440s of the same era.
 
sam69sat said:
Latter model police pursuit 440 HP engines have that passenger side manifold. I have two of them 77 & 78 440HP. The stamp pad on top of the engine could confirm. They're still not super exciting engines at around 255hp but better than the 190hp civilian 440s of the same era.
Click to expand...
Where did the extra 65hp come from? Certainty not just from a passenger side manifold. Serious question.
 
TT5.9mag said:
Where did the extra 65hp come from? Certainty not just from a passenger side manifold. Serious question.
Click to expand...
Net rating is how it's fully installed and tuned in the car, shouldn't be hard to free up 65 hp out of a big block, bet both of those engines in dyno trim are probably pretty similar and above 300 hp.
 
Unless Chrysler was playing games with the numbers back in the late ‘60’s early ‘70’s the low performance 383 made 330hp and the high performance 383 made 335 which amounted to 5 extra horsepower. The low performance 440 made 350hp and the high performance 440 made 375 which amounted to 25 extra horsepower. So where did Chrysler come up with an extra 65 horsepower in 78?
 
mcodecuda said:
Unless Chrysler was playing games with the numbers back in the late ‘60’s early ‘70’s the low performance 383 made 330hp and the high performance 383 made 335 which amounted to 5 extra horsepower. The low performance 440 made 350hp and the high performance 440 made 375 which amounted to 25 extra horsepower. So where did Chrysler come up with an extra 65 horsepower in 78?
Click to expand...
Gross factory power numbers are pretty useless. Net at least has a standard behind it and even those can be manipulated to some degree.
 
They started detuning and lowering compression in 72, all they had to do is reverse some of the changes to get HP back.
 
You need to be careful on which years you are talking about because at that time they were changing between crankshaft vs wheel hp to deal with insurance issues.
 
If you have space for it and a plan for it, I’d tell him you want it as long as you can spin it with valve covers off and pull the heads
 
69conv said:
You need to be careful on which years you are talking about because at that time they were changing between crankshaft vs wheel hp to deal with insurance issues.
Click to expand...
Manufacturers have never used wheel horsepower for ratings. They use gross or net. The difference being how many accessories are attached to the engine during testing.
 
wawarnick said:
They started detuning and lowering compression in 72, all they had to do is reverse some of the changes to get HP back.
Click to expand...
Yea but they didn’t. That’s the point of the question. The “high horsepower” 440 was still an 8:1 comp engine (likely closer to 7-1/2:1 with pistons .150 down) with all of the same hard parts as the “low horsepower” model. They definitely didn’t “tune” 65 horsepower in to it. From the article posted above;

“With the exception of a full-size Chrysler, the 440 was unavailable for public use, and even then, the civilian version was rated for 195 hp. Those destined for police cars were instead rated for 255 hp and 355-lb.ft. of torque. The extra power was enhanced by dual catalytic converters fitted to a true dual exhaust system and electronic spark advance (except in California) and supported by heavy-duty parts like a shot-peened nodular cast-iron crankshaft, double-roller timing chain drive, moly-filled top compression piston rings, high-load valve springs with dampers, a windage tray, chromed and hardened exhaust valves. “

So dual exhaust with dual cats and “electronic spark advance” was worth 65hp? Not a chance.
 
My guess the 440 was mainly a luxury car engine in the mid-late 70's, they would do everything to kill any noise from coming from the engine, 190 hp should have a very silent restrictive intake and exhaust systems.
 
Last edited:
I would think you’d need a cam and any 2 of: better intake, better head, higher comp pistons, or better exhaust manifolds for 65hp, even on a 440, unless they were playing a numbers game with the ratings to begin with
 
is it possible that it was 4bbl intake and carb, where the 190 number came from a 2bbl motor?

by happen stance i have a 77 HP2 440 intake and TQ so that just sparked my thought process.
 
Whatever the horsepower is or whatever the the motor came out of it is worth the $400 so yes you should buy it but plan on changing the pistons along with the cam, carb and exhaust manifolds if your looking for any power.
 
junkyardhero said:
is it possible that it was 4bbl intake and carb, where the 190 number came from a 2bbl motor?

by happen stance i have a 77 HP2 440 intake and TQ so that just sparked my thought process.
Click to expand...
440 never came with a 2 barrel.
 
Post 44 sure looks like a 2 bbl. You thinkin not factory or is the police version different than production?
 
69conv said:
Post 44 sure looks like a 2 bbl. You thinkin not factory or is the police version different than production?
Click to expand...
I see what appears to be a Holley 3310. No 440 ever came with a single 2 barrel.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top