Stop discarding good 340 engines ! !

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jos51700 said:
****, when I was a kid in Central MO in the '90's, you couldn't find a 340, and couldn't afford it when you did.

God made the 340, and mankind created the cylinder sleeve to bless it and keep it holy when it got holey.
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Still can't. I've seen a few at the shows but have never worked on a 340, they've always been rare around here. Never have seen many available for sale even back in the 80s
 
inertia said:
I'm concerned perfectly good 340s are being thrown out ! !
In the last coupla weeks there have been posts about not using a 340 block bored over .030 .
ManufacturerS tooled up to produce .060 pistons, and wouldn't have done so without research, and a huge market. Save those 340s !

Here's a paragraph from the Mopar Performance Engine Manual .

If you insist on being rid of it/them, send them to me, I'll use them . tia .

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What is your take on repaired blocks with split water jackets in the lifter valley? Good to go or problems down the road after repeated heat cycling? Never mind the 340 vs 360 debate. Early 360s could be bored as big as any 340 could.
 
I've seen one with an epoxied valley, owner had no idea, had bought the car yrs before .
I don't think I'd be comfortable using it for resale, might repair one for personal use, just for giggles.
 
harrisonm said:
Dude, I totally hear you. I am not disagreeing that a 360 can be built as a very awesome motor. It's just that the 340 was SO popular and has a kind of magical power that it just kind of talks to some of us. It's a sort of "If you build it, they will come" thing. I know I can build an awesome 475HP 360 for less money than a 475HP 340, but I'd still rather have the 340.
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To me it comes down like this and the real world of Street Racing it's about who can RPM faster a 340 is kind of like a 383 Magnum as soon as you get into the gas that thing's ready to shift! If you got your combination correct and things are dialed in about halfway where they're supposed to be anyhow... I've just had real good luck and a lot of fun with both of those Motors
 
Poking and stroking a 340 makes it no longer a 340...only the casting # stays at 340.
Stock to stock, 340 to 340, yes, 340 rev'r, 360 torque...but 360 stock has alot lower comp ratio...not really even fair to compare.
 
I love and appreciate the SBM in all configurations. But having owned a '68 340 that ran like a Bat Out Of Hell when stock, I must say that the mystique of the 340 lives on and the 360 is just a replacement engine for an original 340. My stock 340 ran 13.45 @ 104.5 best and 13.50's all the time in the late '60's and early '70's when I lived in Hot Rod Heaven (SoCal). I have 5 strips to chose from and made over 350 runs on the 340 before I tore it down at 60K. Still had 100% crosshatching on the cylinder walls and the bearings were fine. Stupidity of a kid made me want more power.
I have 3 340's now and keep them ready for when I break one. but never had. My restoration will be done in 2 months or so, so I will take it to the track (Bandimere in CO) and see how it runs now. But that is the last time as Bandimere will close at the end of they year. Sad that progress and people moving into the area demand that drag strips close down. Happened in SoCal way earlier though.
 
My 68 GTS auto wouldn’t get out of its own way till the next owner put 4.56 gears in it (and painted it Forrest green) then it ran in the 13s easy. Rittic ran a Daytona with a 360 based 377 in comp one 4, w 2 heads 7.70s @ 170s in 1/4. So 360s can make power but we talking stock. Now the guy who bought my car ordered a 74 Dart Sport 4 speed 360 hp 3.55 gear, that thing would fly, beat up many 340s on the street. Stock for stock a 340 couldn’t handle that car at the time
 
I was joking. I think comparisons between the 340 and 360 are retarded. They're almost the same engine.
Dale Davies said:
How do you possibly interpret "sleeved up" into this? You sleeve blocks to repair excess wear or reduce displacement.
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I was just saying to the wife " 340s are rare now...." I forget the gist of what we were talking about.
 
From what I was told the 360 was never meant or supposed to be a performance motor. It was made more for the luxury model that had alot of option like ac, power steering etc. The 340 was made to be a performance motor.
 
The way I understood the situation, the 360 was a smog motor, to achieve smog #s that the 340 could not achieve.
 
Since big blocks were being phased out the 360 fit in above the 318 and 400 with more torque but better fuel millage in a smaller lighter package than the 440
 
inertia said:
I'm concerned perfectly good 340s are being thrown out ! !
In the last coupla weeks there have been posts about not using a 340 block bored over .030 .
ManufacturerS tooled up to produce .060 pistons, and wouldn't have done so without research, and a huge market. Save those 340s !

Here's a paragraph from the Mopar Performance Engine Manual .

If you insist on being rid of it/them, send them to me, I'll use them . tia .

View attachment 1716079071
Click to expand...
i highly doubt many are being scraped cause of this, might get a good deal for a .030 340 from someone thinking this.
 
I wish everyone hadn't scrapped all the slant sixes they did.
 
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