Newbie

[Steve Eichelberger]

Hoping someone can help me out here as I am pretty much a novice in Muscle Cars. I am looking at a 69' Coronet r/t, it says that it isn't a numbers matching car which I am not that concerned about because I want a driver. But what I am concerned about is that it says it has a 71' 440 in it but in 71' they had the HP version (not the 6-pack) which had 370 hp/480 torque but they also had a standard 440 with lower HP & Torque. How do I know which is which?

 

[GetX'd]

I believe it's stamped on the block. I'll let someone else chime in but am pretty sure that's the case. Welcome to FBBO

 

[Steve Eichelberger]

I believe it's stamped on the block. I'll let someone else chime in but am pretty sure that's the case. Welcome to FBBO

Thanks for getting back to me. I had a couple of Dusters and a Roadrunner when I was younger then I had a couple of Harleys and now I am getting back into cars. Just starting to realize how much I don't know.

 

[polywideblock]

g'day from Australia , don't think there is a way without knowing what car it came from ,only way to tell is to pull motor down

 

[Steve Eichelberger]

g'day from Australia , don't think there is a way without knowing what car it came from ,only way to tell is to pull motor down

That is what I was afraid of. These cars aren't cheap, just want to make sure I am getting what I am paying for.

 

[moparedtn]

A website named 440source is a great way to learn a lot about the 440's in our cars.
For starters, insofar as the blocks go, the HP designation doesn't mean a thing; that designation has more to do with the internals of the engine, which odds are they're probably not what the engine came with originally at this point.
I'd want to know what the engine currently has in it.
Can the seller offer any info on that?

 

[YY1]

I don't think you can go wrong with any 440.

There should be numbers stamped on the flat pad near the distributor.

Besides the possible "HP", there should be a letter code for a year.

The "HP" indicates a few extra high perf parts from the factory that likely have been removed/replaced by previous owners.....the date code will tell you what the factory compression ratio was, which is a lot more of an expensive proposition to change.

 

[moparnation74]

There was not a big difference between an standard 440 HP block and a non HP.....A different cam and hp exhaust manifolds, lol...If you want to know as others mentioned the "HP" on the stamp pad is one place and another is to get the VIN off the block and break that down to see.

 

[PurpleBeeper]

To OP....the easy way to tell is just look at the harmonic balancer just behind the big crankshaft pulley. If it's symetrical, it's the small rod (non-HP) motor. If it has a slight "horseshoe" offset ring it's a big rod (HP) motor. This is true unless a big rod motor was internally balanced (possible, but not likely). Most people today prefer the small rod motors, so you can't go wrong with a 440.

 

[moparnation74]

To OP....the easy way to tell is just look at the harmonic balancer just behind the big crankshaft pulley. If it's symetrical, it's the small rod (non-HP) motor. If it has a slight "horseshoe" offset ring it's a big rod (HP) motor. This is true unless a big rod motor was internally balanced (possible, but not likely). Most people today prefer the small rod motors, so you can't go wrong with a 440.

The factory parts manual shows all 440 HP blocks got the heavy rods in 70 and 71 that's interesting but previous years did not....good info!

 

[Car Nut]

aboard!

 

[polywideblock]

There was not a big difference between an standard 440 HP block and a non HP.....A different cam and hp exhaust manifolds, lol...If you want to know as others mentioned the "HP" on the stamp pad is one place and another is to get the VIN off the block and break that down to see.

only the last 8 digits stamped on a 71 would only tell you where made and what year

 

[68GTXNH]

only the last 8 digits stamped on a 71 would only tell you where made and what year

in the car itll be hard to see the vin stamp on passenger side oil pan rail. ya the Vin stamp will only maybe give you a hint what it was in. so youd know when it was made and what plant it was designated for. if it was a plant that made roadrunners, satellites and belvederes, and has the hp stamp, thats a good chance it was a roadrunner, obviously not a belvedere. but one other hint as to what it was in, like on my motor, if it has a C instead of an HP, it was used in a C body. and designated for a c body plant. anyways theres ways to give you a clue, but no garuntee, unless you have a numbers matching car to directly compared it to, but like others said, any 440 is a good 440, and any 440 is better then no 440 thats for damn sure. all 440s are good to build to 500hp with zero worries. more then that 6 pack rotating assembly is a plus, thats why RV 440s from the later 70s are great canidates. RV sometimes have low miles. put nice heads, higher compression pistons and you have a sweet motor with minimal labor or machining.

 

[moparnation74]

Yeap, it will give you an idea of what it may have came from by the last eight digit's....

Don't forget GTX in your satellite group.....

 

[68GTXNH]

Yeap, it will give you an idea of what it may have came from by the last eight digit's....

Don't forget GTX in your satellite group.....

haha **** howd that happen... mine was in lynch road, though, kind of the oddball factory ive read. belvederes, coronets, (but not every model for some reason unless i heard wrong, IE belvedere and gtx but not satellite, but sport satellite because of the same trim as gtx, which means also coronet 500 but not deluxe blah blah blah)and first gen chargers. and those ugly R cars in the 80s. oh and of course the Superbirds!!

 

[YY1]

"C" is NOT a C body- it is a year code.

They are available online like at mymopar.com

They are the same as the first letter in a paint code (which is the first year that color was available).

 

[68GTXNH]

"C" is NOT a C body- it is a year code.

They are available online like at mymopar.com

They are the same as the first letter in a paint code (which is the first year that color was available).

sorry sir, but your only half right. C can be a date code, but only if its up top, right before the 440, a big Capital C in the bottom right where HP would normally go indicates it is from a C body. my date code on my 440 is a G indicating its a 71.

 

[68GTXNH]

sorry sir, but your only half right. C can be a date code, but only if its up top, right before the 440, a big Capital C in the bottom right where HP would normally go indicates it is from a C body. my date code on my 440 is a G indicating its a 71.

View attachment 396798

and my oil pan rail stamping 1C269777, shows jefferson road plant code and jefferson road ONLY built c bodies

 

[YY1]

Never heard that before.

I should have been clear that the date letter should be before the "440".

 

[68GTXNH]

I had never heard it either. I had emailed andys440 to ask bout a big *** sideways z on my fendertag (a weird lynch road thing) and asked Bout the c as well. Either he really know his stuff or has alot of good literature.