440 from 1980 dodge motorhome chassis

[dsd1967]

I just bought a 1980 class A motorhome with a 440 and 727 auto last night for $650. Kind of a wierd story that the thing was bought by the local school system to be converted into a book mobile and gutted, it appears that plan didn't go through and someone bought it with intents to fix it up again, and then he passed away. I bought it off his daughter who really didn't know a lot about it and just wanted it gone. The kicker is that the odometer reads just under 300 miles, and I have no reason to believe otherwise. Unfortunately the batteries were dead, so I couldn't hear it run, but she said it was drove to the spot it resided in last fall. I looked into the valve cover through the oil fill port, and there wasn't even any brownish tint to the head surface....it looked like fresh cast iron.

The question is....I plan on putting this motor in a 67 belvedere for some fun...not to race. Will I be running into any issues? Also, the transmission has a drum parking brake at the end of the tailshaft. Would this tranny be worth anything?

Otherwise, the thing is huge (26 ft) and I just plan on scrapping it. The attached picture is not the one I'm buying, but is the same model.

 

[greenmonsta79]

Ma' Mopar quit making big blocks in 1978 so I would say someone swapped it in out of a previous year!?

 

[greenmonsta79]

Oh, and I highly doubt it has 300 miles on it.

 

[TommyShameless1978]

Despite what many people will try to claim, you can score a pretty righteous big block from a motor home. I picked up a 78 440 and 727 for 400 bucks. It even came with the driveshaft. I cleaned the engine thoroughly, installed all new gaskets and seals, a Performer 440 intake, headers, a Holley 750, and a new double roller timing set. I also bought a new electronic ignition package from Mancini. I put this all in my 68, with a 3:23 rear, and the the first time I romped on the gas it scared me.

Remember that it was designed to pull a motor home up a mountain. Now take that torque and stick it in a street car that weighs only 3400 pounds or so. It equals crap loads of fun! On 87 octane, to boot!

I got lucky with my trans, as it was the long tailshaft, passenger car type. Sounds like you have the one you DON'T want to use. I cannot remember the reason why, but I am pretty sure you'll need a different trans.

300 original miles...I'm skeptical about that. But it is not unusual to find these in stellar, low-mileage condition. Mine has less than 20k on it, and looked absolutely brand new inside. Really, it may as well have been brand new.

Tommy

 

[dsd1967]

The motor is original to the motorhome and is a 440, although I didn't confirm the casting date. She was getting the title from her sister today and we planned on making the final transaction on Saturday, so I really can't confirm that it is a 1980 chassis.

I'm kind of skeptical on the mileage also, but the condition and cleanliness of the engine and transmisson have me intrigued. To be honest, I was looking over the engine and transmission and when the brother of the guy said "huh it has less than 300 miles on it" I glanced at the odometer, but didn't pay close attention to it. It does have a City of Toledo asset tag on it, so it was bought new by them. The only thing that I could think of that could cause this to be such a low mileage vehicle is that it was a project with good intents that went wrong. It was gutted...or in the process of being gutted, but doesn't appear to ever been set up for use other than a motorhome. The girl's dad didn't get too far with the rebuild before he passed, so it was never on the road while in his possession.

After I said I would take the whole thing, I got this sinking feeling of "how in the heck am I getting it home, and my wife will kill me" Fortunately a guy at work has some connections and may be interested in several things off of it for his race car hauler, plus he has the ability to take the rolling chassis off my hands. I'm glad someone can get some use from the parts...I hate to just haul it to the scrapper. When it's all said and done, I should come out of this with a "free" 440 and transmission with maybe a little cash on top. That makes the wife happier...she wasn't too thrilled about spending the money up front, nor with the idea of the 32 foot behemoth sitting beside our house while I parted it (with my son's graduation coming up in 4 weeks).

I'll get some pictures on Saturday and look to see if there are other indications on the mileage. The title should have the year and actual mileage...or estimated mileage if the odometer is broke.

Tommy, thanks for the feedback on dropping the 440 in a car. I didn't know if these motors would be a turd since they were set up to pull around a 20,000 pound vehicle with a coefficient of drag right up there with a semi. I was assuming a lot of low end grunt but running out of steam fairly quickly. I've been lugging around an old purple shaft cam for the last 30 years that was never installed, and it may have finally found a home. The nice thing is that the heads should be set up for unleaded.

It's going into a rust free 4 door 67 belvedere that I'm converting to a stick shift bucket seats/console car with a 391 sure grip. With the big block, I may have to rethink the 391's. Here's a picture of the 440's future home.

 

[Ron 73]

Sure is a clean looking car...

 

[Cranky]

You can check the casting date on the side of the block. It's possible that an 1980 motor home got a big block even tho they quit producing them in 78 because the motor home builders got wind that they would end production and stock piled them. Another point tho is that the newer motor homes dropped that drum E-brake many years earlier. Another sign that it might be older or even a 413 would be the water pump housing. If it has the high mount water pump with ports going to the heads, it's older and it's not a 440. The trans should be a short tail shaft also....which you really don't want to use in a car. The rear mount is totally different too bu the tail shaft can be swapped out.

 

[TommyShameless1978]

Cranky is right about the stockpiling thing...I recall reading somewhere that the 440 was used until roughly 1982. They must have really stocked up. That would have been a nice sight!

 

[dsd1967]

Thanks for the compliment on the car. This was another purchase that didn't make the wife too happy, but it was so clean I didn't want to pass it up. I have a 68 sport satellite convertible and a 69 satellite convertible with neither being in too good of condition, and I intend to eventually make one good car out of the two. I started looking at AMD parts to fix one of them up, and it quickly justified the purchase price of this car. My inlaws live in Atlanta, so I did a lot of searching over Christmas and dug this up.

We just built a house, and I don't have my shop built yet to do paint and body, so I decided to have a little fun with the 4 door until I get ready to part it out. Everything I'm putting into it now will eventually go to the convertible.

I have a couple of big block auto transmissions, so I would have the parts to convert this one for a car. I would assume it has a different governor set up tailored more to the motorhome. Regardless, since I'm going with the 4 speed, it will just be added to the pile of transmissions....or maybe go up for sale.

I'm still piecing things together for the 4 speed conversion and need the floor tunnel hump, a console car steering column, the frame ball stud mount, the rod from the pedal to the z bar, the linkage from the z bar to the throwout arm and a manual transmission cross member. I know I can buy most of this stuff new, but I don't plan on doing the conversion for a while so I will patiently hunt. I know where there's a 66 satellite 383 4 speed in an old junkyard with the entire drivetrain still in it, but the owner seems to think it's gold plated. The car has been there since 72 and the motor is junk....but everything is there. I'm hoping he will let me piece on it instead of buying everything. I planted the seed with him a couple of weeks ago...maybe I'll check back with him this weekend. For now the 318 with the auto move it just fine.

 

[TommyShameless1978]

Almost forgot!!!

You need to change the oil pan and pick up tube, dipstick, AND the water pump housing. Grab them off of the 383 you mention in your last post!

Tommy

 

[dsd1967]

Almost forgot!!!

You need to change the oil pan and pick up tube, dipstick, AND the water pump housing. Grab them off of the 383 you mention in your last post!

Tommy

Thanks Tommy.

I noticed the pan was a front pickup when I was laying under it, but didn't pay attention to the water pump. I've got a couple of 440's laying around that need rebuilt, so the pan, pickup and water pump shouldn't be an issue. In fact, I think I've got all that stuff from a 383 that was cleaned, painted and boxed about 20 years ago. Would a windage tray from a 383 work on a 440?

Dave

 

[Cranky]

Big block windage trays will fit the low and raise deck blocks...