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72 440 Crank

72 Runner

Well-Known Member
Local time
5:11 AM
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Messages
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Location
Norway IA
I am going to look at a 440 this weekend. The guy says it's a 72 440 but he did not see a casting date. He won't be home until Friday. I know my old 440's had casting dates I think on the drivers side. What are the chances this thing has a cast crank?:dontknow:
 
If it's in pieces or at least has the pan off it look for a parting line on the crank.
 
The picture shows the engine in the back of a truck. Can't tell if the pan is on or not. I think if it's a standard bore just the block should be worth the $150. asking price.
 
Is there, or can you see a harmonic balancer? If there is an offset weight on it, it is a good chance that it is a cast crank. The forged cranks did not have the offset weight. Cast is externally balanced, and forged are internally balanced. This does not ensure that a previous owner put the wrong one on though.
 
Thanks for the replys. The picture looks like the harmonic balancer is flat. The motor is sitting on a tire so you can't see the whole thing. He is going to call me later today and let me know if it is a standard bore. Like I said before a standard bore block would be worth the $150 asking price.
 
Definitely worth picking up for that price. Landy says a cast crank is fine if you're not gonna twist it over 6000...which you won't do with stock heads. Cast or forged use the same rods, so if it's cast and you just can't stand it, you won't necessarily have to replace the rods
 
Definitely worth picking up for that price. Landy says a cast crank is fine if you're not gonna twist it over 6000...which you won't do with stock heads. Cast or forged use the same rods, so if it's cast and you just can't stand it, you won't necessarily have to replace the rods

But you will have to keep the harmonic balancer and flywheel/torque converter with the respective crank, otherwise you will end up with a balance/vibration problem.
 
Sorry...I should have clarified that. Yes, you could use the same rods with eiter crank but you would need to use the appropriate balancer and convertor (or flywheel) for the crank you're using.
 
Picked up the motor this morning. Standard bore, forged crank, missing 2 main caps:head_smack:. Ebay here I come.
 
Picked up the motor this morning. Standard bore, forged crank, missing 2 main caps:head_smack:. Ebay here I come.

Well standard bore and forged crank , that two good things , two out of three ain't bad,...............what main caps are you missing , I got a trashed 440 block with the crank in it, in the back lot, (Engine is blown,hole knocked in the block skirt, # 3 Cly. wall busted out) it is a 1970 Six Pack engine.
 
From the front. The front one is missing and the 4th one is missing. The casting date is 10-22-70. On the pad on the front of the motor is not marked HP but it does have an
H440 Not sure what thats about.
 
The HP doesn't mean a thing when a motor is gonna get rebuilt. Also remember that it will have to be align honed when those caps are replaced
 
The HP doesn't mean a thing when a motor is gonna get rebuilt. Also remember that it will have to be align honed when those caps are replaced

Very True and it's good solid advice too ,.....I would have all this checked out and done if needed on any engine that was new to me that I didn't know anything about,... You never know what previous owner did,......You have "true engine builders" and people who "think they know how to build engines",.... The first think I do is hot tank them, this cleans them up really good and then have them Magnafluxed..... if it passes that you know you have a good crack free foundation for building horsepower,.....the block it's self is more important that most people realize.

Always use Reliable well known Automotive Machine Shops with good reputations ! some of these "fly by night" guys will screw up your stuff faster that you can say "Easy Street", I had this happen to me on a numbers matching Six Pack 69 Bee block about 25 years ago, they bored the block for me to get rid of some deep scratches and they bored the # 3 cylinder crooked at an angle. :boxers:
 
Yes I was planning on hot tank Magniflux and align honeing. This thing has been sitting for over 20 years in a shed that leaked. There is surface rust on the deck too so I will get that all cleaned up, I could rub on the surface rust and get to shiney metal in places by hand, so I think it will clean up OK.
 
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