Correct 440 valley pan paint color

[Paul Cotton]

I just had the top end of my engine apart. When I was putting it back together again, I decided to put that pad back in again. It was missing on my engine, so I made a new one using that foil-covered heat/silencer pad that restorers put on their car floors under carpet. I measured the width and length of the depression in the valley pan. I cut a piece of this material twice as long as the depression and same width. I doubled this over and installed it under the intake so the closed end of the doubled piece was facing the front for a neater appearance. This quiets valve train noise a bit, and keeps some engine heat away from the intake. I also blocked off the heat riser ports to the intake.

You may regret blocking off the heat riser ports to the intake. I had previously done that and it caused me no end of problems getting the engine to idle. I finally went back to a valley pan with the ports open.

 

[Cranky]

You may regret blocking off the heat riser ports to the intake. I had previously done that and it caused me no end of problems getting the engine to idle. I finally went back to a valley pan with the ports open.

Never had any issues with doing that. Usually had to adjust the choke to compensate for it but that was usually all.

 

[R413]

The heat is needed in the plenum to atomize the fuel properly. Depends on the air temp and humidity. It works fine on a race engine, worse on a stock engine, and worse on SB mopar‘s than BB.

Have you ever had a SB mopar plug that crossover with carbon and then the terrible driveability problems come with it? Remove intake and clean that passage put and then it runs good again.

 

[Dave6T4]

I have friends that have done this with their BB's with no problems. I have a newer Edelbrock with electric choke on it, so don't need the heated choke well. I don't drive the car much when it is cold out either. Car is in heated garage as well. I don't anticipate driveability problems.

 

[6PK2GOBEE]

This is off subject a little but I just noticed some oil residue under my intake on that pan. So I’m assuming it isn’t sealed that great but have no running issues. I want to add a breather to it when I replace it. Any suggestions of where to put the breather? Looks like I have room in the very front or very rear. Had anybody done this ?

Don’t do that! The oil is from the valley pan not being sealed up properly. You need to put a dab of silicone in each corner where the pan/head/block all meet.

 

[Old Sparky]

Factory installations also had a tin cover plate on top of fiberglass insulation wrapped in aluminum foil. It all was painted engine color. No one ever seems to use the insulation pad.
Mike

I have a 71 bee 383 from new it did not have a pad....so I guess it was not a standard item for some years.

 

[albert 5694]

Just a FYI hear is the ones on my 1969 GTX 440 these are OEM plates that hold the OEM style insulation pad in place as stated earlier it was to keep down on the valley pan having harmonics and cracking as well as what i understand is it also was to keep cold air from rushing in under the hot intake when you turn the car off and possibly cracking it. As you can see when they are installed they almost cover the entire valley pan so very little paint over spray would have gotten on the valley pan but you also would not have seen any of it either. Also you can see the installed ones are 1969 Hemi orange and the spare ones are of the 1968 and earlier turquoise blue.

 

[Cranky]

Just a FYI hear is the ones on my 1969 GTX 440 these are OEM plates that hold the OEM style insulation pad in place as stated earlier it was to keep down on the valley pan having harmonics and cracking as well as what i understand is it also was to keep cold air from rushing in under the hot intake when you turn the car off and possibly cracking it. As you can see when they are installed they almost cover the entire valley pan so very little paint over spray would have gotten on the valley pan but you also would not have seen any of it either. Also you can see the installed ones are 1969 Hemi orange and the spare ones are of the 1968 and earlier turquoise blue.

View attachment 1357133

View attachment 1357134

View attachment 1357135

View attachment 1357136

View attachment 1357137

First I've heard of an intake possibly cracking due to cold air coming in under the intake. The heads are pretty hot on shut down but the intake usually isn't as hot. Might be a problem in the northern part of the country? Every big block I've had was running without them.....

 

[dadsbee]

I've never seen a pad or the retainers plates on a big block in my lifetime..

 

[Cranky]

I've never seen a pad or the retainers plates on a big block in my lifetime..

I haven't seen all that many.......but they are out there. I kinda wonder if it was something where the guys on shift didn't bother with them and some did. My all original 70 440 Challenger ragtop didn't have them but who knows what that car went through before I got it. Can't remember any low decks I've had with them. Bought a 70 383 Challenger from the original owner and he said it never had anything done to the engine or for the rest of the car for that matter except for the exhaust system and well, I believed him after owning it for over 15 years. Bought it in 1980.....

 

[diesel_lv]

My '67 383 that I inherited w only 68k miles didn't have a pad. The valve covers had never been of the engine before. Completely unmolested.

 

[albert 5694]

I do not know what the criteria was for when they got installed i do know they were used on RB blocks for sure and only for a couple years that is why they are near impossible to find original ones like i have because when somebody took the manifold off they threw them away because they did not think they did anything because the insulation would get grungy so they discarded it and the panels I have seen a few of them in use but they are far and few in between. The only reason i brought it up was to let it be known that if it came with theses the valley pan would have not got only a slight amount of paint on it because these covered most of the front and back exposed part of the valley pan.

 

[copper67sat]

My 67 Satellite 383, 4bbl., a/c car had the insulation pads and retainers. I made new pads out of heavy duty foil and attic insulation. My 67 383 2bbl, non-a/c car didn't have them.

 

[bandit67]

I took a 68 440 apart that had the retainer plates and what was left of now I know was the foil padding.

 

[Grabbergreendream]

My 440 MH engine had the insulation...at least what was left of it, as well as acorns, chewed up paper towels, sunflower seads, AND somebody's missing 10MM socket!

 

[R413]

I've never seen a pad or the retainers plates on a big block in my lifetime..

Well they all had them when new.

 

[themechanic]

The valley pan is unpainted stamped steel. Some leave it unpainted when building their engine. I prefer to leave mine unpainted.

View attachment 1355148View attachment 1355149

Now there's a stainless steel one available for those who leave it au naturel.

 

[Daves69]

I haven't seen all that many.......but they are out there.........

Lol, way back, I recall the first time I saw one. I was helping a friend with his 383 on cam install. We pulled the intake and there it was. I asked him WT# is this, a baked potato?

Some info on engine colors if it can help..........
Mopar engine colors 1960 - 1973

 

[R413]

Dont use that engine color chart above, it has too many incorrect entries on it.

some incorrect examples

1962-63/65 all 413 orange (Not single 4bbl)
1966-67 383 HP orange (were turquoise)
1966-67-68 440 HP orange (were turquoise)
1969 340 red (were blue)

 

[khryslerkid]

My 361 that came in the 1962 has the Jiffy Pop under the intake.