nstyle73
Well-Known Member
I have done my due diligence by checking 440 source's website and a few other places on the net, but as always there is conflicting information out there. So I come to the "experts" as I am not one. I am swapping a 440 in place of a 383. 383 is early 71 casting (8/70), steel crank, auto. The 440 looks like a 78 from what I can read of the casting date, J440T on the pad should mean 73 which is possible as the casting date is hard to read, 3 and 8 are similar. No VIN is stamped on the rail VIN pad. It was in front of a manual so I need to swap the flex plate and torque converter. From what I understand this is not an issue if they are both internally balanced, so zero balance torque converter correct? The 440 damper is a symmetric bolt pattern (correct for 73) and appears to be a steel crank rather than cast. It is the blue/rusty damper in the pic. The orange damper with the elliptical weight and the bullnose type damper both say "Use with 440 Cast Crank". I feel like I have a grasp on this and its not that complex, but just surprised to find it to be a steel crank. The PO undersold the engine as being a late cast crank engine. It has some sort of aluminum pistons in it as well as the steel crank and seems to run pretty well.
I don't really care about all of the historical arguments about what each stamping actually means, the "T" meaning Trenton or Truck or any of those type of things, just double checking the damper.
I don't really care about all of the historical arguments about what each stamping actually means, the "T" meaning Trenton or Truck or any of those type of things, just double checking the damper.
