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My dilemma

For your end on expenses the built 400 dressed as a 383 in the Coronet might net you more profit than spending good money to build a 440.
 
Jerry Hall said:
For your end on expenses the built 400 dressed as a 383 in the Coronet might net you more profit than spending good money to build a 440.
Click to expand...

OK that makes sense. The 400 is done and on a stand. The 67 440 would need built. But there's good news there as well. I already have the heads done on that engine. And while I haven't checked it yet, that engine supposedly came out of a wrecked car that was wrecked in 1973, and only has 27,000 miles on it. I haven't torn apart the block yet, but if I can just hone the cylinders and do rings and bearings on it, it might be worth building.

BTW I'm a mechanic with over 40 years of experience, so I have everything I need, and the skills to build it. If all it needs is a ring job, I could buy that kit for a couple hundred dollars.

And since I'm talking about it, it has flat top pistons in it, so what would the compression ratio be on a 67 440 with flat top pistons?
 
I’d put the fresh 400 in the coronet. For the money and time you are gonna spend rebuilding the 440 it will be a wash on resale with the 440 vs the 400. Might even lose money. Yes to the 6 pack in the challenger
 
wags70ss said:
OK that makes sense. The 400 is done and on a stand. The 67 440 would need built. But there's good news there as well. I already have the heads done on that engine. And while I haven't checked it yet, that engine supposedly came out of a wrecked car that was wrecked in 1973, and only has 27,000 miles on it. I haven't torn apart the block yet, but if I can just hone the cylinders and do rings and bearings on it, it might be worth building.

BTW I'm a mechanic with over 40 years of experience, so I have everything I need, and the skills to build it. If all it needs is a ring job, I could buy that kit for a couple hundred dollars.

And since I'm talking about it, it has flat top pistons in it, so what would the compression ratio be on a 67 440 with flat top pistons?
Click to expand...
Depends on what you have in the heads for the 440 plus the few hundred bucks and time to build. Your decision, but unless those done heads are good closed chamber heads Your compression is going south. You have already spent the money on the 400. Only you know the bottom line on which engine has the least money involved. Good luck on your quest.
 
Ok, so I did some digging and I am very excited to share some good information with you all!

I decided to go look at numbers, specifically date codes on these engines. The 400 on the stand is a 77 engine, just like what's in the Challenger now. No surprise there. The 67 440 is actually a 1972 block with 1967 906 heads on it. As I stated before, the heads have been rebuilt. They had a 3 angle valve job and new guides installed. I think I have about $300 in them. Ya they aren't as good as the 915s, but for the street I think they'd be fine in the Coronet. The block looks to be in good condition. I remember now that it had 27,000 miles on it because it had a replacement block installed before it was wrecked. So if I throw it on a stand and take it apart and it's in great condition, then rebuilding it would be a good option for the Coronet.

Now the really exciting news! So the HP 440 6 pack engine has a casting number of 2536430-7, and a casting date of 7/21/1970! l can't believe it! So the die has been cast! The HP 440 6 pack engine definitely needs to go into the 70 Challenger!

So that leaves the 67 Coronet. If I put the 400 in it, it would be the simplest way to flip it. BUT, I'm worried about someone not wanting it because it has a 1977 400 engine in it. SO - do I install the 400 and hope for the best, or do I sell the 400 (actually BOTH 400s) and take the money and put it into the 440 that would be era correct, with 67 heads on it?

Here's a picture of the stamping numbers on the HP 440 6 pack engine...
 
440 6 pack engine stamping. G440 5 13 HP

20250607_210536.jpg
 
Last edited:
33 IMP said:
T2R9 covered it in post#9. Exactly what I would do!
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Well there's 2 problems with that. First - neither of the 400s are stroked. And one of them is fresh. The other one would cost me 2-3 grand to stroke and build. Second - as I just found out, the 440 6 pack engine is dated 7/21/70 which means it needs to go into the 70 Challenger. So, do you still think I should pull the tired 400 out of the Challenger and spend a ton of money stroking it, or just put in the running 440 6 pack engine?
 
Totally lost. Of all the 440s, 67, 70, 72, how many are 6 packs??

The actual 67 C HP 4bbl block is a nice one.
 
And a 6 pack is an induction. Which could be installed on any 440.
 
wags70ss said:
Well there's 2 problems with that. First - neither of the 400s are stroked. And one of them is fresh. The other one would cost me 2-3 grand to stroke and build. Second - as I just found out, the 440 6 pack engine is dated 7/21/70 which means it needs to go into the 70 Challenger. So, do you still think I should pull the tired 400 out of the Challenger and spend a ton of money stroking it, or just put in the running 440 6 pack engine?
Click to expand...
Well , put the Sixpack 440 in the challenger, but make sure that you don't say it's a 440 Sixpack car, cause any buyer is sure to check.
So I guess that leaves the fresh 400 for the Coronet.
I didn't realize sales was the goal.
 
33 IMP said:
Well , put the Sixpack 440 in the challenger, but make sure that you don't say it's a 440 Sixpack car, cause any buyer is sure to check.
So I guess that leaves the fresh 400 for the Coronet.
I didn't realize sales was the goal.
Click to expand...

Yes I have 20 cars and I'm retired, so selling them is my retirement fund (and keeping me busy in my retirement years)

So you think the 400 would sell better in the Coronet than the 440?

I'm not sure, but I think I have a BBC 2 4s intake manifold somewhere? I think that would look pretty badass on the 440 in the Coronet? Especially since it's a former drag car.
 
wags70ss said:
So you think the 400 would sell better in the Coronet than the 440?
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I think either would sell fine. I sold my 68 440 Coronet Superbee Clone with a 77 400 badged as 383. I sold it over a year ago for $43k. It was a high #3 car and definitely not original.
 
RemCharger said:
Totally lost. Of all the 440s, 67, 70, 72, how many are 6 packs??

The actual 67 C HP 4bbl block is a nice one.
Click to expand...

Well, I actually have a 70, a 72, and a 77 440 engine. I thought it was a 67, but it's a 72 block with 67 heads on it. The 70 block is the 440 6 pack engine in the Coronet. It's the one that needs to go into the 70 Challenger.
 
So I agree that the 400 in the Coronet would be an easier way to get it running and flip it. But before I make that final decision, I think I'll slap the 72 440 block assembly on an engine stand and at least take a closer look at it to see what it will take to rebuild it. If it turns out to be a bunch of money, then I'll just hang on to it for a later project.

So subscribe to my channel Wags Automotive and look for some upcoming videos on both of these cool *** cars!

And if anyone is in the future market for a sweet ride, they will both be for sale in the future! I might even consider a nice roller as a partial trade since I will have 1 or 2 400s, a 383, and at least 1 440 available to install in something else! The 77 RV motor turns freely and only has 47,000 miles on it. It would be cinch to install in a 318 car! I also have a couple of low mile 727s to go behind them!
 
So now I'm thinking a different way. Of course the HP 440 6 pack engine still should go into the Challenger. And I agree that the 400 is a good option to put in the Coronet. But I realized that both the 400 and the other 440 are 1977 engines. The 440 is a low mileage engine and turns freely. Maybe I should consider installing it in the Coronet since either way it'd get a 1977 engine? I could throw a cam in it and aluminum intake. The car already has headers. It's low compression but would run well on pump gas. So maybe I should consider that engine? Save the 400 for a lighter weight car?
 
wags70ss said:
Well, I actually have a 70, a 72, and a 77 440 engine. I thought it was a 67, but it's a 72 block with 67 heads on it. The 70 block is the 440 6 pack engine in the Coronet. It's the one that needs to go into the 70 Challenger.
Click to expand...
Oh ok thanks. The one in post 27 looked like C . But if it's a G, it's a 71 block.
 
I'm not sure if any of you guys will see this, but I have an update for you. So the 72 440 engine is out of the picture. It's locked up and I can't get it broke loose. So that leaves both the 77 engines, the 440 and the 400. I worked on both of them today.

The 440 turns free and looks fantastic under the valve covers. The oil was black and there was no water in the oil pan.

The 400 is interesting. It's got 2406516 heads on it, which I understand have 72-74cc chambers. Not bad. It's also got a Bullet racing cam in it with .474 lift. That's great! It also has a skinny harmonic balancer, which means it's a forged crankshaft. It's got flat top pistons so I'm guessing the compression ratio is around 10:1. I can see the cross hatch pattern on the cylinder walls. That's good. Everything looks new on it.

So I'm thinking I should go with the 400. My question is did they make a forged crankshaft for the 400 engine? Or maybe it's got a 440 crankshaft in it? I don't know I need you guys help with this! What do you guys think? Please help!
 
It likely has a 383 crank. Put it to TDC and a straight edge across the cylinder. Run some feeler gauges under and see what the deck height is. Are there part # s on the piston
 
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