340 Find
I paid $1,500 for complete 340 a while back-oil pan to air cleaner. It was advertised as a '71 (that was the casting date). After I got it home, I found by way of serial number is was originally built as a '73 motor. Inside was pretty rusty. What I salvaged were the .040 over aftermarket cast pistons (high compression), a forged crankshaft, the stock 340 rods, the cylinder block, and "J" cylinder heads (1.88 intake valves). All parts magnafluxed OK, but it seems number eight cylinder is sleeved, which doesn't bother me.
I guess the '68 intake manifold, the 70 Carter AVS from a low-performance 440, windage tray, front sump oil pan could have been salvaged also (but I have other replacement plans for those items). This motor turned out to be a real "hodgepodge" of parts, but at least a forged crankshaft was part of the mix.
The valve covers, complete valve train, single point distributor, and camshaft (.509 purple shaft) were too rusty to do anything. I would always replace the water pump, timing cover and chain, oil pump, pump shaft, and fuel pump anyway.
My plans are to regrind the crank, recondition the cylinder heads with new parts, hone the cylinders, and put it all back together with new rings and bearings. I like the '68--69 style 340 unsilenced air filter it came with but I will have to do something about exhaust manifolds because it came with two passenger side manifolds (strange?).
Did I pay too much? Yes I did, but I got my project underway after waiting a long time for the basic 340 parts I needed. You have to start somewhere.
I paid $1,500 for complete 340 a while back-oil pan to air cleaner. It was advertised as a '71 (that was the casting date). After I got it home, I found by way of serial number is was originally built as a '73 motor. Inside was pretty rusty. What I salvaged were the .040 over aftermarket cast pistons (high compression), a forged crankshaft, the stock 340 rods, the cylinder block, and "J" cylinder heads (1.88 intake valves). All parts magnafluxed OK, but it seems number eight cylinder is sleeved, which doesn't bother me.
I guess the '68 intake manifold, the 70 Carter AVS from a low-performance 440, windage tray, front sump oil pan could have been salvaged also (but I have other replacement plans for those items). This motor turned out to be a real "hodgepodge" of parts, but at least a forged crankshaft was part of the mix.
The valve covers, complete valve train, single point distributor, and camshaft (.509 purple shaft) were too rusty to do anything. I would always replace the water pump, timing cover and chain, oil pump, pump shaft, and fuel pump anyway.
My plans are to regrind the crank, recondition the cylinder heads with new parts, hone the cylinders, and put it all back together with new rings and bearings. I like the '68--69 style 340 unsilenced air filter it came with but I will have to do something about exhaust manifolds because it came with two passenger side manifolds (strange?).
Did I pay too much? Yes I did, but I got my project underway after waiting a long time for the basic 340 parts I needed. You have to start somewhere.
