When I get back to Detroit I'll pull out some of my factory service manuals I've had forever and even show you what they state. I really don't know if every 68-71 340's had forged but the ones I took apart did. That's one reason you could rev them to 6500 all day long. I beat the crap out of them back then and never had a piston problem. Spun a few bearings but that was about it. Burt a valve on one with over 200k on it. Yea I maintained them well. Still have a few left, thank goodness. ps the new forged pistons are a lot better than 1970 TRW slugs they will not knock. But it's your stuff do it your way and have fun. Up, up and away! 340's and Hemis forever!
my 1st 340....yea
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1WildRT
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Nice 69 Fastback...
Now you know. ps mine was a fastback 68 cuda.
Thanks. I really love 64-69 fastbacks.
ha ...i'm a notchback fan....
it's ok if you hate me now
it's ok if you hate me now
1WildRT
Well-Known Member
I'm more of a 67-69 Fastback fan... The 64-66 never grew on me... Had a neighbor with a 65 Formula S silver with a black stripe & black interior... As 64-66's go it was about the best combo I've seen..
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1WildRT
Well-Known Member
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but i do like your insulation job your doing
after the foam i framed between the poles with 2/3s then fiberglass then sheet rock ....
can you tell me what an "autothermic" piston is?
because that's what my 69 FSM lists 340 pistons as.
(predictably, the 426 lists as forged al-loo-mini-um)
Cool, I looked it up.
Not a hater here.
not a engine thing but why have a 340 if you can show it off to the world
last nights buy
I prefer my 340s to be incognito. The cops used to shadow us as even then, waiting for us to do something stupid.
And they did all that using cast pistons from 1968 through 1973. I have NOS 72/73 pistons and a set of original 70 pistons waiting to go into one of my std bore blocks. They are all cast, as all the 340s I've had and built. I'm not afraid of MOPAR cast pistons. The only 340 piston failure I ever saw was in an engine that dropped an intake valve head. And I can't blame the piston for that.
It looks like it was a running change, not a 340 only timing cover. 68 parts manual lists the same cover for 273, 318, and 340. I do have a cast in passenger side timing cover cast in 68.
NC Engine Builder
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NO 340 EVER left the factory with forged pistons. Maybe you could get a shortblock from direct connection with them, but there was NEVER any forged pistons put in otherwise. I've torn down hundreds of 340s, all were cast.
i always suspected a mid year roll out.
my 69 fastback is an early build 318 car and it has the cast in cover, the 68 dart with a 273 is a later build car and it has the cast in cover as well, the 68 340 i had did not have a cast in cover and was a mid year(ish) build (and 100% virgin motor), and the very early 69 340 i had obviously had the cast in cover. the current 318 i have in is a mid year 68 production, and while it has the cast in cover i can't confirm that it is original to the motor-- and i'm too lazy to go check and see what cast date it is.
tut-tut. you weren't there, man. you don't know, ya know. don't matter how many you done taken apart; **** was different back then, 'specially in Dee-troit.
(tongue planted firmly in cheek)
Yeah, I never paid attention to timing covers. I never knew anything but the bolt on tab or 70 and up with the aluminum water pump. Most of my personal cars were 67 down except my 68 and that had a 383.
like a lot of folks i found out about it quite by accident... meaning a weekend thrash session on a work vehicle to swap a 70's 318 with rod knock so bad you'd think the devil was at the door for a pre 70 318 that i had laying about. frustration and hilarity ensued.
trying to remove the timing cover i was using a long flat punch and with what i thought was a light blow from the hammer, poked a hole directly thru the top of it.
and thus, a pull at an errant string of a sweater... or how to turn a friday night and easy saturday job into buttoning it up at 3am monday morning.
1WildRT
Well-Known Member
Been there, got the T shirt...
question: does yours also have blood on it?Been there, got the T shirt...
i mean, they come pre soaked in tears and with grease stains already applied.
1WildRT
Well-Known Member
I got the DIY version... Had to add it myself....Which I seem to have a talent for... Which pisses Coral off...
LOL......Now we're old and grey so they don't care anymore.
marksmopars
Well-Known Member
Interesting back and forth on pistons, my 70, 340 came with forged pistons, not sure about all everything on mopar.
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