NoCar340
The Original Partstitute
Back in 1988 I bought my first Mopar, a '73 Challenger. It was a double-black, well-optioned non-Rallye 340/4-speed car sold new by Peters Dodge in Milwaukee. Peters was a performance-oriented dealership and made some modifications to the car, including but not limited to 4.10 gears and a Hays clutch. The original owner gave me all the original paperwork for the car from Peters Dodge, including the trade-in agreement, MSO, window sticker, "Your Chrysler man in Detroit", owner's manual, etc. in addition to the build sheet. I still have all of it.
I had the car less than a year; the front end was shot and the entire LH side of the trunk was missing, extension and all. It was a deathtrap I could ill afford to repair, so I sold it to a fella named Mike S. from Menominee, MI. He bought the car solely for the 4-speed and center section, being a big-block 2nd-gen Charger guy at the time. I kept the Pistol Grip handle and hood "340 FOUR BARREL" emblems, which I still own. I have Mike's contact info, but he's been out of Menominee for almost 30 years and names aren't strong memories for him. Mike no longer has the 4-speed or third member.
Mike sold the rest of the car to a fella named Bill M. from whom I later bought a 440 (actually, I traded him a 340 Six Pack manifold for it). Bill bought the car almost entirely for its Rallye hood and perfect Rallye dash & pad; he had a '71 Challenger on which he was working in 1989. The car sat near the Pine Tree Mall in Marinette, WI for nearly a decade in his Mom's yard. It had homegrown bright-yellow '71 R/T-style stripe on it that said "340" instead of "R/T" that I'd rattle-canned in my parents' garage, so it was pretty distinctive--it stood out. I went to Bill's current residence a couple of years ago, but nobody would answer the door and leaving a business card brought no results. If anyone knows where the shell went, it'd be Bill.
Bill was also more of a big-block guy, so he sold the engine. From what I've gathered, the buyer's name was Frank A. and he still has the engine. It's been in one of his second-generation Barracudas for years (he has two, I believe). Frank also lived in Marinette, and still does from what I've found. I have a phone number, but he's neither answered nor returned my call (I did leave a voicemail).
Mike and I were friends for several years and still talk occasionally. I was in contact with Bill for a few, and while I wouldn't consider us close, I considered him a friend. They're both good guys, and by all reports, Frank is too.
Here's where I'm at: I'm currently building a '74 Challenger into a "tribute" to the '73, including all the upgrades I wanted to make when I was 17: Complete T/A top end, T/A hood, Minilite wheels, etc. I've had the 340 block out of my long-dead '73 Charger Rallye (3A201396) for 30+ years, and it's prepped and ready for use in the Challenger... but it would be perfect if I could have my first 340 to use in this car.
I know all their last names but I am not posting them for privacy's sake. None of these guys are on Facebook.
I'm 98% sure I know the engine's location: In Frank's car. I'm going to continue my attempts to reach him. My proposal to whomever has the engine is this: I will build a fresh steel-crank 340, owner's choice of X or J heads and camshaft, actual 340 rods, etc. reusing nothing but the factory castings. Essentially, a brand-new engine--no corners cut--with better parts than what a stock '73 engine had. I will swap it straight across for 3B330963 in a similar state of assembly (i.e., if the factory intake and/or carb are still with it, I'll provide replacements, etc.). I do not expect my old engine to be fresh, just viable. If cash is preferred to a fresh replacement 340, I can do that too.
Mike sold the transmission and dropout years ago, he said most likely at swap meets. He's been hitting the big ones for 25 years, so it could've been anywhere from Carlisle to the Nats, but I expect it was a Wisconsin meet like Iola or Jefferson (he moved to central WI when he left Menominee). There's no way to determine the center section, but the transmission's obviously a 2.47 first B/E-body (long-tail) A833 stamped 3B330963. If you bought such a transmission from a probably-unshaven, friendly dude wearing a baseball hat pulled low, glasses like Hyde from "That '70s Show", and he was either barefoot or wearing flip-flops, it was probably Mike. Check your stash, please. Once again, cash or a fresh replacement awaits the owner. I do not currently have a 2.47-low gearset but I do have several 2.66 and 3.09 sets in excellent condition and both short/long mainshafts and tailshaft housings.
If someone knows the last resting place of the car itself--the shell--I'd be interested in what's left of it. I don't believe much of anything is beyond restoration at this point and don't fear the work involved. I would not re-number my '74--I'd restore the '73 to as-delivered condition with any/all numbers parts I could find, and go with the original plan of using the Charger block in the '74. My heart tells me the '73 is probably soup cans now, but my brain tells me Bill wasn't the kind of guy to scrap a legit 340 shell. Also, around the last time I saw it, reproduction rails and trunk pans were available so it's entirely possible it got sold. Forward of the rear wheels, the car was pretty solid structurally and it does not appear in an NICB VIN check as either stolen or scrapped. Then again, scrapyards were less scrupulous 25 years ago. If it exists, I would not be surprised to find out it's still titled in my name (this happened to a friend who found his first car nearly 30 years later).
If you know the possible location of the engine, transmission, or shell please PM me.
Frank, if you're reading this, that (906) 253-XXXX number is not a spam call--I don't care if your car's extended warranty expires!
The car as it appeared in September of 1988:
I had the car less than a year; the front end was shot and the entire LH side of the trunk was missing, extension and all. It was a deathtrap I could ill afford to repair, so I sold it to a fella named Mike S. from Menominee, MI. He bought the car solely for the 4-speed and center section, being a big-block 2nd-gen Charger guy at the time. I kept the Pistol Grip handle and hood "340 FOUR BARREL" emblems, which I still own. I have Mike's contact info, but he's been out of Menominee for almost 30 years and names aren't strong memories for him. Mike no longer has the 4-speed or third member.
Mike sold the rest of the car to a fella named Bill M. from whom I later bought a 440 (actually, I traded him a 340 Six Pack manifold for it). Bill bought the car almost entirely for its Rallye hood and perfect Rallye dash & pad; he had a '71 Challenger on which he was working in 1989. The car sat near the Pine Tree Mall in Marinette, WI for nearly a decade in his Mom's yard. It had homegrown bright-yellow '71 R/T-style stripe on it that said "340" instead of "R/T" that I'd rattle-canned in my parents' garage, so it was pretty distinctive--it stood out. I went to Bill's current residence a couple of years ago, but nobody would answer the door and leaving a business card brought no results. If anyone knows where the shell went, it'd be Bill.
Bill was also more of a big-block guy, so he sold the engine. From what I've gathered, the buyer's name was Frank A. and he still has the engine. It's been in one of his second-generation Barracudas for years (he has two, I believe). Frank also lived in Marinette, and still does from what I've found. I have a phone number, but he's neither answered nor returned my call (I did leave a voicemail).
Mike and I were friends for several years and still talk occasionally. I was in contact with Bill for a few, and while I wouldn't consider us close, I considered him a friend. They're both good guys, and by all reports, Frank is too.
Here's where I'm at: I'm currently building a '74 Challenger into a "tribute" to the '73, including all the upgrades I wanted to make when I was 17: Complete T/A top end, T/A hood, Minilite wheels, etc. I've had the 340 block out of my long-dead '73 Charger Rallye (3A201396) for 30+ years, and it's prepped and ready for use in the Challenger... but it would be perfect if I could have my first 340 to use in this car.
I know all their last names but I am not posting them for privacy's sake. None of these guys are on Facebook.
I'm 98% sure I know the engine's location: In Frank's car. I'm going to continue my attempts to reach him. My proposal to whomever has the engine is this: I will build a fresh steel-crank 340, owner's choice of X or J heads and camshaft, actual 340 rods, etc. reusing nothing but the factory castings. Essentially, a brand-new engine--no corners cut--with better parts than what a stock '73 engine had. I will swap it straight across for 3B330963 in a similar state of assembly (i.e., if the factory intake and/or carb are still with it, I'll provide replacements, etc.). I do not expect my old engine to be fresh, just viable. If cash is preferred to a fresh replacement 340, I can do that too.
Mike sold the transmission and dropout years ago, he said most likely at swap meets. He's been hitting the big ones for 25 years, so it could've been anywhere from Carlisle to the Nats, but I expect it was a Wisconsin meet like Iola or Jefferson (he moved to central WI when he left Menominee). There's no way to determine the center section, but the transmission's obviously a 2.47 first B/E-body (long-tail) A833 stamped 3B330963. If you bought such a transmission from a probably-unshaven, friendly dude wearing a baseball hat pulled low, glasses like Hyde from "That '70s Show", and he was either barefoot or wearing flip-flops, it was probably Mike. Check your stash, please. Once again, cash or a fresh replacement awaits the owner. I do not currently have a 2.47-low gearset but I do have several 2.66 and 3.09 sets in excellent condition and both short/long mainshafts and tailshaft housings.
If someone knows the last resting place of the car itself--the shell--I'd be interested in what's left of it. I don't believe much of anything is beyond restoration at this point and don't fear the work involved. I would not re-number my '74--I'd restore the '73 to as-delivered condition with any/all numbers parts I could find, and go with the original plan of using the Charger block in the '74. My heart tells me the '73 is probably soup cans now, but my brain tells me Bill wasn't the kind of guy to scrap a legit 340 shell. Also, around the last time I saw it, reproduction rails and trunk pans were available so it's entirely possible it got sold. Forward of the rear wheels, the car was pretty solid structurally and it does not appear in an NICB VIN check as either stolen or scrapped. Then again, scrapyards were less scrupulous 25 years ago. If it exists, I would not be surprised to find out it's still titled in my name (this happened to a friend who found his first car nearly 30 years later).
If you know the possible location of the engine, transmission, or shell please PM me.
Frank, if you're reading this, that (906) 253-XXXX number is not a spam call--I don't care if your car's extended warranty expires!
The car as it appeared in September of 1988:
