Junkyard date feels like Christmas

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Tina

Tina

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Hi everyone, well yesterday was half off day at pick a part so me and my boyfriend went to go look for a 727 trans for my future 440 plans hah. Well that junkyard is pretty small and we didn't see any older mopars until we got to the far corner of the yard. There was a "73" Chrysler New Yorker with a really dirty engine and trans. We saw that it had the 727 and my boyfriend started to work on taking the engine out in case it was a 440 (didn't plan on finding or getting one). I decided to check the car's vin to make sure of the year (was curious about the hp rating), and after scraping off a lot of dirt the pad on the engine said "D 440." So the car was really a '68 and we were now sure of what was in it. It's not a TNT but that's okay.

So after many hours the engine and trans were pulled - the heads had nasty scary rust so I was a little worried so we left them and just got the short block. The engine block needs to be bored too and one cylinder has a small pit or pits. Not sure if we'll need a sleeve. Anyway I'm happy to have a starting point even if things with the block don't work out well.

Grand total for the short block and trans (plus various brackets and pulleys) was $225 (this includes about 60 bucks of core charges). I'm happy to finally have a starting point! Woo. It may take a while (money!) to rebuild everything and put it all together but I'm looking forward to seeing it all in my '67 Barracuda.

Pics to come later as I'm typing this all on my phone. Thank you for reading. :D
 
Way to go!......the boneyards up in the high desert usually hold a few more "diamonds in the rough" than down in Ontario etc., if you are feeling more adventureous. You'll never see an old B'cuda though. You went to Millikan? It's not bad, but I noticed people strip the older stuff down so hardcore, to even taking the magnets outta the speakers....LOL
 
Awesome! Wreckers up here wont let you pull stuff due to insurance liability. I still love waddling thru the junkyards. Did you take a blankie and a picuhnic basket??
 
It was at hillside in Riverside (the dreaded multiple levels haha). We got there at 7am and by 7:30 the line was around the parking lot. Our blanket was a couple of tires laying around during our water breaks :D. It was scary when the engine and trans were coming out because it was just the two of us and some crusty seatbelts bolted to the engine. There was a bunch of rat poop in the engine bay and we found a bunch of seeds the rat stored. Oh yeah...we also found a small ribcage in the interior of the car blech! Poor rat.
 
Could be worse...I once pulled off an air cleaner lid and was greeted by a big hornet's nest! AHHHHHH---RUN!!!!!!!!
 
Good score on a big block. The way I see it, pick them while you can. They won't be around forever, and are becoming more rare. As neil young says rust never sleeps.
 
"Hi everyone, well yesterday was half off day at pick a part" Damn I wish they'd have something like that around here!!! Sounds like a good time.
 
u should have gotten the heads they probably were rebuildable.if they weren't crack.68 had the good 906 heads.
 
Congrats on the score!! Pick-a-part junkyards are a new idea around here, and I also went to the only one by me to get a big block push button trans out of a 63 Newport. I dont get the "core charge" idea though...I mean, you need a trans but you have to pay a core charge or bring in a core trans?? If I had a core trans I wouldn't need the one in the car!!!

I didn't get that idea, and didnt buy the trans as it's a lot of work to pull an engine and trans in a junkyard with no help...or tools...or a hoist...or...well, you already know that firsthand!!

Good luck on the project, Geof
 
cosgig said:
Congrats on the score!! Pick-a-part junkyards are a new idea around here, and I also went to the only one by me to get a big block push button trans out of a 63 Newport. I dont get the "core charge" idea though...I mean, you need a trans but you have to pay a core charge or bring in a core trans?? If I had a core trans I wouldn't need the one in the car!!!

I didn't get that idea, and didnt buy the trans as it's a lot of work to pull an engine and trans in a junkyard with no help...or tools...or a hoist...or...well, you already know that firsthand!!

Good luck on the project, Geof
Click to expand...

We have a yard like that here Geof (1/2 off day and all)
They charge you for the core because they scrap the cores.
Basically making you buy it and then pay them because you took it.
Does thinking about it this way help. :D
 
I only have a small picture of where we were concerned with the rust on the heads, but yeah it would have been nice if we would have gotten them. The core charge sucks but I guess I can't complain for the price we got everything. Here are some pics; pretty grimy.

vznu.jpg



Lifter valley looked good after he took off the intake manifold.
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We called my dad to come to the yard and look at the block cause we were pretty concerned. There's a lot of surface rust in that cylinder and my dad found at least one small pit so we'll see what the machine shop says when we take it there.
l82v.jpg


Here's the Barracuda:

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Thanks for looking!
 
On another note I'm still pretty grossed out with the rat but pretty glad there wasn't a hornet's nest in there!
 
Who needs a fancy dinner and a movie?? Sounds like a good date to me. Glad you found something good. Good luck with the Cuda.
 
Man, that's an awesome score! Should be a steel crank 440 and there's a good chance it's had a easy life (hopefully).

Y'know, I notice a lot of old motorhomes out here @ the Pick N Pull's too with the old 413's in 'em. I did a little research and found that the cranks should be steel and the same stroke as a 440.
 
look like my 68 440 when i got it. i put mine in a 71 dart. u could always go back out there and get them the heads. my heads were the same way all the machine was hot tank them real good and scrape all the loose rust of them.no problems with them.
 
good luck with the motor swap,,,its gonna be nose heavy,,,but should go like stink in a straight line,,,
 
very nose heavy but so worth it ....I also have a 67 cuda with a 440 ...but mine was an original 383 car so it was a bolt in affair on this one on the bottom...even though the 440 is taller and wider than a 383 ........its getting real close to the master cylinder now compared to the 383

great taste in cars and equip. you have there.

and cool BF if that's his idea of a date .....does he have any brothers :laughing::laughing:
 

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Thanks for the photos and what could be any more cool than pulling a 440 out of the bone yard? Keep us posted on the results with the cylinder rust. I have a 400 core that has that too. My 440 is pretty cherry though. Love that you are putting the BB in the Cuda :)
 
half price day again july 6-7. Go the day before and pull and stash stuff in trunks of Ford Tempos, no one ever looks in those! The lines are unbelievable on those dates. but half price is about what you would expect to pay for some of that garbage. There prices are way out of line any other day. $80 bucks for a used "could be crap" Jap AL cylinder head? plus a core? Get real, but for $40, it starts to sound good. I posted that 340 in the Stanton yard Dart last year before half price day...wonder if anyone got it here?
 
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