Help a newbie out - 440 engine

[Yobie]

I have an opportunity to purchase a 74 440 rebuilt .30 over, forged pistons, hughes whiplash cam kit, deep oil pan, double roller chain. I think I can get it around 2800k.

I'm just very new to engine rebuilds and not sure what to even ask or if it's a good deal. It's the original crank and has the 3462346 heads which seem to be junk, but was told they had a valve job done.

I was going to build my own so I could learn, but taking this off my plate frees me up to keep going on the body work and paint quicker!

Any insight on this build would be appreciated and or questions to ask.

Thanks guys.

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[Chryco Psycho]

Well it seems like a decent starting point assuming it is $2800  , Not 2,800,000 
The year of the block doesn't really matter , the only bad years were 66 .
The steel crank & forged pistons sound good but which forged pistons , you really want the 6 pack pistons with 4 valve reliefs giving you 9.8 :1 compression so get a part # for the pistons if possible . You can get forged low compression pistons also FYI .
The heads are not Junk but really are the least desirable of all the Iron factory heads being open chamber . I would look at a set of Trick Flow heads to replace them .
  If done properly the 2800 is about the cost of rebuilding the shortblock anyway .
Get the specs for the camshaft , it is the most important single part of the engine .
You can ask about the brg part #s used , I assume it is using stock LY rods with new bolts

he other school of thought is to grab a 440 Block , drop in a 440 Source 512 kit & do the machine work & you would be around 3k  then get the cam you want for it & you might be into the short block for around $1000 more .

[JonH]

Think about what YOU really want...Do you want or need a 500 hp motor, or do you just want to drive your car? Assuming that this motor was properly rebuilt and all you may need to purchase is induction and ignition, I would go for it. Offer $2500. Motors are very hard to sell. Can't hardly do the machine work, buy parts, and assembly for that amount. Is it a fresh rebuild or have some miles on it?

[Chryco Psycho]

What he really wants from this engine is a big factor , why spend the $$ twice if you want more
I pointed out hte critical parts to look at , if it s 8:1 compression with open chamber heads & a poor cam choice matched to it a good 318 could outrun it !!

[RUNCHARGER]

You really need to find out which pistons are in it. The Hughes cams are quite often used for low compression engines.

[Yobie]

Well it seems like a decent starting point assuming it is $2800  , Not 2,800,000 
The year of the block doesn't really matter , the only bad years were 66 .
The steel crank & forged pistons sound good but which forged pistons , you really want the 6 pack pistons with 4 valve reliefs giving you 9.8 :1 compression so get a part # for the pistons if possible . You can get forged low compression pistons also FYI .
The heads are not Junk but really are the least desirable of all the Iron factory heads being open chamber . I would look at a set of Trick Flow heads to replace them .
  If done properly the 2800 is about the cost of rebuilding the shortblock anyway .
Get the specs for the camshaft , it is the most important single part of the engine .
You can ask about the brg part #s used , I assume it is using stock LY rods with new bolts

he other school of thought is to grab a 440 Block , drop in a 440 Source 512 kit & do the machine work & you would be around 3k  then get the cam you want for it & you might be into the short block for around $1000 more .

Thanks all for the response, sorry for the delay In getting back. I would like to see a 45-500 hp engine to be honest.  The cam was made for low compression 440s.

The pistons are speed pro forged L-2355F 30
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en-US&ie=UTF-8&source=android-browser&q=speed+pro+forged+L-2355F

Whiplash cam kit
Hug SMC3245BL
http://www.hughesengines.com/Index/products.php?level0=RS0gQmlnIEJsb2NrICAoUmFpc2VkIERlY2sp&level1=Q2Ftc2hhZnQ=&level2=V2hpcGxhc2ggTXVzY2xlIENhciBjYW1z&partid=30173





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[Chryco Psycho]

Well those are the pistons I would choose & the cam is decent

[Fastmark]

1974 crank may be a cast crank. Are you running a 4 speed? Then you may have balance problems when you install a flywheel that's not externally balanced. Was the motor balanced properly? How much clearance on the pistons? How much clearance on the rods and mains? Was the cam degreed? I'm sorry, but I build engines. The last four I have built were from customers that bought cars or had a machine shop that did not do a proper job and they had big problems. Two galled the pistons, one was not balanced, and one was not honed properly. Find a good shop and do it once.