340 vs 440

[kingtroll]

I just wanted to ask those who have been there and done that on there opinion. I have a 340 that runs pretty powerful. I don't know the internals but it has a edelbrock performer intake, after market cam, headers, dual feed holly and 2500 stall convertor connected to a 727 torque flight with a non sure grip 8/3 rear end. In the very distant future because I plan to keep this car for many years to come hopefully, I may put in a 440 hp motor thats slightly modified but not too radical so I can use it for cruising. I have never had a big block car so those of you that have is it worth the change? I won't be racing the car and the car doesn't have it's original motor anyways. I am not concerned about gas mileage because of the infrequent use. I love power and even though you can't really use it in the street it does feel good to let her rip a little once in a while. This 340 can move so I was just asking to get a feel for those who have had both.

[Chryco Psycho]

totally different feel , the 340 will rev quick & pull hard
 tractions is easily controlled
 the 440 is much different traction can be difficult to control with the massive torque available at any RPM , a 440 will push you into your seat at any point in the RPM powerband , the E bodys I have driven still handle extremely well even with the extra weight & if you go one step further & stroke the engine to 500" or so the engine will actually rev faster due to reduced internal weight & make even more power
 440s are basically trhe same feeling as the small block made that much better , I would be all over doing the 440 / 500 

[kingtroll]

Man I think you sold me on the 440. I have many little things to do to this car before I get to that point but I am just going to have to go for the 440 option in the future. (sounds too good and you only live once)

[TreeFrog]

auto vs manual gears can make a difference for an individual as well.

[kingtroll]

You know you have a point. Since I am going to have to change the tranny as well I will consider the manual. My problem is the traffic in South Fla is horrible. I only use the car basically on the weekends so I will consider that option. I am not sure if that effects re-sale value. I don't plan to ever sell but you never know what is coming down the road.

[HemiOrange70]

340's are my favorite engine, but you can not compare a 340 auto to a 440 manual. One is scary and the other is hairy scary

[Carlwalski]

I have both and can honestly say they are two completely different animals. The 440 will plant you in your seat from 0mph to anywhere up to and over 110mph! The 340ci as above is a rev-head, easier to handle car and IMO more fun to "drive", so fun infact I found it hard to enjoy with an auto, being light and nimble a stick shift will complete the combo.

In all fairness my 340ci isn't stock (375hp+) and my 440 is very mild (400hp). As Chryco said, the 440 can be an animal off the line, leaving two trials of BFGoodrich's is an easy task done with a heavy prod of the throttle. I love both but since I've owned the 340 I will never ever "laugh off" or disrespect a small block, especially the angry and feisty 340ci.


 

[kingtroll]

Man I may have to be FORCED to get a big block car in the future so I can have the best of both worlds like you NZ. My 340 is not stock but I really don't know how many horse, my mechanic said it easily had over 300 hp in his opinion. The 440 sounds like an animal.

[Moparal]

Once you feel big block tq, small blocks become a memory.  Granted that now adays, they make big cubes in small packages, but in the begining, bb ruled the streets. I have owned alot of 440's. Just got to match the parts, and make them hook.

[Carlwalski]

Thanks.  


If I were you, I'd rebuild or check to see just what the 340ci is packing. From there, either continue it's build or start fresh. If you're going to go big block in a mild fashion I'd stay with the 340ci. If, on the other hand, you want to get some serious horsepower, go the 440 route. Some people will tell you 440 but tend to think everything is race driven or race spec. You said mild and a street driven/cruiser, not a race track scenario.

Rule of thumb, a Mopar small block weighs 100lbs less than a mopar big block, a big block weighs 100lbs less than a Hemi, 100lbs is roughly 10hp loss in weight, so, there really isn't much in terms of hp loss apart from better cornering. 440 cars handle well, well, mine does so I presume others do to. Though when things get tight and at lower speeds the small block 340 takes the cake, by a fair margin. With a bit of speed & nice open/mountain roads the 440 handles very nicely.

I guess it all comes down to what you want to do with the car and how it will be driven. Both have their pros and hardly (if any) cons. If you've never owned a big block maybe it's time? You can always box that 340 up and keep it in the corner, if you prefer the 440, awesome, if you miss the 340....it's there for you., just a loss of $$$ to contend with.  


 

[kingtroll]

I really had to think through all the cars I owned over the years and I DID have 2 big blocks in the bunch. One was a 400 with a 2 bbl in a 1969 firebird and the other was a 409 transplanted into a 1979 firebird. The 409 was from a transam late 70's early 80's. Any of you guys remember that engine I belieive it was an oldmobile motor used in those transams. Even with those motors which were non hp motors the 440 hp sounds like it's in another class all it's own.

[70B@rracuda]

Once you feel big block tq, small blocks become a memory.  Granted that now adays, they make big cubes in small packages, but in the begining, bb ruled the streets. I have owned alot of 440's. Just got to match the parts, and make them hook.

One of the only cars I've ridden in that topped a 340 4-speed Duster was a Barton Hemified '69 RR ( it constantly breaks the bead on it's BFG's). Just my experience.
Remember, if you want mild to wild, go with the 340. If you want wild to wilder, go with a built 440. For everyday street you want to go mild to MAYBE wild.
Also, if your car ways under 3500 lbs and you want real engineered performance step up to a 48 degree R3 block and W5 heads. you can stroke it to over 426" and put out over twice the hp of an original elephant. When I hit the lottery I am going to do that or this. http://www.rodandcustommachines.com/smallblockhemiheads.html

[Chryco Psycho]

while l Agree the small block will make power I have a W2 360 going together nothing but hassles trying to set up & for the price of the conversion I would do the big block

[TreeFrog]

the 72 I am buying has a 360 in it....the guy was going to keep the engine...I was going to get a 440 for it...since then he has decided to let the 360 go...so I am going to stay with the 360 for now...I still want to compare the  340 to the 360

[Moparal]

What ever you do to a small block to make it go, you can do the same and go faster with a big block. The make it go stuff for a small block just makes it a big cube and flow better.  It's a builders preference. And any mopar you decide to build now adays will go fast with parts availability. Back in the day, we had the 3/4 race cam and fireball. Mopar has come a long ways...build and enjoy the engine of your choice