340 owners...are you happy with your engine choice?

[NCtrueconservative]

Hi guys...longtime looker, first time poster.  I am finishing up a restoration of a 73 Chall w/ rallye package.  I dropped in a rebuilt 1972 340, bored .60 over, comp cam, edelbrock 750 carb.  Im hoping it will be a good little street cruiser, and a way to beat some rice burners when the chance comes!  But I was wondering, since I haven't got to drive the car yet, what other owners of 340s had to say about their car.  Fun to drive?  Plenty of get up and go?  Reliable?  Stuff like that.....anyway, great board here. PERRY 2012

[ChallengerHK]

I have a x-head 340, .030 over. Mine never really had low-end launch power, and after posting here and thinking about all the circumstances that went into getting it and trans installed I'm wondering if I have a converter with too low stall speed. From about 25 mph on up, very fast and lots of fun.

[vinb]

I'll take 340/360 anyday over a big motor. You don't need a big cubes to go fast, just the right combo and right stuff inside. 450 hp is more than enough for a street car.

Unless your going to race it every weekend,  than just build a bracket car..

Why would you want a 600 hp STREET car?  no fun driving it on the street , too much maintenance, poor fuel mileage and little, if no driveablity.

[Road_Runner]

Nice rev happy street motors, like CHK said you're not going to launch real hard without some help from your torque convertor and/or lower rear end gears, but once rolling watch out!  I'm thinking seriously about dropping a 340 in my 73 Barracuda but I probably won't be jumping too many twin turbo Supras!

Later, Jim

[72rtchallenger]

mine is a 340 six pack with x-heads , .030 over pistons behind a 4 spd, 3.23 gears,very fun to drive,,great power ,,best sb ever made to me

[NCtrueconservative]

Well I'll prob do a gear swap speaking of....whats a good ratio?  this car will be a weekend cruiser, with the occaisonal trip to the strip on test and tune days.  Is 3.9 too much? 3.73? 3.55? 3.23?  I want it to hook up good for sure, but still wanna have a little driveability on the highway.  Id say 4.10 is just a little too much for a built 340, dont yall think?

[ChallengerHK]

I'm running 3.55, and while I don't have a tach, at highway speed (70 mph) the engine is not winding too awfully high. I've got 235/15s in the rear.

[joelson6]

sorry, but

there's no replacement for displacement.

you can get the same power from a 340 as a  440, but, with the 440 being a bit milder and more street drivable.

my '72 Challenger is a 340 4 speed car. and it's like that cause the drive train is original to the car. it's a very
nice driving and cruising car. but it's not what my 440 is in my '74 Challenger. when i had the iron heads on
my 440, it was an extremely streetable car and ran 12.10's @ 114.

plus, when you open the hood, it's all about the  factor

but, if your into the handling game, a 340 is definitely the way to go.

[72rtchallenger]

sorry, but

there's no replacement for displacement.

you can get the same power from a 340 as a  440, but, with the 440 being a bit milder and more street drivable.

my '72 Challenger is a 340 4 speed car. and it's like that cause the drive train is original to the car. it's a very
nice driving and cruising car. but it's not what my 440 is in my '74 Challenger. when i had the iron heads on
my 440, it was an extremely streetable car and ran 12.10's @ 114.

plus, when you open the hood, it's all about the  factor

but, if your into the handling game, a 340 is definitely the way to go.

true enough about a 440 but not the question,,and as much as I love the 440 the 340 is more fun to drive and I have had both,,and if you open a hood on a 340 six pack and cant say  then you must be a chevy lover,,as much as  displacement is not a replacement the 340 can hold its own in any category ,and there is no way a 440 is more street drivable,,other than a straight up drag race the 440 may win,(maybe) but in a road race the 340 will take out the 440 any day but hey its all mopar and I love them all,,the real beast's is a 383 and the 426 hemi   

[ChallengerHK]

A long time ago, a friend of mine, who was one of the best engine builders I ever knew, took his 289 Mustang against another friend's 383 Charger in a 1/4 miles race and smoked him by about 3 car lengths. Then, to add insult to injury, he took the Charger, with the other guy in his Mustang and beat him by about half a length.

Engines are important, but without drivers they're very expensive paperweights.

[jimynick]

Perry, I've had 340's with both 3:55s and 3:91s and it really comes down to how you envision driving the car. If you're going to drive it on the highways any appreciable distance, I'd go with the 3:55s and if you want the snap and don't mind the gas consumption or engine speed, go for the 3:91's. I think you're right about the 4:10s, but there'll be guys who think 4:56s are just right. You didn't say if it's an auto or stick, but in my Duster 4 spd, just wind it to 5000 and step off the clutch and I think you'll be happy with how she goes. They're great engines and the only thing that ever beat my Valiant with the 3:91's was a 67 427-8bbl 4 spd Fairlane; and that was only by a fender. 

[joelson6]

true enough about a 440 but not the question,

  sure it is - "340 owners...are you happy with your engine choice? " IMO , the 340 is nice but i prefer a 440.

and as much as I love the 440 the 340 is more fun to drive and I have had both,,and if you open a hood on a 340 six pack and cant say  then you must be a chevy lover,,as much as  displacement is not a replacement the 340 can hold its own in any category ,and there is no way a 440 is more street drivable,,other than a straight up drag race the 440 may win,(maybe) but in a road race the 340 will take out the 440 any day but hey its all mopar and I love them all,,the real beast's is a 383 and the 426 hemi   

maybe i just never had the right 340. all the 340's i've ever owned were bone factory stock motors. this is just from my experience. i'm not a big road race fan either. there's a better chance of wrecking your car in a road race than a drag race. and setup right, the 340 will out perform a 440 in a road race any day. i aint even gonna get into the stroker kits either. that's a different can of worms 
can you say 416 ci. ? 


oh and FYI, i'm a chevy lover too 

[AARCUDADEN]

I'll take 340/360 anyday over a big motor. You don't need a big cubes to go fast, just the right combo and right stuff inside. 450 hp is more than enough for a street car.

Unless your going to race it every weekend,  than just build a bracket car..

Why would you want a 600 hp STREET car?  no fun driving it on the street , too much maintenance, poor fuel mileage and little, if no driveablity.

Both my cars are 340 cars and wouldn't have anything else. 

[challengerx]

My last motor in my 73 challenger was a 30 over, 509 hyd cam 340 running 4.56 gears and i loved it, I would drive the car 45 minutes to the track, run high 12s and drive it back home.  Was it good on gas? no, but it was an absolute blast to drive and no maintenence. when it came time to build the new motor for it I had two good 440 hp blocks and decided to build a 416 stroked 340. Good luck and enjoy beating up on some big blocks.

[Cooter]

When I ran my 340 I had fun with it until I got my ass handed to me by a mildly built 440. With a 340, Most seem to almost inevidably try and "prove" something to the BB folks and some actually do with high dollar stroker engines, but most get tired of being beat by a mild "Crusier" Big Block on the street. I gotta friend that ALWAYS tells me how he can't fathom how his little "Record holding, swingin' oil pick-up, roller valvetrained, high compression 340 gets beaten by 5.0 liter mustangs. I always have the same reply...."you gotta get past that "All motor" crap and start bombin' that 340, or you will always be behind"....

It really does kill me, and I have to laugh at the "Handling=340, Racing=440" crap flying round. Everybody knows there are WAY stiffer torsion bars to help the 440 drive right around a 340 on any day on any road course...The 440 however offers a much more broader torque band. The 340 is kinda "peaky" to me...Once you get the lighter engine components in and ON the 440, you have rotating assys today that weigh the same if not LESS than the 340. So, with all this, the 440 will come out on top, but the 340 is a good little engine as long as you know it limits.

On the other hand, if you buy into all the hype of "Them little 340's were some badass engines" your destined to run up on a Big block that will out handle you, out run you, and basically, out shine you come show day as well...I guess it really depends on how you rebuilt your 340 as to how much power it really makes and how "Satisfied" you will be with it...As stated, a 400 HP 340 will work great for a crusier...