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

[Cooter]

I tell you what Dennis, you give it your best effort with a small block and I'll give it my best effort with a Big Block and we'll see who's full of bull....

[Challenger6pak]

 It could be interesting.

[Road_Runner]

I bought my car with the drivetrain already in it. 73 340, 20 over, stock J heads with the small valves, Purple cam, air gap intake, headers, 727, 4:10's. Suppose to be a 3000 stall, in this car its more like 2500.
I'm sure the carb could be tuned better but its not fast off idle. Not going to be beating much from a stop light. Once the rpms come up its not bad. I wish it was faster it looks and sounds fast but IMO comes up short where it counts. I realize tuning is a big part of it and maybe I haven't hit it yet.
I really wish I could boil the tires with no break but right now it takes a lot of rpm footbreaking and still isn't very impressive. I'm not bashing the 340 I've heard its a great little motor. I think I just gotta keep working on it.

Brian

Brian, are you powerbraking or starting off from idle when you launch?  With the engine mods & 4.10 gear you should be able to shred some pretty large tires out of the hole if you're running up your rpms while you keep the car still with your brakes and then just let off the brakes and feather in the rest of the gas pedal as you start moving.  That's how I've always launched the Roadrunner and the trick was not going up in tire smoke.  Unless your 340 is seriously down on power, your trans is slipping or you really have a 2.70 rear gear you should also be having to try not frying the tires.  Somethings not right if you can't spin the tires easily with that combo in my opinion....

Later, jim

[aris_unlimited]

So you got the big block guys swearing up and down about the benefits of a big block over a small block. Constantly saying things like "you can make it handle like a small block" and also leaving out the gas mileage lol.

Then you got the small block guys saying things like "you can build it to beat a big block". And also bragging about the mileage and the handling.

Sounds to me like there is no perfect answer. What money you save by going to a big block you are going to spend on gas and handling equipment. And what you save in gas on a small block you are going to spend on making it more powerful than a big block (if that is what you want to do).

Frankly I say both groups should get over their bickering because there is always somebody else out there with something better than what you have!

[bandt]

Hey Jim,

Thanks for the input. I would say its down on power. Either a tuning issue or low compression. I'm going to do a compression and leak down test at the end of the season. I would have to agree something is wrong with that low a gear it should be a shredder. 28" tall BFG's. I suspect its a combination of tuning and low compression.

Brian

[340SIX]

I have never since age 17 run anything else.
Yea I am happy with the last one true 12.3 compression, Some 52.5 CC aluminium heads {160/202 SS} Cam is 538/549 right springs, pushrods, roller rockers, Ported six pack intake, block is an old virgin Race X block bored 4.040, I beams, steel crank HV oil pump etc.....
Backed up with a 727 stall and 430's in the 8 3/4

[Cooter]

So you got the big block guys swearing up and down about the benefits of a big block over a small block. Constantly saying things like "you can make it handle like a small block" and also leaving out the gas mileage lol.

That would be because these cars were called Musclecars, not Gasmileagecars.....When you speak of a musclecar, it tends to need um, Idunno, Some muscle? Like a billy badass Big block 440 cause it was the biggest and baddest thing to come out the factory...(Hemi was still "Only" 426 C.I.)

You wanna talk gas mileage there's a Honda forum for that..Here we burn dead dinosaurs at a high rate...

[aris_unlimited]

That would be because these cars were called Musclecars, not Gasmileagecars.....When you speak of a musclecar, it tends to need um, Idunno, Some muscle? Like a billy badass Big block 440 cause it was the biggest and baddest thing to come out the factory...(Hemi was still "Only" 426 C.I.)

You wanna talk gas mileage there's a Honda forum for that..Here we burn dead dinosaurs at a high rate...

But you can have both, simply denying that it is an option worth pursuing is showing your ignorance here. I've already figured out how to get 500 hp out of a small block and still maintain 20 mpg! As have a few other members on here. Feel like that isn't enough? Toss a supercharger or a turbo setup on there and come out around 700 hp, and STILL be able to manage 20 mpg when your foots not in it.

Granted it's not a big block. Doesn't fill the engine bay. Isn't as hard to work on. Doesn't suck as much gas at gentle cruising speeds. Doesn't weigh as much. Doesn't handle for crap. But hey for those of us rich enough to afford 8 mpg on a hot rodded big block then I suppose there is no other choice. But for those people that like to drive their cars as often as possible, I think the small block higher mpg engine is a fantastic decision. But then again I'm not one of those people that likes to look at my car in the garage, I like to drive it.

[Cooter]

But you can have both, simply denying that it is an option worth pursuing is showing your ignorance here. I've already figured out how to get 500 hp out of a small block and still maintain 20 mpg! As have a few other members on here. Feel like that isn't enough? Toss a supercharger or a turbo setup on there and come out around 700 hp, and STILL be able to manage 20 mpg when your foots not in it.

Obviously, by this post, Arguing about BB VS SB  is like trying to talk horse sense to a jackass..Bye,Bye now...

[duodec]

I'd like one of each, please!  Small block roadable car (my currrent Challenger), and a big block B-body of some type.  I'll probably never have the latter (so I guess for me that means a preference for the small block if I can only have one) but hey, they're both Mopars.  If I got a deal on a 440 my plans for the Challenger would change to accommodate, happily!

[GranCuda1970]

Whats a deal to you!! And where do you live!!

[aris_unlimited]

Obviously, by this post, Arguing about BB VS SB  is like trying to talk horse sense to a jackass..Bye,Bye now...

My thoughts exactly lol

[TinCuda]

I still say big block.  All I ever here from the small block guys is how fast they made them go or how much fuel mileage they get.  They are always making some reason (excuse) that they would rather go with the 340.  It is never the other way around.  Nobody ever asked me why I have a 440.  Sure you can make a lawn mower engine run 10 second quarter miles if you have enough money/know how, but is that really what you want?  Really?  Like I said earlier, in a different thread on this subject,  When ever you have a group of people standing around looking at cars, someone will always ask you what's under the hood.  You can either stand there and try to explain to them why you prefer the 340 or you can simply say that it is a Big block.  They will say "Oh, cool" and that will be that.  I have always heard, never be afraid to buy the very best.  It only costs a little bit more and you will never be disappointed.  More importantly, you will never have to explain why you didn't.


.,

[Cooter]

I still say big block.  All I ever here from the small block guys is how fast they made them go or how much fuel mileage they get.  They are always making some reason (excuse) that they would rather go with the 340.  It is never the other way around.  Nobody ever asked me why I have a 440.  Sure you can make a lawn mower engine run 10 second quarter miles if you have enough money/know how, but is that really what you want?  Really?  Like I said earlier, in a different thread on this subject,  When ever you have a group of people standing around looking at cars, someone will always ask you what's under the hood.  You can either stand there and try to explain to them why you prefer the 340 or you can simply say that it is a Big block.  They will say "Oh, cool" and that will be that.  I have always heard, never be afraid to buy the very best.  It only costs a little bit more and you will never be disappointed.  More importantly, you will never have to explain why you didn't.




.,

Exactly...Again, I've never heard anyone pull up to a stop light and yell "20 MPG baby, let's go for it"....

[aris_unlimited]

All of that may be true. But every single person I've met along the way that has asked about my cuda, has said "cool" when I told them I was putting in a new hemi. Never once had someone say "why not a big block?". Even had one guy (who is quite the classic car collector/driver) say that it was a smart idea considering how much he knew I wanted to drive it.

Technology has advanced. Not only that but it has been proven to be worth using. Getting bigger power gains with smaller engines. Heck look at all the performance small blocks that are being produced right now. Fords new 5.0 is getting quite a bit more power than it ever has before AND it gets better mileage. Same thing with the new hemi vs the old 360 (comparing ci size, not engine names), and look at the new LS engines that chevy is making. All small blocks and all able to get quite a bit more power than their 60's to 70's small block brethren. Heck they are even outdoing some of the old big blocks. Not all of them for sure, but some of them.

Taking all that into consideration. I say go with what people want. There is no reason to start calling people out because they have faith in their small blocks over a big block. Like I've said before, there will always be something out there that is better than what you have.

If you don't believe that just look at a twin turbo supra. Has 2 cylinders less than any of us would even dream of putting in our cuda/challenger. But when those motors are built up they can be plain old mean.