Madness
- Thread starter b-body-bob
- Start date
RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
Yes I agree but prices today are just crazy, for my 360 the guy went from 4K to 8, I do think he was trying to get rid of me, but in the end I just said screw it I'll take my chances with exactly what came up from texas 20 years ago!
b-body-bob
Well-known member
I never added up the receipts on my 360 but it wasn't 8k.
I could see a shop taking $16k from someone, what I don't see is paying $16k for an engine on BAT unless that person happens to own "a 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Six Pack coupe with chassis number JS23V1B131722".
I could see a shop taking $16k from someone, what I don't see is paying $16k for an engine on BAT unless that person happens to own "a 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Six Pack coupe with chassis number JS23V1B131722".
RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
I was working with Jerry Stein, he's in his 80's, 4 K was from a few years back, when we first talked about this motor he was hemming & hawing about how the shops & the parts went nuts, at that point He was talking 6, then by the time I was ready it went to 8.
I really think he just didn't want to do it, I never got a quote from another shop.
Oh I agree it would have to be the missing matching #'s motor for the million dollar car you were building.
I really think he just didn't want to do it, I never got a quote from another shop.
Oh I agree it would have to be the missing matching #'s motor for the million dollar car you were building.
Dr.Jass
Pastor of Muppets
While I'll be the first guy to say that's insane, you have to remember there's a lot happening there. Yeah, so it's supposedly an HP block out of a Challenger R/T. That adds exactly zero value to the block unless the buyer owns that exact R/T. There is nothing "HP" about an HP block except the numbers stamped in front of the manifold--which we can't see, other than enough to know it's a '71 440.
Look at it from the parts standpoint, though. Have you guys priced Six Pack stuff lately? The 340 factory manifolds are going for $1,500-$3,500 without carburetors, although 440 iron pieces like that remain less expensive. That particular air cleaner is near $1,000 and the air filter's another $140 by the time it lands on your doorstep. A set of numbers carbs can be $3,000. It's preposterous, but that's where we are. Yes, you can buy reproduction HP exhaust manifolds, but they're not correct. The real deal is still a four-digit proposition for nice ones. The dated dual-point distributor is in place with the correct cap. Wiring, correct coil, accessories and drives, blah blah blah... it's a lot of hassle saved in chasing parts for a restoration. Throw a $3,000 stroker kit atop it, and it starts to add up.
That being said, therein lies the rub: It's a 500-inch stroker with a fairly gnarly camshaft. Not exactly Platinum-tent material. The black exhaust manifolds are a failure, if easily corrected, but those cubes and that cam will not be happy with them regardless of finish. A points distributor on such an engine is foolhardy at best. It's got hypereutectic pistons, so corners were cut but where else? I'd call it a confused effort at best. Resto-correct guys usually aren't worried about berserk horsepower, and stroker aficianados are rarely looking for date codes.
If I had to guess, someone was sitting on a bunch of good parts for quite some time and decided to put them on a stroker engine. They likely profited heavily from it, but yeah--to assemble that thing as it is, you might land as far from the selling number as you think.
Look at it from the parts standpoint, though. Have you guys priced Six Pack stuff lately? The 340 factory manifolds are going for $1,500-$3,500 without carburetors, although 440 iron pieces like that remain less expensive. That particular air cleaner is near $1,000 and the air filter's another $140 by the time it lands on your doorstep. A set of numbers carbs can be $3,000. It's preposterous, but that's where we are. Yes, you can buy reproduction HP exhaust manifolds, but they're not correct. The real deal is still a four-digit proposition for nice ones. The dated dual-point distributor is in place with the correct cap. Wiring, correct coil, accessories and drives, blah blah blah... it's a lot of hassle saved in chasing parts for a restoration. Throw a $3,000 stroker kit atop it, and it starts to add up.
That being said, therein lies the rub: It's a 500-inch stroker with a fairly gnarly camshaft. Not exactly Platinum-tent material. The black exhaust manifolds are a failure, if easily corrected, but those cubes and that cam will not be happy with them regardless of finish. A points distributor on such an engine is foolhardy at best. It's got hypereutectic pistons, so corners were cut but where else? I'd call it a confused effort at best. Resto-correct guys usually aren't worried about berserk horsepower, and stroker aficianados are rarely looking for date codes.
If I had to guess, someone was sitting on a bunch of good parts for quite some time and decided to put them on a stroker engine. They likely profited heavily from it, but yeah--to assemble that thing as it is, you might land as far from the selling number as you think.
b-body-bob
Well-known member
That's the way I felt about it too, but didn't do an in-depth like you did (as usual for both of us). Neither the build or the price made any sense to me. I'm not convinced a stroker is even needed - a healthy 440 in a street car will melt tires on demand. I'm sure not replacing the internals in mine unless they're worn out or damaged.
