440 swap for my 66

Reece Taylor

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Hello, I'm young, dumb, and full of bad ideas, my latest of which is that I want to 440 swap my 66 sport fury. It currently has a 318 but I have a couple leads on a 440/727 combo. Both engines Im looking at are later 70s castings. I've never done an engine swap before but the 318 just feels gutless to me. I'm also still in college so I'm trying to keep costs low. Is there anything I should be aware of or is this a straight forward swap?
 
Hi Reece,

Many things to be aware of and I will list a few, however I am sure the Fury gentlemen will be able to provide much more in-depth knowledge.

1. Have you Googled through the various Mopar sites to see if someone has already documented steps for this process? I'm sure someone has done it, but starting there would be wise.
2. Fitment - Engine mounts and the ability of the 440 setup to fit within the confines of your engine bay
3. Driveshaft length
4. I believe the later 70's 440 castings were geared for lower compression due to emissions and whatnot. So you may want to double check the cylinder head castings, block casting, find out any info you can on the internals of the engine itself.
5. Shift linkage-will you have to fabricate anything for the transmission shift linkage?
6. Removal of said 318 (probably wise to drain and remove the radiator so it doesn't get damaged)-some say it's easier to remove both engine and tranny all at once using a cherry picker. Some say it's easier to separate the two and remove them independently. Some say detach both engine and tranny as one unit and raise the car, thereby dropping the engine/tranny from below.
 
The big block can be swapped in easily with all original parts. You will need the big block trans as the big and small block have different bellhousings. Driveshaft should still fit. Radiator might need upgraded depending on what size is in it now. Exhaust will need to be totally redone.
A late 70's 440 will be low compression/cast crank. Not a powerhouse by any means. It would probably feel more peppy than a tired 318 however.
Since cost is a consideration, I'd be inclined to swap in a 360 and do a few minor performance upgrades. I assume you still have the original poly 318 rather than a later LA motor in it. You can use the original trans that way to offset some performance parts purchases.

The idea is not dumb by any means as it was factory available. If you have never done a swap before, it may not be the best time to do so if funds are tight, and time is precious too. There will always be small items that either aren't quite right or don't quite line up.

My opinion is work with what you have unless you are really trying to make power. And then, I'd skip the late 70's engine anyways if power is your goal.

Just my opinion, and good luck with your project.
 
Having done all of this effort and attended college in the past. My advise is To Drive the car as is. Spend you money and time on your studies. Then later do that car up right!

And sense It’s 99% likey you won’t listen to the above advise the engine won’t come out from the bottom of your 66 sport fury.
 
Having
Hello, I'm young, dumb, and full of bad ideas, my latest of which is that I want to 440 swap my 66 sport fury. It currently has a 318 but I have a couple leads on a 440/727 combo. Both engines Im looking at are later 70s castings. I've never done an engine swap before but the 318 just feels gutless to me. I'm also still in college so I'm trying to keep costs low. Is there anything I should be aware of or is this a straight forward swap?

Having done all of this effort and attended college in the past. My advise is To Drive the car as is. Spend you money and time on your studies. Then later do that car up right!

And sense It’s 99% likey you won’t listen to the above advise the engine won’t come out from the bottom of your 66 sport fury.

Having done all this effort and not attended college, I'm going to agree that this probably isn't a good time to do a swap. And yea, it ain't coming out the bottom.

If you really, really want to do this swap, it can be done.... First question, and this makes things a lot easier, does your car presently have a 727 trans? That will solve driveshaft and linkage issues.

Second question, do you have the tools and a place to do this? You can rent a cherry picker, but you'll need a good jack, stands etc.

Third question, have you heard this engine run? Or is it from someone you trust?

BTW, I'm in Marcellus. Say hello if you see me at any of the cruises etc.
 
Hello, I'm young, dumb, and full of bad ideas, my latest of which is that I want to 440 swap my 66 sport fury. It currently has a 318 but I have a couple leads on a 440/727 combo. Both engines Im looking at are later 70s castings. I've never done an engine swap before but the 318 just feels gutless to me. I'm also still in college so I'm trying to keep costs low. Is there anything I should be aware of or is this a straight forward swap?

As others have said: Yes. This swap can be done. But is it gonna be worth it? You will end up spending many hundreds of dollars doing this project, and the low compression / low performance 440s you are looking at are not really the best way to go. If I was you, I would focus on that 318 Poly and get it tuned up and running as best as you can. You probably don't know it, but Polys are pretty neat engines and have a high "cool factor" among the cognoscenti. A lot can be done to make them perform. Anyway, fix up the Poly and drive the car while you are in school, and then do a swap with a good 440 and all the goodies after graduation. Or sell the car at that time, and buy another car that is already done. Or just go all the way with your Poly. In any event, you will be way ahead both time and money. Here are a couple of interesting Poly videos:



 
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Hello, I'm young, dumb, and full of bad ideas, my latest of which...
Hello, I'm old, dumb, and full of bad ideas.
My bad idea to you is to work with what you have. Fix up all the little ****. Learn how to do repairs on it. Get to really know your 66 and enjoy learning all about these cars. After college, Hellcat it. :thumbsup:
 
I didn't even think about that being a Poly motor!

Hmmm.... I'd be really tempted to leave that in place and work with it... Yea, no replacement for displacement etc. but the Poly motor has some good things going for it.

Just for giving you something to think about...

img_5183-jpg.jpg
 
I didn't even think about that being a Poly motor!

Hmmm.... I'd be really tempted to leave that in place and work with it... Yea, no replacement for displacement etc. but the Poly motor has some good things going for it.

Just for giving you something to think about...

View attachment 454363

Looks like you are coming over to the dark side too, John. . .
 
A 318 Poly can be a TREASURE man! I'm old, dumb, and full of bad ideas which I still oft act on, like marriage and procreation, but if you have a Poly, you might consider keeping it. They're VERY STURDY for ONE thing, and the polyspherical heads have CANTED ANGLE VALVES which, like the Famous "Boss" and "Cleveland" motors made by a normally too conservative Detroit company, can be made to BREATHE PLENTY through that engine. You'll need to run premium gas with it, but that short stroke can wind up quick!

The BIG objection to the Poly motors was and remains their weight, but that also can be part of their virtue. Research the Poly. My own FAR wiser Elders have shown you some hints of what can be done with a Poly. If I had an old pickup with a Poly, I'd be doubly happy.

Best of all, they will take a fair number of parts meant for the later, "Light A" block engines, thus making more interesting experiments possible with them.

Check it out. ALL these C body Mopars are becoming treasures. You SHOULD TREASURE ANY RUNNING setup.

If you're majoring in Mechanical Engineering, try making your Poly a Senior Project!

Best Wishes.
 
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Hello, I'm old, dumb, and full of bad ideas.
My bad idea to you is to work with what you have. Fix up all the little ****. Learn how to do repairs on it. Get to really know your 66 and enjoy learning all about these cars. After college, Hellcat it. :thumbsup:
Trust me, hellcat was the first bad idea that ran through my head. One day I'll find a nice t-boned one on copart
 
A 318 Poly can be a TREASURE man! I'm old, dumb, and full of bad ideas which I still oft act on, like marriage and procreation, but if you have a Poly, you might consider keeping it. They're VERY STURDY for ONE thing, and the polyspherical heads have CANTED ANGLE VALVES which, like the Famous "Boss" and "Cleveland" motors made by a normally too conservative Detroit company, can be made to BREATHE PLENTY through that engine. You'll need to run premium gas with it, but that short stroke can wind up quick!

The BIG objection to the Poly motors was and remains their weight, but that also can be part of their virtue. Research the Poly. My own FAR wiser Elders have shown you some hints of what can be done with a Poly. If I had an old pickup with a Poly, I'd be doubly happy.

Best of all, they will take a fair number of parts meant for the later, "Light A" block engines, thus making more interesting experiemnts possible with them.

Check it out. ALL these C body Mopars are becoming treasures. You SHOULD TREASURE ANY RUNNING setup.

If you're majoring in Mechanical Engineering, try making your Poly a Senior Project!

Best Wishes.
Thank you for this. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I was unsure if I even had a poly but based on what everyone is saying I think I'll be sticking with what I've got.
 
Thank you for this. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I was unsure if I even had a poly but based on what everyone is saying I think I'll be sticking with what I've got.
Easy 318 Poly ID... Valve covers will look like this and the distributor is in the back.
image-jpg.jpg


Edit: Corrected
 
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Thank you for this. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I was unsure if I even had a poly but based on what everyone is saying I think I'll be sticking with what I've got.

Most Wise! Mature! Sensible! Economical!

Another NICE THING about the polyspherical A Block engine is this: Most junkyards call them "boat anchors" and you can score them DIRT CHEAP!!! That gives you plenty potential material to experiment with.
 
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