Stow away and replace, or freshen existing ?

[Challenger340]

[Lord Warlock]

Really depends on if you plan on keeping it 40 years or if you plan on flipping it in 5,  If you plan on keeping it forever, I'd drive it and enjoy it as is, and when it hits 80-100k I'd pull the motor and rebuild it and reinstall or put in a crate motor.  If you plan on selling it within a few years, you'd want to keep the miles as low as possible, and its probably best to store it and buy a high horsepower crate motor to enjoy the car without risking the motor.  

When my car came close to 100k I told my dad I needed to rebuild it, he talked me out of it then, and the timing chain dropped a piece of Teflon that went thru the oil pump, and caused a cracked block a year or so later, since I put the second 440 in the car hasn't been driven  much at all in 40 years.  (crate motors weren't big back in the 80s when I put it in) the current motor in mine has 69k original miles on it. One of the biggest mistakes I made regarding my car in my youth, was to toss the original numbers matching block just because of a hairline crack in the main journal, main reason was inability to store a shortblock long term (current motor has the original heads, intake, and exhaust manifolds on it)

[cdr]

i would rebuild the original & drive the heck out of it!!!! in a previous post when you 1st got the car, you said your wife had concerns about the value of the car, if you get parts of the car separated such as the #'s engine, & GOD forbid something happened to you, it would make it more difficult for your wife to get top money for the charger.  just going from you other post about this car.

[Mopar Nut]

i would rebuild the original & drive the heck out of it!!!! in a previous post when you 1st got the car, you said your wife had concerns about the value of the car, if you get parts of the car separated such as the #'s engine, & GOD forbid something happened to you, it would make it more difficult for your wife to get top money for the charger.  just going from you other post about this car.

[tan top]

  I went for  option 3      

  I would really do !! if I had my matching # number original motor

[john108]

I did a version of Option #3.
I bought my 1968 Charger R/T off the showroom floor in 1968.
I am still working on the restoration.
I put my original engine in a Box.
Will do the same with the 727 transmission.
I have a mild 540+ HP engine ready to go in.

[Dino]

Drive it as is, rebuild the engine when it needs it.  It's just a car but one that will fetch the most with its original engine in place, even if it's tired.  Besides, how many miles do you think you'll be driving?  I drive mine as much as I can but it's near impossible to drive it all the time so my mileage is nowhere near that of a daily and this engine can take a whole lot more than a few hundred K as you know.  Then again, I'm a bit of an outlier with these cars.  There's no car in the world I love more than a 2nd gen but if I can't use it as an actual car then I have no use for it.  Drive it, enjoy it, and forget about the worries.  Life's too short to worry about these things, just use them.   

[Ghoste]

I'm going to rebuild and carefully store the numbers engine from mine.  Its replacement should be ready to go in before month end (or so).

[Lord Warlock]

So how is everyone storing their motors that they pull and ensuring they don't freeze or lock up from condensation forming in the cylinder bores? Wrap in plastic bags? then box em up, then vacuum seal the box? Just wondering, here in florida, motors don't do that well just sitting on an engine stand in the corner of the garage.  I know when I stored my car the first time when I went off to college, we parked it in the corner of the garage tight up against one wall, and poured oil down the carb until the engine stopped running, then unhooked the battery and left it there.  A year or so later, pulled the plugs and changed them, cranked until it fired and ran it till stopped smoking, seemed to work ok, but that was the whole car, not just a motor.

[69wannabe]

i would rebuild the original & drive the heck out of it!!!! in a previous post when you 1st got the car, you said your wife had concerns about the value of the car, if you get parts of the car separated such as the #'s engine, & GOD forbid something happened to you, it would make it more difficult for your wife to get top money for the charger.  just going from you other post about this car.

I also agree!!!!!! 

[myk]

How much are you planning to drive the Charger?  Unless you're planning on daily driving it I don't see you racking up a lot of miles on the car and the original block.  I would take the easiest route and just drive and enjoy it as is.  Why go through the trouble of yanking it out, building up another block, putting that back in, when you can just drive and enjoy it now.  I bet you won't put more than a thousand miles on the car in a year.  If the car were to get maybe 10,000 or more miles on it in a year then I would consider pulling the block.  As for rebuilding it, unless it has problems now I would just leave it alone.

Personally, I "try" to drive the Charger as much as I can, but I don't think I ever put more than a thousand miles on it a year...

[Beav]

I guess my question would be how hard are you going to "thump" the car?

My intention would be to moth ball the original, (especially R/T) and build a healthy (550-600 hp) street motor.

I don't "intend" to "grenade" an engine, but I KNOW I'll stick my foot in it.  If it's the original... at what point can they not be repaired?

Just keep the wife informed on what/where the original is...  (note book?)  

That's my intent when I find "mine."

Beav

[b5blue]

  #2...If you can store it safely and without extra cost. Why...Sh.t happens! Original matched # engine seems to be a make or break point for the value of an R/T in any condition. Why risk the asset aspect of the entire car? I'm certain, given it's you and not some green horn newbie, a fresh big block is not a logistical nightmare. 
  (I don't even think the dyno test is needed, a video of starting/running/driving would suffice if it covered things well like pulling and storing also.)
It would be sitting safe waiting for the future and leave it open for option later.    

[myk]

I would offer that if future plans involve selling the car for the sake of profit are important, then it'd be better to not just store the engine but the whole car, for that matter.  The world is an evil place and a lot of things can happen to a car on the roads.  My suggestion then is to find a Charger "beater" to thrash about with...Option 4, for the win...

[Cooter]

#4.....

The fact that a thread was posted.....

[Challenger340]

[Dreamcar]

A few people have said it...it depends on how much you actually drive the car in a year and how you drive it. 

But, in my opinion, I'd pull it out now and get another block simply because you have an untouched original running motor from an RT. It can only be this way once. Do what has been said and take a video of it running, then seek expert advise on how to store it long-term. If it had been rebuilt already, or was a non-RT, then I'd say just keep driving it. However, it you're one to redline it regularly, then I'd remove it, regardless if untouched or previously rebuilt.

However, if you do pull the motor for resale reasons, you have to find the right buyer who will trust the fact that an engine with that mileage doesn't need to be rebuilt. He or she may always wonder why the motor was actually pulled from the car.

Either way, you still have an awesome car

[six-tee-nine]

I recall your car as one of the most desirable survivers today.

Touching it would be kinda a shame. If you would say you want to go racing her then sell it. If you just want a good cruiser dont touch her at all....If you rebiuld the engine then you will also want to remove the dings and scratches and then the surviver is gone.

[Challenger340]

A few people have said it...it depends on how much you actually drive the car in a year and how you drive it.  

But, in my opinion, I'd pull it out now and get another block simply because you have an untouched original running motor from an RT. It can only be this way once. Do what has been said and take a video of it running, then seek expert advise on how to store it long-term. If it had been rebuilt already, or was a non-RT, then I'd say just keep driving it. However, it you're one to redline it regularly, then I'd remove it, regardless if untouched or previously rebuilt.

However, if you do pull the motor for resale reasons, you have to find the right buyer who will trust the fact that an engine with that mileage doesn't need to be rebuilt. He or she may always wonder why the motor was actually pulled from the car.

Either way, you still have an awesome car

Thanks for the opinion and kind words.
That is why I included the "pull/store and replace with another 440" option, because in my particular case as an engine builder it is very easy to do.
However,
I would go one step further in my case, and actually "DYNO" the original #'s Engine BEFORE crating it away for storage as still in "great shape".
It would NEVER be for sale obviously as it goes with the Car(when the wife disposes of it after I'm gone.)

I should clarify, I like to DRIVE IT.... with all the connotations to that term ?
hence,
I think I would feel better woop'in on it knowing the original engine was tucked away, and still in good shape, to be easily re-installed for any future owner.
As you said, they are only "original" once.... and I don't think many R/T's are left still powered by their original & untouched #'s matching 440 Magnums in good shape ? Which then it could still be put back in someday.
Most ? if not all ? have already had their engines rebuilt/restored ?

[firefighter3931]

On a car that nice and original ; I would pull the numbers engine and store it....then build something fun and enjoy the car as it was meant to be. 

Last thing you need is a cheezy stock rod bolt letting go and ruining your day ! 


Ron

[Bronzedodge]

At 134 k I would check the timing chain so you don't kiss a valve.  I was wondering about my chain in my H code 383 at 150 k when it decided to jump and I had 14 pushrods smiling at me. 

[Sublime/Sixpack]

Another thing to consider is the nylon/plastic coating that is on the cam gear from the factory on these engines. Being 45 years old now it's probably compromised and possibly breaking off the gear and falling into the oil pan, which can clog the oil pick up and cause the engine to lose oil pressure. This happened to me on the original 383 in my '69 Super Bee clear back in 1995 (although it did have 173K miles on it at the time). Fortunately I was driving along at 30 to 35 mph when it happened. I first heard the lifters become noisy then looked at my oil pressure gauge and saw that I had zero oil pressure. Turned the engine off immediately, pulled over, checked the oil level to find it was fine. A few minutes later hit the starter to fire the engine up and had good oil pressure. The second time this happened I pulled the engine, and when I dropped the pan I found lots of pieces of that nylon coating in the bottom of the pan. Had this happened when I was driving it hard there's a good chance I'd no longer have the original #'s matching engine.
FWIW I pulled the 383, dropped in a 440 six pack, then rebuilt the original engine, ran the new cam in, (in my run-in stand) then tagged it as the being the original 383 engine for the Super Bee and set it on a dolly. I still put it in the run-in stand every now and then to run it, then prep it for storage for when it sits.
I think if I were you I'd at least pull the front cover and replace the timing chain and gear set if I was going to drive it much, just to be on the safe side.
Of course you do have other options.

[Chargerguy74]

I'd pull and store it for sure. I don't think my matching engine and trans will ever be in my car again as long as I own it. It makes driving it much more enjoyable. No worrying about windowing a numbers block if I miss a shift.

[Bob T]

Pull it out for a freshen up, put it back in, nothing too radical and drive it.
Does it warrant the extra expense to find a donor motor and build that?, how long do you want to live - let the next owner rebuild the original motor again when and if you do finally sell it or your wife does when you do eventually peg out.

My original #'s R/T has 108500 miles on it, iron heads and an upgraded cam at some stage, of that I've done the 8500, lots of cruising and occasional drags, just a good all round long distance reliable cruiser, just drive it man and don't worry about it.

[Stegs]

Pull it out for a freshen up, put it back in, nothing too radical and drive it.
Does it warrant the extra expense to find a donor motor and build that?, how long do you want to live - let the next owner rebuild the original motor again when and if you do finally sell it or your wife does when you do eventually peg out.

My original #'s R/T has 108500 miles on it, iron heads and an upgraded cam at some stage, of that I've done the 8500, lots of cruising and occasional drags, just a good all round long distance reliable cruiser, just drive it man and don't worry about it.

this is what im doing with my car. I dont have the original motor, but im going to have the 440 freshened up and drive it....fix stuff that needs fixing