What's under the Hood of this car?

[JollySipper]

Can anyone tell me what engine is in this? It appears it has the rims I needed in the post I made in the trade section, if it has the engine I need, I'll be all set for my next project.......

You guys are a tremendous help, thanks......

[roadhawg]

I was thinking it had a 440.

[Nick Winter]

sort of a 360, similar to whats in the MPC dodge trucks and exactly the same as whats in the MPC Monaco's.

Nick

[JollySipper]

So its a generic engine similar to a small block? Is the distributor in the front or the back?

[Chuck Most]

It's a simplified Mopar RB (383/440) if I recall correctly. The most recent reissue has engine air cleaner decals for a few different displacements. I don't think it's a 340, as the engine in this kit has a front-mounted distributor.

[Nick Winter]

For the record I thought it was a 360, not 340.

Nick

[JollySipper]

What rims do come with the kit, just rallies?

[deja-view]

Was the 360 Mopar used in the '70s and '80s the same as what I had in my 1960 Dodge Matador? I remember mine looked like a 383, but it wasn't. I had a '58 with a 318 and that definitely looked different.

[Monty]

^{Just to keep anyone else from getting "taken" by misleading box art, be aware that this kit does not contain the factory stripe package or the Cragar SS wheels depicted above. The decal sheet is virtually worthless for a factory stock build as it is comprised mostly of blue/green ProStreet-style striping. Wheel selection consists of Cragar SSTs or stock Mopar "Rallye" wheels (never understood the spelling on that).}

[slantasaurus]

Was the 360 Mopar used in the '70s and '80s the same as what I had in my 1960 Dodge Matador? I remember mine looked like a 383, but it wasn't. I had a '58 with a 318 and that definitely looked different.

The engine you most likely had in your 60 Dodge Matador was a 361 cu in. It was in the same engine family as the 350, 383, and 400 low deck B engines.

[martinfan5]

The engine you most likely had in your 60 Dodge Matador was a 361 cu in. It was in the same engine family as the 350, 383, and 400 low deck B engines.

Low deck?, never heard that term before , what does it mean?

[Fat Brian]

Low deck?, never heard that term before , what does it mean?

The distance between the crank centerline and the top of the block is lower in the B series engines and in the later RB or raised block engines. Raising the top of the engine also extends the bores, allowing for a longer stroke and more cubic inches while maintaining common bottom end geometry and cylinder head fitment. Ford did the same with the 302, raising its deck by half and inch to make the 351 Windsor. It's basically a cheap way to get a bigger engine, you get more cubes but without all of the R&D on a totally new engine family.

On a side note, does anyone make a set of stock decals for this car?

Edited April 24, 2012 by Fat Brian

[JollySipper]

I think Round 2 has the MPC version with black stripe decals..... they show a built model but it doesn't have Road Runner written on the C-pillar or an engine call-out on the hood like a 1:1 RR would...

[deja-view]

The engine you most likely had in your 60 Dodge Matador was a 361 cu in. It was in the same engine family as the 350, 383, and 400 low deck B engines.

Yes...that was it...a 361. It was originally a 2bbl single exhaust which I immediately replaced with a Holley 4bbl and dual exhaust from (I think) a 413 setup out of the yard. It ran noticeably stronger and had enough power to rip my Torqueflight -- twice. Aamco loved me. I loved winding the thing up and pushing that upshift button. It would shift fast and hard. Too hard, obviously. I found a website with a bunch of the Matadors on it. Really cool.

But a question for you Mopar experts: Why did Dodge market the Matador AND a Polara that were identical? Back then I never came across the similar-looking Polara, but now see lots of pics of them.

[deja-view]

BTW: I can't read the letters on the yellow one, but the hood decal on the orange one definitely says "GTX 440ci".

[martinfan5]

Thats for the info about the deck height

[RickRollerLT1]

All of the reissues including the current Daisy Duke car don't have the RR bird decal. Because it's the Loony Tunes licence, which is a seperate product licence that they must pay for.