Hey guys... My friend and I picked up an AAR and there was 340 TA block in it. It is not the numbers matching motor for this AAR. This block would have come from a TA Challenger. Would like to see if I can find original TA Challenger - hopefully someone is looking for this motor. Block is 0B281271. Thank you.
340 TA block found
- Thread starter IA6Barrel
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aussiemark
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He is saying it is currently in a AAR (not numbers matching) and being a T/A block could be originally from a AAR or a T/A. It is impossible to tell from a partial VIN all we know for sure is it was fitted to a new AAR Cuda or T/A Challenger (only because it is a T/A block) in 1970 at the Hamtramck plant.
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I have checked with the AAR Registry and with the Hamtramck Registry / TA registry. They both confirmed this TA block was from a Challenger TA and NOT in an AAR. Both registries have no documentation /knowledge of the Challenger TA whereabouts. So I just have this orphaned block searching for its correct Challenger TA.
aussiemark
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Tell us more about the AAR you and your friend picked up, any more photos?
canadianclassics2
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Nice find hopefully the car is still around and it gets back in its original engine bay. My good friend Jody has a TA/AAR Lost and Found Section on his Facebook page and has a lot of blocks listed on there as well as those looking. He has been able to get blocks back to a couple of owners over the last year. I will share this VIN with him and have him list it. Wish it was mine. Looking for 0B308734.
I have spoken to Jody... Frequently actually. He stopped by my house last month on his USA parts run. No one so far has any info on this block's Challenger TA. But I'd love to find the right one for it. Pics 1 and 2 are from the day we went to see it. A long 25?year stay in this humble back yard. Pic 3 is the trip home last Sunday. It will sit for a awhile (inside) as we gotta finish my lemon twist AAR. Then maybe we start the B5 4 speed project.
aussiemark
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That is a great looking car, I like it when you can see specks of surface rust every where this means no bondo. Hope you find the Challenger that is missing the block and find the original block for this car.
canadianclassics2
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Beauty!!! Send pics when you get into. I am doing an FY1 4 Speed Mr. Norm's car that I took out of the barn after 22 years in May 2017.
mmissile
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Cool car. Did Mr. Norm's/Grand Spaulding do anything different to the car, than any other dealer's T/A??
aussiemark
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I would say it would be hard to tell if Mr Norm's dealership tuned it or someone else unless you had the original invoices from pre delivery and after sale services. I think they did some small things for free like re curve the distributor and set the carbs up on their dyno pre delivery to attract customers from other states.
canadianclassics2
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According to the original paperwork they "Dyno Tuned" it. I under stand that may have just been a spark curve adjustment and possibly a jet change in the carb(s). They usually added their Ram Horn stickers on the car and my car's sale they also added 15 X 7 Rallyes in place of the Dog Dished Steel wheels as part of the deal.
canadianclassics2
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And as Aussiemark said that is shown on the original sales documents which I purchased from Larry Weiner (Mr. Norm's) who has a lot of the original sales documents from GSD.
canadianclassics2
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Oh and I just saw where you are from....my car spent its whole life in the Richmond/ North Detroit / Goodells area its whole life till I purchased it in 2017. I am looking for my original drivetrain (4 speed) VIN 308734. It is believed to have been removed in the late 80s/early 90s and a 440 auto put in for drag racing at that time. Apparently the car was in the original owners name until 1995 or so. A Speed shop in the Detroit area did the engine installation but apparently the owner had a run in with the Law and cars at his shop were taken outta there in a hurry. Mine apparently was used to pay a debt to the engine installer who was independent from the shop. This engine installer sold the car to the gentlemen I purchased it from. If anyone knows or recalls a story like this I would love to hear from you. Thanks
aussiemark
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Maybe back track it to try and locate the original parts see if the guy you bought it from can lead you to this engine installer. Seems strange a guy would end up being given a car just for installing an engine it only takes a few hours and isn't rocket science a paint job I could understand there is a lot of time and materials involved but any handyman with a small toolbox can put an engine in.
canadianclassics2
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So this guy was a 3rd party jobber so to speak and did many cars for this shop and was owed a couple grand for his services as well as for a "loan" he had made to the owner of the shop. (This was the early 90s so a well worn Michigan T/A was not worth what it is today). I spoke to the guy I bought the T/A from who got me the name of this guy who had received it as payment for out standing $$$$. After some online searching and leaving a few voicemails I located that guy. We spoke for about 45 minutes last year and I got him to take me through the story 2 or 3 times hoping it might trigger another tidbit of info to go on. He said the shop owner was a "badass" and the last he heard the shop owner had been incarcerated. I will check my notes tonight but he knew him only by a nickname (probably knew the guys real name but wouldn't divulge it). He said this shop was well know in the Detroit area in the late 80s and into the 90s till the owner was arrested for his association with "certain" individuals. With the Mr. Norms paperwork I was able to locate the son of the original owner before I imported the car to Canada. The original owner's son came to meet me in Port Huron, MI and got a pic with the car. (He has also given me pics of the car at the track back in the day and there is 8mm video coming too). He drove to Mr. Norm's with his Dad to pick up the car in October, 1970. His Dad had the car till around 1972 or so. Then there is that gap till the early 90s. I am unsure if I can do a historical registration check in Michigan. My understanding is, from talking to the guy who got it as payment, is that when the Shop owner was arrested his wife came to collect the Shop owner's cars (those that were registered to him) to sell off to pay bills. My T/A was supposedly still in the original owner's name and did not change until this guy changed it after he got it out of the Shop. Because this one was not in the Shop owner's name he was able to get it as payback for some of the money owed to him. I know, sounds like a bit of a tall tale but that is what I got.
wingcarenvy
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I am interested in the block. My original T/A block is in another T/A In the northeast where my car came from. He is willing to trade my numbers matching block for another T/A block. If you can't find the T/A it belongs to maybe we can work out a deal. Thanks
Give me all call. 563-210-4015 Jeff
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