Poll, what to do with my 74 - DECIDED

[Moparmatt]

Call me crazy, but I voted for the 318... Now before everyone actually starts to call me crazy, its (A) the original displacement engine that came with the car, which looks good from a purists standpoint and (B) for about $1,000 Hot Rod magazine (a while back) built a 318 up to 407hp. 150hp or so to 407 for about $1000... I'd say with a little more invested that "little" 318 could be putting out some pretty big numbers...

[Mopar73340]

Call me nuts to but I prefer the Smallblocks so I'm voting on the 318 or the 360.

[Carlwalski]

Cheers Wheels, Yip I'm bloody rapped!!  

[torredcuda]

I`d swap in the 360-more cubes,cheap to buy and biuld,were an option that year and everything bolts up,no changing radiator,looking for pulleys etc.

[whitesatinmopar]

Some where in this 3 page thesis, I found your answer, it's not a big block because I believe you were also concerned about $$$$$. To do the big block game you not only have to buy the engine/drivetrain you will also have to upgrade you suspension front and back, k-member, brakes, just basically rebuild the chasis. For the dollar I would not consider either rebuilding that 318 into a war horse, I think it would be a mistake down the road,especially if resale is in your vocabulary. The answer?: in my opinion invest your money in a new 360 crate, for the buck I seriously doubt if you can beat the product. No it is not a B.B, but friend it will put that Chally through anything you want to consider. I'm just saying, for the least investment I honestly believe that will give you the overall best result.

I chuckled when the thought of weight and hills and curves was brought up with the 440, if the car is built to handle a built 440 the 440 will handle the car! I know a guy who  ran a monster 440 all over this Mopar land dragracing, he bought and built a hemi for nastagia class racing, he's begining to wonder if he did the right thing. Oh yeh, big horses, big everything, including BIG $$$$$$$$. Fortunately  he has some sponsorship money to help out. Do I want a hemi? Your damn right I do, but just the little street model please .

Did I mention 360 crate engine for your consideration.?

[Wheels]

Well, this thread has been taking a turn...  Thanks for all the input.  Seems the small block is making some good points.  Ive never owned a big block car to be honest so thats why Im soliciting all your vast experience and knowlege  .  This is going to be a tough decision.  

I understand the big block will cost more so the only  rebuttle for Whitesatinmopar is I need to buy a 727 anyway for a 360, and Ive got a line on a limited slip rear end with low 3 gears that will fit the 8 3/4.  The front end is getting rebuilt also.  I thought the K member could just have new mounts welded on.  

I have disk brakes in the front too, do big block cars have larger rotors and drums?

hmmm  well, I dont want to beat this subject to death, just looking for various opinions...  

Oh, as for $$  I paid $500 for the car and have only a couple hun into it so far.  I dont think either way I will loose money.

[BIG MIKE]

i like the small blocks...i like the 340 the best then the 318 & 273...


i already had the machine work done to my 340(building a spare) when i got my 70 challenger and i didn't want the same setup as i have in my 72..so i went to the dealer to get  a price on a 340 bare block and found out it was a couple hunder more than the hemi and i figured if i was ever going to have one now is the time to build..

i got a hemi mega block that the bore starts at 4.50 and the stock hemi is 4.25.......long story short it will be a 528

[Wheels]

528.......  holy moly...  you going to brace the frame so the car doesnt turn into a pretzel!  lol.

Ive been surfing the suspension web sites...  looks like its either PST or Performance Suspension poly kit.

[Wheels]

Getting off topic.....

What do you think of PST Suspension or Performance Suspension?  I checked the Performance Suspension G-force stage 3 kit, which is the bushing kit, 4 KYB's, front and rear sway bars, torsion bar and leaf springs...  for 908 bucks!  
Are these quality components or is it Kmart?

http://www.performancesuspension.com/gmachStageI.htm

[lemonboy69]

That's good stuff... I'd go with it!! Performance Suspension and PST are about the same quality... never had a problem with PST when my dad and I were doing his suspension on his Challenger...

LB

[JS27N0B]

Sorry,

Iv'e owned alot of small blocks and will never own another. You can't beat the driveability of a big block(torque) If your looking for a cheap swap find a big Chrysler with a 440(they can be found cheap) and swap er in. Make a few changes to the existing wiring harness and your done, leave it stock for awhile if you want, it will be a whole lot more fun than the 318 was.

Its your car...... have fun with whatever you decide

[Street_Challenged73]

Wheels, although I have yet to purchase anything from PST, I've heard they are a great quality suspension company.  Before you choose your kit, you may also want to look at:  http://www.energysuspension.com  My cousin used them for his car and really liked the price for quality performance parts.  

[Wheels]

Thanks Street,  I'll checkem at lunch time!

JS,  It has been a lot of fun kicking this around with you all.  The 440 is winning the vote!
BTW...  JS, my 71 conv looked just like yours..... but B5 blue, minus 2 cyl.

[Wheels]

After a few weeks of deliberation I have made my decision.......

Thanks to you all who have offered insight and your suggestions.    I am amazed how many people thought I should go with the 440 setup and was definately the top vote getter.  With the 440 came some great advantages and blingage!

The 383 was not as popular probably due to availability and cost........

The 318 was becoming my last choice due to it being bored .060 already and spending 3k on goodies for a 318 was not the logical thing to do in my perspective since the numbers did not match.

I found a sweeeeeeeet deal on a crate motor, all high performance goodies too.   Also a possible buyer to run the 318 til it wears out.... which it still has many good miles left in it.

If you havent figured it out already..... the winner is....





.....






 The 360,  380 horse crate engine.  Its an engine available for that year, and I have most of my 318 accessories to bolt right on.....  

It was a tough decision but the last few guys posts about the 360 and the cost, along with the deal I got on it sold me.
Thanks for partaking in my poll...  sorry I didnt go with the popular vote but I think this is the best setup for me and this car.

I'll post some pics as I progress....

[360 'CUDA]

 


HOOOOOO--RAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!
now do a couple of things to lighten the load
and go kick some booty