318 to 360

[drobertson]

Look guys.... let's not argue. I would prefer a 340, but they are much harder to find. Especially in Wyoming. (lowest populated state). If I do find a 340, I'll drop it in. But for now I've found a 360 for $200.

 

[Longroof]

I think your doing fine and going in the right direction with the 360. Also if you want you can keep the 904 transmission just need a 360 torque converter for it with the counter weights. No need for driveshaft changes.

 

[mopar 3 B]

You just have to excuse those on here that do not understand the concept of engine replacements and practicality. You have found a good combination at a good price even in Wyoming parts for it should not be that hard to find. Put it together and enjoy.

 

[challenger6pak]

Both the 340 and 360 are good motors. You would be hard pressed to find a good running 340 for $800. $200 for the 360 is a good deal. As far as your old 318, you may want to keep it. I have put together several of the 390 kits for a 318. They run very well and you can build it while you run your 360.

 

[drobertson]

Ok, sounds good to me. I'll keep and rebuild the 318, suggested by challenger6pak, and I may drop the 318 in another car.

 

[charger360]

the 360 is a great engine for a charger the longer stroke will give you extra torque for the big car. the cast crank is lighter that the forged 340 crank so you will not have any issues there either. it may not have had the same performance image as the 340 but it is far from crap! I build a lot of smallblocks for folks and unless it is a numbers resto we build them 360 based engines and let the wine and cheese resto crown snap up the much more expensive 340's the extra 20 cubes is great and unless you are building a high winding or nitrous engine you don't need a forged crank.

 

[challenger6pak]

Chryslers cast cranks work fine. I used to take junk yard 318's, hone them, and put higher compression pistons in them. I would use the 474 purple shaft cam, stock 340 heads and an after market intake manifold on them. Lastly I would hit them with a 400hp hit of NOS. I would get through a season on the strip with this cheap motor. I broke a few things but never the cast crank. Only with a 4 speed did I have trouble with a cast crank. Trouble was at the trust bearing. Autos worked forever.

 

[rumblefish360]

When it comes to small blocks, there's aways a few people constantly stating over and over again what the better engine is until your eyes bleed. They never see past there noses while the banter runs on and on at the expense of your thread. They care not for your budget. Even though you can not afford the more expensive 340, you still get called a name (like stupid or dumb for your choice) and your car is ridiculed because of it.

Today's players are not under fire by my post but everyone in some way shape or form have gone down this route over something.

Enjoy the swap and the fun that comes with the job and job done.

 

[pentahead]

I had a 30 over 78 360 with stock heads back cut valves, 72 stock 340 intake and carb with edebrock cam with duals and 3:91 in a 84 Fifthave....sleeper...spanked alot of "mudstains" in the day.

 

[monaco66coupe]

To Me a 73' Charger would do very well with the 360, as the extra weight of the car needs the low end torque. I put a lot of miles on the 360 Magnums back in the eighties. But I was surprised when I drove the 79' 300 to find the HP version ran way better then the stock 360. Four barrel, 727 non lockup, 3:21 ratio 9 1/4 rear.
However, Budget issues aside, The 340 was referred to as the Baby Hemi by Chrysler for a reason. A 69' 340 Dart with good gas is a ball to drive. It will hit 5000 RPM faster than any 360, and will shift there over and over.. If anyone here used to ride Motorcycles in the 70's( I did) The power band was like the 73' 900 Kawasaki. At an idle very sedate, but rev it up, you better hold on. Many friends raced against a mopar 340 in the day, and they all said the same: I had to catch them by 60 mph, or it was all over.
I drive both of those to this day, and they just have a different personality. Both good.

 

[pentahead]

My friend had a 72 cuda, 360, 4:10 and ended up spliting the trunk pan over the axle..true..every 340 i eas in had to reved to make power, no bottom

 

[UKPlymouth]

I actually run a 340 in my '73 Roadrunner so I thought I'd chip in. My car did need some work to get it up to what I thought was respectable performance.
Without listing everything hi compression Pistons were a must and I think would be good money spent on a 360 (I've also had 2 X 360 A bodies) as they are cheap.
My motor really came alive once I'd fitted the hi dollar parts which were a set of IMM Indy heads and TTI headers.
The car is now pretty fast and loves to be driven hard. It feels more like a muscle car now than a cruiser.
I agree with others that the extra torque in the 360 is worth quite a bit, but I'd up the compression and git a torquey camshaft to really enjoy the benefits whilst the engine is out of the car.

 

[rumblefish360]

Look guys.... let's not argue. I would prefer a 340, but they are much harder to find. Especially in Wyoming. (lowest populated state). If I do find a 340, I'll drop it in. But for now I've found a 360 for $200.

Great move, best bang for the buck, more torque and the same (or very dang close) HP at a lower rpm for less money than a 340 where the block costs 2-3 times of the whole 360 you picked up. Not including travel or shipping expense.

 

[drobertson]

Wow I can't believe this thread came back to life. Update: the Charger se I decided to restore to original factory appearance. It's running and driving now. When I started this thread, I knew almost nothing about auto mechanics. Since then, I have bought a second 1973 Dodge Charger, but this is a hardtop one instead. I have also rebuilt an A-727 TQ,0a 904, x3 318's, and a chevy 350 since this thread was created. As for the 360 idea, I completely ditched it for the all original SE Charger. Now for my hardtop charger, I'm gonna order a mopar performance 440 cid super commando small block, a tci streetfight 727, gear vendors overdrive, new dana 60 rear end from classic ind., MSD ignition, MSD atomic EFI, etcetera.

 

[rumblefish360]

Look on line for a better converter starting with;

PTC
Dynamic

and the list will grow from here, but there dynamite converters.

 

[Bb70charger500]

I know this is an old thread and the argument is over but.. I wanted to chip in about the greatest small block in the world the 360 .yes it mostly came in a truck but also came in a bunch of cars to like the ultra rare 74 charger rallye 360 magnum car the 360 is a great upgrade over a 318 any day. And for the price there a no brainer. Yes there not 400hp 440's but they have more umf then a 318 they bolt right in and will get you a little more hp and deff more tourq the best part of the 360 is your mpg will go up And there cheap to buy and build. Yes a 72 and earlier 340 is the greatest small block but most can't get one the late 72 and later are no better then the 360 . (Non forged internal s ) I myself run 360's in most every car I build because it's the best all around driver setup you got to remember your not racing your car every day so a 500+ hp 440 is cool but useless and very costly . So this is for anyone looking for information so your not detoured from the 360 it's a great little motor

 

[drobertson]

I have a 360, but I plan to swap it into my 1982 ram. I have some relatives who will sell me a 340 for 800 bucks when they find one. For my charger, I'm gonna keep the 318 for a year or two and then drop in a mopar performance 440 small block. No I don't need 500+ horsepower, but its fun. If I want good gas mileage, I'll install an efi system on it.

 

[chargerrt340]

What kind of gas mileage do you get with you 360 magnum? I have never heard of a 360 that beats a 318 in MPG. I get high teens to 21MPG. Super curious because I am contemplating a 340/383 or 5.7/6.1 hemi build - never really thought about a 360 magnum. I would like more information on your 360 build because I want more muscle but not at the loss of daily performance if you know what I mean.

 

[rumblefish360]

Built exactly the same way, the 360 @ 42 cubic inches bigger will not ever get better mileage. Building a 360 for max mileage may get you close until you do the same tricks to the 318. Never worry about mileage unless your building it for mileage.

Best mileage I have gotten with my LA 360 was 20. I know where I could go to get more mileage but that wasn't part of the wallets plan. It was backed by a lock up 904, 2.76 gears & 245/60/15's. Carter/Fed-Mougal 625 & a MSD. 2-1/4 H piped dual exhaust.

 

[hemihead]

340 vs 360 . The way I look at it , If you have the $$$ and can find one , the 340 is probably the better deal because of the fact to get it to perform you have to spend less to do it . 360's come much cheaper but you have to spend to get them to perform . I have a 360 in my 73 Charger . i have another 73 that is a 340 Rallye that I am looking for a 340 for . The 340's are crazy money . It also depends on what you want to use it for . For racing I'd go 340 . More top end power . If you just want something to play with on the street , go to car shows , etc . you can't beat a 360 . Low end Torque is what you want on the street . And don't start me ranting about guys with their obsession with 440 's .