Cheapest route for a Magnum swap in a 67

[Secret Chimp]

My 67 Coronet wagon's original 318 is starting to leak everywhere (rear corner of one head, freeze plugs behind the bell housing) and generally pushing me to install something better.

I don't have a lot of money to throw at the thing, but it makes more sense to just swap the motor now and be good to go for years and years, vs wondering if I'm just going to spin a bearing next year if all I do is spend the same amount of time and probably half the money doing fix-a-leak on my current motor.

I've located some decent candidate 5.2Ls for around 700-ish bucks. I'm not using a 5.9 in the interest of economy. I'll be using a carb, not trying to adapt to EFI right now. (Car is used pretty much the way it was originally sold for now, save handling parts, so gas matters and power not so much - mid-high 200's for HP is more than enough for me)

Here's parts I could use your guys' help the most - I've spent a lot of time googling and am not sure:

1. What's the easiest thing to do for accessories? I won't be able to use my v-belt PS pump, I assume the modern PS pump is incompatible with my old box, and I also assume the junk off my 67 iron water pump/timing cover motor won't all fit right on a Magnum. I'm wary of this part becoming expensive.
I do have a newer-style LA aluminum water pump and timing cover, if that makes a difference.

2. Intake: Any reason to not just have my Eddie Performer redrilled for the vertical bolt holes at the machine shop? Crosswinds intakes are kind of pricey vs some quick shop labor.

3. Oil pan and pickup: can I reuse my old engine's mid sump pan and pickup with a different gasket, or do I need to source something newer (what?)?

4. Balancer/flexplate/TQ - I'm reusing my 727. Do I need to have both a weighted balancer and a weighted TQ, or just the balancer?

5. What I'm not asking about that's going to screw me midway through this ;)


This is kind of a daunting project for me but I need to do it. This is my first and only Mopar - I bought it knowing nothing 3 years ago and now it's a practical member of the family that I want to keep running on into the era of battery-powered Googley cars for the masses. I appreciate your guys' expertise

 

[66 coronet deluxe]

Why don't you pull your 318 and do cheap rebuild on it? You have the motor already. I would just do a hone cleanup rebuild and put your money into brand new rings, cam, lifters and gasket / bearing kit. I had a lot of fun with the 318 in my coronet before I pulled it and went to big block. It got decent mileage too with a holley 600. Save yourself the headaches and keep it simple.

 

[Secret Chimp]

I can't really do a rebuild for cheap. I'm not tooled or skilled to do anything with engine assembly short of putting heads on. I've only been doing Mopars or old cars in general for the past 3-4 years or so.

Once I add up everything I'd need my local shop to do for me, I'm pretty much at the same cost as a junker Magnum 5.2 with good compression numbers. I don't want to spend that much money on a motor that is less powerful and economical.

 

[mopar 3 B]

Good old 318's are not that hard to find and no one seams to want them. I have seen a few givin away in perfect runing condition just to get rid of them. Any block from 67 to 87 will set in there with no engine or transmission mods.