Keep the small block?

[callofthemopar]

Need opinions on this one. I have a 73 charger with a nice body and interior. I traded a few hundred dollars of stuff for it and I had to rebuild the trans. My Question is if I only want a cruiser should I beef up the 318 just for a little more grunt and sound or should I put the 383 with 727 in it. I have everything big block from a parts car I will need. My only hang up on doing the swap is fuel economy. I would like to drive and enjoy the car but do not need the speed I had to have when I was younger. I already know what most of you are going to say but just keep in mind my main goal is cruiser with nice choppy sound.

Thanks

 

[19polara64]

Keep the 318, they can make good power with a few simple mods. I used to have a 67 barracuda with a near stock 273, man was that car fun!

 

[Ron 73]

I have a 318 in my 73 with a decent cam and 4-barrel with headers, hard to beat it the way your describing what your after, i know what most will probably say myself but you can get more HP then i have in mine and it sounds even better.. ill leave this video but its a cheap camera and poor sound but should give you an idea, with cherry bombs, its more then loud enough, i want to change that one day to a more quiet muffler but to many other things to do it now. I was playing with a old carb which i ended up changing but, hope this helps... Good luck which ever way you go.

[video=youtube;Rpp2tnA5hRE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Rpp2tnA5hRE[/video]

 

[YY1]

My 73 has a totally stock, original motor, with factory manifolds, but the PO put on a nice aluminized full dual exhaust with Dynomax clone mufflers.

I get "sounds good" from strangers A LOT.

..and it does sound pretty good.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I love 318s. I have a fresh one sittin on the shop floor now. 9.2:1, eddy air gap intake, Lunati VooDoo cam, magnum heads. Look up "Frankenteen" on here. That's it. I'm in Georgia. If you're interested, I will make you a good deal on it. You couldn't build one for what I'll take for it.

 

[old tired rebel]

Rob show him that 318 build thread.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Cliffie I reckon you mean this one.....

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?46826-How-Much-HP-Can-You-Get-Out-a-318

 

[YY1]

If he keeps offering it up, I might have to drive up and get it.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Well.....I'll put it like this. I originally built it to go in my rat truck BEFORE my Hemi because I thought the Hemi would take a long time. But when it's done in the machine shop this time, it will be ready to assemble. So that means I will have nothing for Frankenteen to go in, so I will need to sell it. Even moreso since my wife and I are now unemployed. The only thing.......if you're not going to put it in a truck, it will need a different oil pan and pickup. I even have the magnum serpentine setup for it including the correct P/S pump and bracket. I'm not far off from putting it on Ebay and Craigslist.......but I would rather someone here get it, because it's gonna be a super nice little motor.

 

[YY1]

...and that "little" 150 net HP 318 (well 170 after the duals, right?) has plenty of power to pull the 3770 pound Satellite around and keep up with traffic, not to mention passing just about all that I care to (including some gas stations).

Your charger is likely heavier (closer to 4000, especially if it's an SE), but shouldn't matter much.

 

[RustyRatRod]

It depends on the year model the 318 is. A lot of them were 230 HP from the factory. With a 2bbl.

 

[YY1]

That's 230 GROSS.

I'm talking NET.

It took until the Magnum to get the 318 to 230 NET HP.

 

[YY1]

The 1992 magnum, that is.

Come on, man, you know that.

 

[callofthemopar]

Thanks guys for all your replies. Looks as if I will be keeping the teen. I can allways shelf the 383,727,big block length drive shaft, and so on just in case I change my mind.

- - - Updated - - -

And about the Weight of the charger. I seen a decal on the door that said more than 4,300. could that be right? I can say 3rd gen is no race car because of the weight and the ones I have had hook and go kinda like a pickup truck.

- - - Updated - - -

You got me thinking on that frankenteen. The charger I have is optioned nicely, It has bucket seats, slapstick console, working ac, power bulge hood, rear defrost blower, roll down Quarter windows, remote trunk release, go wing and chin spoiler, rallye wheels, front and rear anti sways, and a few other things. I am thinking that frankenteen would be the topper for it.

 

[UKPlymouth]

Hope no one minds me chipping in on this discussion, but it's about small block B bodies too. My 73 Roadrunner will be on the road soon. Has a completely rebuilt (crank/pistons/heads etc...) 340 motor, 10.1 compression, mild cam, 2000 stall, 727 with a Tf2 shift kit and 3.22 rear.
It's my first b body. Do you reckon it will have sufficient grunt to get out of its own way?
Previous Mopars have been A body 360 high 13 second car.

 

[callofthemopar]

I believe that the 340 was one hard hitting small block. Kinda equal to chevy 327 in that it was under rated in hp to throw off insurance companies rates. should pull real hard. The 318 is weak compared to a 340. I do not think you will be disappointed.

 

[YY1]

The 340 has 22 more cubes, and got better heads, better cam, and a 4 barrel from the factory.

That's pretty much it.

You might be surprised to learn that some years the 318 actually had higher compression than the 340.

Your 4300# might be GAVR "gross weight"- full of gas, luggage and 4 or 5 passengers.

Most performance engine build manuals indicate 3800# for a target weight.

If you're lighter...all the better.

 

[rumblefish360]

Talk to the cam companies for a cam that will help with a low compression engine. This will help a lot with the build.

 

[Bruzilla]

My rule of thumb is always go with the best engine you can afford. I've been around this hobby for a long time, and I've yet to hear any owner say "I really regret going with that big block and wish I had gone with a 318." I have heard lots of guys express regret for going the other way, and unless you've got lots of money to spend, I always recommend investing in a big block over putting it into a small block.

As for gas costs, I had the same dilemma when I was deciding when to convert my road runner from a 360 to a 440, and I got the answer from an appliance repair guy who came to my house to fix our washer and was asking me about the car. I told him I was wanting to upgrade to a 440 but gas prices were holding me back, and he said so what if you get less mileage since this isn't going to be a car you drive everyday. He was right. I was looking at the road runner the same way I would view a daily commuter car instead of one that's driven infrequently. So I would say look at how often you actually drive your car, and figure out what the real impact of going from a 318 to a 383 would be. It's probably a lot less than you think.

If you lower the mileage by say 40% on a car you're driving say 50 miles a day on, there's an impact. But what's the impact of lowering the mileage on a car you drive 50 miles a week? There's an impact, but not all that much. And compare that impact to the joy you'll get out of having the extra ponies to smoke some uppity kid in a Mustang or Camaro from time to time. The value of that moment will far exceed the cost of a few extra bucks worth of gas.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I never have acknowledged net horsepower. Kinda like I never have acknowledged the 1/8 mile. Same difference.

The 1992 magnum, that is.

Come on, man, you know that.