'75 Swinger, The Dartness!

Been quite a while since I last posted any progress, but rest assured, progress has been made.

Took the block to the machine shop to check everything, found the crank needed to be turned and the block had to be bored. I was keen to get the engine done so I had them order a crank kit, bore the block, Hot tank everything, put in the freeze plugs, and whatnot.

I ordered the master rebuild kit, sans the main and rod bearings (which came with the crank kit.) Upgraded it to a fancy double roller timing set (on the advice of a friend.)

After a bit of waiting, during which I pulled the slant, sanded and primed the engine compartment, bought my paint, and made a few cosmetic changes, My kit was here and my machine work was done.

I also made a trip to the junkyard and got quite a haul off an old dodge truck. 360 smog heads, 4bbl intake, electronic ignition distributor, module and wiring harness, alternator, starter, power steering pump, gauges, a bunch of brackets, and a bunch of extra bolts. The distributor, module, starter and alternator looked like new or remanufactured units, and the motor itself was a low-mile machine.

So now I have a fully assembled and primed short block, I'm finishing up the heads now with a gasket match and a pocket port before I assemble them. I still need to swap the k-member and paint under the hood, but I expect to get on that tonight once it's too late to be using power tools.

The big 360 heads are at the machine shop getting cleaned up. Those are going to be given the whole treatment, port, polish, valve job. I'm still debating on whether to get big valves or not. Most people I've talked to say it's not worth it on a small bore motor like a 318, maybe good for a tenth or two in the 1/4, and definitely not worth it in a daily driver. I also have to decide whether or not to cut the head, Since 87 octane sounds mighty friendly these days, and I'm not entirely opposed to force-feeding this beast someday later on.

I'll probably also hog out the intake to match the 360 gasket, mostly so I don't have to do it when I put my big heads on it.

I still need to get the driveshaft done , but I won't be able to do that until I get the motor in the car, and I won't be able to start and break in the motor in the car until I get the driveshaft done. SO It's back to the junkyard to go hunting for a 727 with a 30-spline output shaft. I'll also be eyeing the 1" solid sway bar I saw under that truck. ,
Though for now I need to cool off, this 90-100 degree weather is killer working outside in the middle of a parking lot.