help me build my first race car

70aarcuda said
nhra rule book is not available on line to non nhra members...I believe you can purchase a hard copy from them...

actually go to your local dragstrip and look around and ask questions to someone who has a mopar that is running a combo or as fast as you want to run...

Thanks 70AAR, I guess it has been that long for me .... ?????

Good advice. Go and see the been there and still doing it! :prayer:

64physhy said
IMO, if you are on a budget, go with a small block. It might cost a little more for the engine itself, but you need to take into account the other added costs of making the big block fit and work in the chassis. There are engine mounts out there that allow you to put a small block in a /6 K frame, but I don't think there's anything to go from/6 to big block without doing some fabrication. Plus, like everyone else said, you need to get the chassis set up first. When I built my Duster, I had the frame connectors, dana, race transmission, suspension rebuilt, etc while i was driving it around with the 318. Once I got the stroker in, all I had to do was some tweeks here and there.

Schmaucher creative services have the swap mounts and headers for this swap, though there not race headers. There covered by Hooker IIRC and Headman Headers as well as tti.

The only fabing needed in his "74" would be the motor mount to install the engine. I used regular headman header for a B body in the A body without much issue at all, though a buddy is key for ease of things. Everything else would be the same for a small block.

While I'm a small block fan, er, nut(case), I did want to do this for a long time.

IMO, the only real expense over building a stock stroke 400 over a small block is the price of slugs and fender wall headers with minor price increases with parts normally seen as more with big blocks. A few bucks for heads, a few bucks for this, that, etc......

I'm slowly doing a 400 in a 71 Duster now. It'll stay a stock stoke 400 for awhile.