Big Block Swap
Im needing help;I just took the 318 out of my 1976 duster and I'm looking to stick a 383 in it but i have no clue on and parts or procedures for fitment I'm just wanting to stick in it and drive
You can't just "stick it in and drive".
1.) You'll need custom motor mount brackets or mods to the K member. Countless threads on here about this, "Search" is your friend. Not currently in production, but rumor has it they'll be back soon, Schumacher's was recently acquired by another company and they are promising new inventory. We'll see.
2.) The smallblock trans will not fit the 383. Different bolt pattern. You'll have to source a bigblock (passenger car) tranny to go with the 383. If your current smallblock trans is a 727, your driveshaft will still work- if its a 904 you'll need to shorten your current one or have a new one made. You'll also need a 727 slip yoke.
3.) Radiator. You may or may not need a different radiator, check your top & bottom inlet/outlets to make sure they will work with the 383. The inlets/outlets changed sides over the years and between big & small blocks.
4.) Exhaust. Depends largely on if you have power steering, but your 3 main options are: factory A body big block manifolds, TTI and Doug's headers. None are cheap. Some people have used B/C body hipo manifolds, but they require steering column mods and may not work with P/S. And the lead time/availability on these things is horrendous right now.
Reconsider using a small block. Much more straightforward. You need to do a little more research before you just start yanking stuff apart only to find out parts are not available or that things don't fit together the way you thought.
