New guy with a 70 Duster

Steve,

Welcome to the world of superior engineering!

Here's what you need to do....

1. Find somebody to trade you a small block 904 transmission for that heavy over-kill-for-a-360 727. You'll save weight, horsepower and clearance, and will pick up probably a car length and a half in the process.

2. Go to the (Schumacher Creative Services) engine swap website that somebody posted for you earlier and purchase the 340/360 mounts that work with a slant 6 K-frame for your year. Without these bolt-in mounts from Schumacher, you'll have to change the entire front crossmember (called a K-Member) that the suspension (A arms, etc.) is bolted to.... and I know you don't need THAT drill...

3. Go to Bouchillon or Lokar (both have online websites with catalogs) and get a throttle cable AND a throttle pressure cable for the 904. It's lots easier than trying to track down and properly adjust the OEM transmission linkage.

4. Don't let anybody talk you into trying to run this thing with 318 exhaust manifolds. Get a set of 360 exhaust manifolds that will work in an A body. I can't tell you exactly what fits; the 340 manifolds will fit for sure, but they're lots of bucks and don't pass much more air than the 360 log manifolds. Some folks say that the 318/360 Magnum truck exhaust manifolds can work, with custom down-pipes (head-pipes?)

If this isn't a race car, nobody I know of makes a decent header that doesn't hang low, and lots of folks have problems with the low-hanging pipes getting flattened on speed bumps and other un-yielding high spots. If it IS going to be seeing some duty as a race car, buy a set of TTI headers ($$$$$$) and you'll be glad you did; they don't have any low-hanging pipes and are fairly easy to install. They aare a work of art, in my opinion, but overkill for a daily driver because of the cost.

5. Get the correct flexplate for the 360 "external balance" motor. B & M makes a good one, but there are other alternatives; you can buy a kit from Mopar Performance, and weld the weights onto a neutral balance (318) converter, but the B & M is easier if, like me, you don't weld.

6. Locate an 8.25" rear axle housing, complete, from any '73-up V-eight "A" body car and bolt it in. You'll need new (bigger) U-bolts. She won't break it. The OEM 7.25" that comes in /6 cars is made out of toasted egg whites and will shatter at the first opportunity, with a 360 in front of it. Some early 318's also had that rear end (my '72 Valiant 318/904 did.)

BTW, the 8.25" rear is one that's bigger than the (7.25") rear end that's in your car, but still has a removeable plate on the backside, just larger and rounder... The larger, heavier, stronger, 8.75" rear end has a dropout center section (or, "third member") similar to a 9" Ford. That rear end would also work well in your car, but if you're not going to race it, the extra expense probably wouldn't be worth it.

7. A new drive shaft will probably have to be made, but since it will be shorter than the one that's in there right now, simply shortening that one might work okay.

8. Dual exhausts are not a have-to case, but would sound GREAT; she'll love you for them... Probably pick up some gas mileage in the process.

9. Get ready for some minor wiring glitches; some of the wiring harness leads will probably be too short, while others might be unnecessarily long, but that's no biggee... wire is cheap. Well, sort of...

10. The transmission support crossmember is the same; V8 or /6.... somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

11. Someone already mentioned the bigger radiator, a must.

12. Put some tires on the back that you don't like because this thing will shred them in short order... seriously; 360s make gobs of torque... If she has a heavy foot, you might consider putting something under the accelerator pedal.... LOL!

It's gonna be so much fun that you'll forget you ever owned a Camaro!!!

I kid you not....

Good luck with this. We're here to help!