1972 318 street build

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what about sway bars while we are on the subject of suspension and steering should i do fron and rear or one or the other? again i know its not gonna be an all out race car but i do want to increase handling and steering at higher speeds
 
I looked at the QA1 k frame which uses the torsion bars, a arms, but couldn’t justify it. There is nothing like hearing the first motor you build run. As you learn more and more about engines in general and mopar small blocks in particular you will realize that cylinder heads are where to put your money. You can’t ignore the other things,because everything has to work together, but you will soon realize that horsepower is addictive! I started where you are. I just wanted a fun street car happy if it ran 12.99! Well happy until I wanted 11.99 and so on and so forth. Ask a million questions and learn from other people mistakes.
 
Not a road course guy and may not be applicable to anything you are looking to do, but it seems to me that there are two schools of thought on controlling suspension movement. 1) stiff springs to control the suspension or 2) soft springs and shocks/sway bars to control the suspension. So you could get real stiff torsion bars to control body roll and live with the rough ride or get standard torsion bars and a big sway bar to control body roll. The long and short of it is that its easier to adjust the suspension using the shocks than changing springs. Most important set a realistic goal and have fun.
 
My .02C , most new engine builders don't know how important cleanliness is . Duburring the block is important . Have your block cleaned twice : first time after you deburr it . buy a gun cleaning kit @ Walmart and use it to clean oil galleys and feeds . Second time after machine work is done just before final assembly . Clean , clean , clean . Also , check every dimension . Do not take ANYTHING for granted . You'll be amazed at the things that get missed . good luck
 
383Scampman said:
My .02C , most new engine builders don't know how important cleanliness is . Duburring the block is important . Have your block cleaned twice : first time after you deburr it . buy a gun cleaning kit @ Walmart and use it to clean oil galleys and feeds . Second time after machine work is done just before final assembly . Clean , clean , clean . Also , check every dimension . Do not take ANYTHING for granted . You'll be amazed at the things that get missed . good luck
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i know man i have been telling loads of people that like i said i have rebuilt lots of engines but never did any performance upgrades like i am now so thats why im kinda lost lol but thanks for the input man
 
1969moparDART said:
i know im not gonna have enough power to break anything its the principal though that im talking about, and i know the k member is kinda pricey but i need a new one anyway
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Why do you need a new "K" member? Rotted out? Bent up? Tubular "K" member is gonna eat your $3000.00 budget all by itself.........if the one you have is un-serviceable, get a factory stocker, $100.00 should get you one.
 
JBurch said:
Why do you need a new "K" member? Rotted out? Bent up? Tubular "K" member is gonna eat your $3000.00 budget all by itself.........if the one you have is un-serviceable, get a factory stocker, $100.00 should get you one.
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guy before me had the front end slammed to the ground by just loosening his torsion bars so its beat up beyond repair and has 3 welds already, i was gonna get a tubular from a buddy for 350 but from what i hear the stock k member is stronger so thats what i will use
 
1969moparDART said:
quick question does anybody know roughly what my CI will be with a 4 inch stroke and .030 over bore, and to add to my original plan im gonna go .030 over and im looking at either 3.79'' stroke or 4.00'' stroke, im sorry if i change my ides to much im just looking for information because im 17 and i understand engines and can build them stock all day long but i have never done any real performance
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PI x (RxR) x H x 8
PI times radius squared, times stroke times 8 cyl

.030 overbore, 4 inch stroker crank
3.1459(2.015x2.015)x4x8 = 3.1459x4.06x4x8 = 408.7
 
Not sure if it's been mentioned, but when you build a stroker, you need to ensure there is adequate space between the crank counter weights and internal structure of the block. I've seen somewhere you are looking for 0.1" min. Sometimes a die grinder is required. It might not be an issue on small block mopars but is on other builds.
 
Capture.JPG
Stock 318 bore is 3.910. .030 is 3.940. A +.030 318/stock stroke is a 323.1. A 4" stroke +.030 is a 390.2
 
Cuda416 said:
Not sure if it's been mentioned, but when you build a stroker, you need to ensure there is adequate space between the crank counter weights and internal structure of the block. I've seen somewhere you are looking for 0.1" min. Sometimes a die grinder is required. It might not be an issue on small block mopars but is on other builds.
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yeah thats something that has been on my mind since my first thought of this build
 
1969moparDART said:
i know man i have been telling loads of people that like i said i have rebuilt lots of engines but never did any performance upgrades like i am now so thats why im kinda lost lol but thanks for the input man
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If you've rebuilt lots of engines in the past, then moving on to adding performance up grades is not THAT big of a deal.......think about what the changes are and how will they affect your engine, having built engines in the past says that you are familiar with, and comfortable with measuring tools, use them so you know what you have
 
1969moparDART said:
i know man i have been telling loads of people that like i said i have rebuilt lots of engines but never did any performance upgrades like i am now so thats why im kinda lost lol but thanks for the input man
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Sounds like you can do this assembly on your own. that is good for the budget!
 
My thoughts on a better handling car is to start with bigger anti roll (sway) bars. They control body roll. The torsion bars are mostly a up and down motion. So there is some control in body roll. The anti roll bars are the main controller for that.

Next in line would be shocks and tires. If you don’t mind stepping away from the stock width rubber, use as wide as a tire as you can fit.

With these 3 improvements, you should feel a good bit of an improvement. I am going to assume that all the front end parts are in excellent condition and there’s no need for replacement. If so, I love my PST front end parts. And for a WIW, I replaced my worn out rear leaf springs with ESPO.com 1 inch over bent springs.
 
On high performance parts, just install like stock parts except! Check fitment before any sealants are used. Correct the fit first.
And then follow the manufacturers guidelines and specs on bolt torque and if they use oil or there “special/specific” oil sealent bcause the torque spec’s will be different.

When it comes to the combination just ask and tell us your thoughts & desires of what you want the outcome to be. The only tough part is decreeing the cam in and getting the rocker geometry right.

Most every street build will work best with a dual plane intake and a reasonably sized carb.
 
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rumblefish360 said:
My thoughts on a better handling car is to start with bigger anti roll (sway) bars. They control body roll. The torsion bars are mostly a up and down motion. So there is some control in body roll. The anti roll bars are the main controller for that.

Next in line would be shocks and tires. If you don’t mind stepping away from the stock width rubber, use as wide as a tire as you can fit.

With these 3 improvements, you should feel a good bit of an improvement. I am going to assume that all the front end parts are in excellent condition and there’s no need for replacement. If so, I love my PST front end parts. And for a WIW, I replaced my worn out rear leaf springs with ESPO.com 1 inch over bent springs.
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ok so should i do front and rear sway bar or one or the other? i have heard mixed things on doing both so whats your opinion on it?

shocks i plan on doing for sure as mine are original lol

i have fairly wide tires now but when i get new rims at the end of the build i am gonna go 1'' wider in the rear and 1'' in the front

i am also planning on a whole front end set when i do a new k member so tie rods and bushings and everything
and for the rear i was looking at super stock springs and shocks the kit below, more or less but not until i do more research on it
Mopar Performance P4120863K1: Super Stock Suspension Kit 1964-76 A-body | JEGS
so if you look at those and compare them to what you have what the difference? pros and cons not including price because i dont really care about the price
and final question for this comment whats your opinions on if any on edelbrocks top end packages?
 
1969moparDART said:
ok so should i do front and rear sway bar or one or the other? i have heard mixed things on doing both so whats your opinion on it?
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Do both at the same time from the same manufacturer. There matches and work together.


and for the rear i was looking at super stock springs and shocks the kit below, more or less but not until i do more research on it
Mopar Performance P4120863K1: Super Stock Suspension Kit 1964-76 A-body | JEGS
so if you look at those and compare them to what you have what the difference? pros and cons not including price because i dont really care about the price
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S/S springs are racing spring many use in the street with some complaints about being to stiff, off set ride heights, sitting higher on one side. This has been the way it has been since the dawn of time and how people complain about a bird flapping its wings to fly is beyond me but they do.

But this is why I went with the espo springs. There not as stiff as the S/S springs but did so very quite well handle the power I had at hand in my 318.

In my drag Duster, I have S/S springs and that animal is different and not daily driven as my other Duster is. (Or was...)


and final question for this comment whats your opinions on if any on edelbrocks top end packages?
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They are very good but not without its caveats.
I would have the cylinder heads checked out before installation and possibly ported depending on application. (HP needs and desires)
Intake, Double check fit (again) and port if need be.
Carb, There very good. Jet it, set it, basically forget about it. Clean the air bleeds with carb cleaner once a year and your good to go.

While you leave power on the table (only a little bit) next to a Holley, being they are super tuneable, they (Carter/Edelbrock) are a very dependable carb.
 
(Battery power in the phone was drained... I’m back...)

In addition, that “Jegs” package is exactly what I have in my drag Duster with S/S springs. It works OK for what it is. I would consider that package the base minimum or starter kit.

Also, on your people warning you about frame twist, I can tell just from that they are not MoPar people.
Leave them on the shelf.

However! Adding frame connectors is an
Excellent idea for body roll and control. It certainly doesn’t hurt to add it just for hangling and to further ride control.

What is the desired power output? Or E.T. Sought?
 
Brakes

All the shocks, springs, bars aren't going to mean crap with added HP if you can't stop repeatedly in a controlled manner.
 
gzig5 said:
Brakes

All the shocks, springs, bars aren't going to mean crap with added HP if you can't stop repeatedly in a controlled manner.
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And when that part of the discussion comes up, be sure to repeat yourself since many make that mistake!
:lol:
 
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