72 Duster help

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retiredguy72

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Is there a way to ID if an engine is a 340 or 318 without looking at the block ? The fender tag is missing, and the VIN says 318, but the guy selling it says he does'nt know for sure, he took it in on a trade for a motorcycle. The car is in Michigan, I am 4 hours away in Wisconsin, so it's not like I can go look every day, but the owner says I can put it on his rack when I get there to look it over .

I have to wait till I see the car to ID the engine, trans, and rear end, I hope it is a 340 . As far as the trans goes, I know a 727 is the way to go, and a 8 3/4 rear end is too. I am interested in this car a lot, only have seen pics and a video, but the interior is a 9 out of 10, and the paint he says is a 5 or 6 out of 10. The car is from South Carolina. If it is a 318, and not a 727, I still would be interested " IF " it is as nice inside and out as he says. Looking for a project car for my Son and I . Last question, how do we ID the rear end, to determine what it is? If these sound like simple questions, well we are noobs, be gentle .
 
Hi, I'm just across the border from ya..
Easiest answer; if it's a stock 318 it will be a 2-barrel, unless someone's slapped a quad on it. Also, the 340's had different exhaust manifolds. Look a some photos on this forum or Google and get an eye for a stock 340 and you should be able to ID one by the subtle differences. Like this one;

https://www.google.com/search?q=340....com%2F1970-1976-plymouth-duster6.htm;400;285

You can see the HiPo manifold on the driver's side.

As for the 8-3/4, as was mentioned, there is no rear cover...it's round and smooth and a 'front-loader'.
Here is a link to the 8-3/4 ID factors....

http://members.tripod.com/~Mojo_Page/chry875.htm

PM me if you have any questions. Happy to help.

BTW, even if it is a 318, that's not a bad thing. They can be made to walk & talk with almost as much authority as the 340, and you have a first-class engine shop right down the road from you.
 
On the drivers side of the engine block are numbers cast into it. The displacement is the last 3 or 4 numbers. The displacement is also stamped into the top of the block just under the cylinder head but it is hard to read.
 
retiredguy72 said:
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I have to wait till I see the car to ID the engine, trans, and rear end. As far as the trans goes, I know a 727 is the way to go, .
Click to expand...

Depending on your plans for the car, don't worry too much about the tranny. Even a 904 will handle 3-400 horsepower just fine!
 
You can't tell anything without checking the numbers. The engine in my '73 Sport has 340 intake, heads, exhaust manifolds and air cleaner but underneath it's a '70 318:D
 
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