Naw, I was just kidding. My 340s kicked a lot of big blocks. KimIt's just that, a story............
Naw, I was just kidding. My 340s kicked a lot of big blocks. KimIt's just that, a story............
I'm not. lolNaw, I was just kidding. My 340s kicked a lot of big blocks. Kim
You've never watched a Lil Red Express go up against any mid/lateI don’t think I’ve ever seen a Sb kick a bb. Kim
How did you resolve the long tube headers and power steering issue?Here are a couple of myths I debunked when I was mocking mine up.... And I was doing a 512 RB motor.
Heater motor- It cleared even with a set of cast MT Valvecovers.
Powerbrakes- I have Hrdroboost which is very small and was easily able to remove the Drivers side VC.
I recently sold my setup (mounts, headers, etc.) to a young kid that sounds similar to you. The real headache as I explained it to him is the rear steering setup. It just takes all your good real estate needed. But nothing jumped out as an impossible task. My biggest hurdle was I wanted power steering with full length Chassis headers and I figured it out but at a cost. The only other limitation you will run into is if you want to run a flat hood and a single plane intake.
But your young so go for it. The water's fine so jump in. For those that want to bash your efforts, either they don't realize your the next generation or they have never been around a well seasoned and well tuned BB car. Nothing like it....
JW
Speaking of torsion bars... one reason the big-block gets a bad rep for handling is that the factory .89" bars are not nearly big enough. It will "wallow" unless you also add super-stiff shocks, then you'll hate the ride.
PST makes an affordable 1.03" bar (with discount for FABO members!) and it's amazing how much better my big-block A-body feels. Firm but not harsh ride. Don't let the size scare you off.
Speaking of torsion bars... one reason the big-block gets a bad rep for handling is that the factory .89" bars are not nearly big enough. It will "wallow" unless you also add super-stiff shocks, then you'll hate the ride.
PST makes an affordable 1.03" bar (with discount for FABO members!) and it's amazing how much better my big-block A-body feels. Firm but not harsh ride. Don't let the size scare you off.
Lil' Red Express is my favorite truck!You've never watched a Lil Red Express go up against any mid/late
70's BB B-body?
Add aluminum heads, intake and water pump and your at small block weight again. Why change torsion bars?
Side note, was it Schumacher that had the Tri-y headers for big block A bodies that fit?
Oh, they handled "fine"... by '60's standards, on skinny bias-ply tires... lots of room for improvement!
Back in the 80's I had a '70 A-body I converted from 318/auto to a slightly warmed 383 (iron heads, DP-4B intake, Holley 750 vac sec) and 4-speed. As mentioned, that didn't weigh much more than the 318. So I kept those t-bars and was never happy with the way the front end felt. Eventually I obtained a pair of factory .89 and it helped but not that much.
There is plenty of info on the FABO suspension forum about improved handling with the 1.03 bars. Check it out
What do you mean "A body drive shaft"? Ive got a BB 727 from a B body that i was thinking of swapping into my 74dart with a fairly stock 383. What is the difference besides having to cut it down.Who cares what you prefer this guy wants to put a 383 in his Duster.
The largest radiator for a small block will cool a 383 and a later waterpump housing will be needed to use the sb radiator.
At this time fabrication skills will get that big block installed faster because conversation mounts are hard to come up with. You will need kickdown linkage, carb brackets etc..
Hooker makes fender well headers for the Abody big block swap.
Yes a big block 727 is needed.
And an Abody 727 drive shaft is needed, original or fabricated.
If you can't fabricate yourself you will need to find someone who can.
This is not a weekend swap for a novice.
The only drawback with a 383 compared to a 400 or 440 is some after market head manufacturers like trickflow recommend their heads be used on 4.32 or larger bore diameter. One advantage of a big block is you can make 600+ horsepower more easily with a lower compression and run pump gas.
Don’t be deterred is not that hard to do.View attachment 1715776705