my first mopar, will i love it or hate it?

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eatmyduster

eatmyduster

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seattle, wa
Just picked up a '73 duster 318 automatic. Its a little rough around the edges but it runs strong and the PO put a big brake kit on so it stops on a dime. I've always been a Chevy guy and have spent quite a bit of time in the European import scene but I took this duster on trade and its starting to grow on me. I'd like to get more power out of it and I was thinking of building up the 318 but a buddy of mine said that would be a waste and I should just buy a 340.... Any input there would be appreciated. Also I need to replace the interior, anybody in the south Seattle area with spare parts would be awesome. Anyways, greetings to the mopar community!
 
Welcome to the site. Not sure what it's like where you're at, but where I'm from, it's a lot easier to say, "Just buy a 340" than to actually do it. They're scarce around here. A 360 will be a lot cheaper and easier to find.
 
Welcome! That 318 can work,done right.(cheaply....). The 340 is sweet,too much $$$$$ . PoisonDart74 ,will post here. A damn good metal/bodywork guy. A Magnum 360,my choice...
 
First of all welcome to FABO. A 340 can he pretty expensive to build. I got a 5.9 magnum which is a 360. They are very plentiful and easy to find. It's a Mopar so nothing is cheap. Good luck with your build.
 
318 will do but you will be starting out ahead with a 360. screw the 340. lave that for the resto guys.
 
Welcome to FABO.............................you'll love it! tmm
 
Wow, so many responses so quick, glad I found this site! I know a guy who has a 340 short block for $500 but I would have to buy heads and all the accessorys and bolt ons..... How much stuff is transferable from the 318 to either a 340 or 360?
 
318 heads are sorta like 283 chev heads. Putting those heads on a 340/ 360 results in a low RPM torque motor with no top end power
 
All of it,non magnum. Save that,for a small block thread. Fish around a while,Learn, the site first.
 
welcome to the site from a local member! 360 will do in with a few changes and gives you 40 more cubes..... Lots of options for either one, as mentioned, I'd skip a 340.... lots of extra $$
 
Hey new guy and welcome to the MoPar world. Coming from Chevy products decades ago, I did find the steering was much looser, the car would sway more and the general handling wasn't as good as the Chevy was. Now I understand why and what I needed to do to improve it. Most factory cars were under done in the suspension area. Some Dusters (A bodies) did not even come with the anti roll bars!

The one thing I did like a lot was that most people didn't want them to hot rod them. Parts were cheap. Cars were cheap. They also stood up to my right foot abuse a lot better than the Chevy did. Though they don't so well reving past 6300 or so. There oiling passages need to be upgraded.

So don't go reving the hell out of your small block until you make some mods!

Now do realize I am not an anti Chevy guy. Also know that my Chevy rides were fine rides. They just didn't handle my abuse.

Once you get used to the few weird in and outs that are not present on the Chevy stuff, I think you'll like'em a lot.

IF your going to work up an engine for a nice street strip ride, I really suggest a 360 over any other displacement. I'm not a big Magnum head/engine family fan myself. I like the LA heads better. There cheaply found over a 340 block and have a greater stroke at 3.58 for more torque. The 340 blocks are expensive. The 318's just lack cubes overall. The 318 is kind of comparable to the 327. Why go there when a 350 is everywhere and cheaper with more cubes?
 
Oh! Almost forgot, get a MoPar engines book, a MoPar Chasiss book, how to rebuild and hot to hot rod your small block Chrysler and read on through them. Once you have these books, your practically unstoppable just being loaded up with knowledge and know how as well as what swaps and fits and why it won't work.

Go to Summit racing or Jegs or Mancini racing for books and parts!

Get these books!!!!!!
Then be ahead of the learning curve!!!!!

(Oh thank you Bomber! It seemed to make sense... Yea, there great little engines that can for sure, they just lack cubes! It isn't that they can't run and run hard and smoke a few unsuspecting people, but being down a bit of bore and stroke or 42 cubes in the 318-360 case, why go there? I'll do it for fun, but I'll set this guy up right like anybody else. Go bigger!)
 
Thank you all for the info! Ill probably start looking at 360's now lol. No replacement for displacement, right. On the flipside, I've always liked to do things a bit different to prove that just because everyone does it one way, it doesn't mean there aren't more than one way to skin a cat. I'm that guy who built a big block olds for his caprice..... Ill get a pic up on here of the duster as soon as I figure out how haha
 
Big blocks are possible in a Duster.
 
You can do a B or RB engine with certain exhaust manifolds or headers. At big block .com there is a tech section that explains and shows pictures on how to use cheap headers from other car body line. Then there is TTI headers. Expensive but very well worth the price.

Exhaust pipe up to 3 inch's without issue can be used right to the rear bumper. I'm not certain about there use with in board spring mods.
 
Big block 'ell, you can put 426 hemi or even early hemis into these "with some work."

Mopar interchangeability is pretty good, once you learn the tricks.

For example, just about all manufacturers have external balanced engines, which require "off balanced" flywheels and dampeners to get things into balance.

Where Chev, example, used an off balance dampener on a 400, and weighted torque converter flex, Mopar "from factory" did things different, example, 318 (balanced) vs 360 (external balance) in a Duster/ etc. Mopar used weights on the torque converter itself, instead of the flex plate

But BM makes weighted flex plates especially to mate a 318 (balanced) converter to a 360 engine, otherwise you'd have to change the converter.

One you check out these "tricks" of interchange things become some clearer.
 
Wow, I'm definitely gonna do some big block research! Will I need a different trans? Modify motor mounts or steering linkage? So many questions now, forgive my ignorance. All of this is getting a little ahead of myself anyways, my first priority is to get the interior sorted lol
 
I've managed to get a pic of my car as my avatar but my stupid phone won't let me load a pic in a post for some reason
 
Welcome, and cool Duster! For a bb, you will need a 727 trans with the bb bolt pattern on the bellhousing. Schumachers makes engine swap mounts to basically bolt one right in. A bigger radiator would be a plus, and the more cast iron parts that you can swap out for aluminum parts, the better the f/r weight ratio (water pump, housing, intake, etc). Looking forward to more pics!
 
Welcome,if you like being a little different you will love it. If you want to be just another sheeple you will hate it. We are Mopar people. We,re different and we know it.
 
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