New MOPAR owner here... 73 Duster swap?

[Velislide]

Hey all, I just recently got my first little muscle car . Its a 73' Duster that came with a disassembled 318 v8, and a 3 speed auto on the floor.

The cars in fairly good shape, not much rust on the body at all, subframes have a few holes though. But recently I just picked up a 1969 383 big block with the 3 speed auto tranny, 54k original miles on the combo, guy pulled it from the car and sold it to me for 350$. Only thing the engine needs is a starter he says.

First question, will the 318 starter fit the 383?

I'm going to be buying that motor mount kit for 160$, that bolts the 383 right up. I also know I'll need some stiffer torsion bars?

Any tips on what to check for on this motor? Since it is 41 years old, before it would be safe to use? It was running 4 years ago the owner said.

I plan on removing the AC from the engine , am I going to have to remove anything from the engine bay to make this thing fit?

Thats all I can think of at the moment!

 

[rumblefish360]

A starter is a starter in the old MoPars...thanks the Lord! Ha ha ha. It'll fit right in, no problems.

You don't NEED stiffer T-bars, but it'll help ride quality. The old ones are OK for use. They mostly control the rides height and bounce/jounce, and a little side to side/roll feel. Sway bars control most of that really.

On a old engine that has not been running in awhile, you can pull the head and look the cylinders. Make sure there not rusted. I revived an old 360 once that was locked up by filling the cylinders with Marvel Mystery oil, though regular crude will do fine. Give it new tune up parts before starting it, rotate it by hand to make sure it is freed up as well.

The only way other than a complete tare down is to simply run it. If it can be on a stand to start before installing it, all the better.

The engine can fit in the bay, but installing it will require removal of most regular items.
Theres a big block tech section here that you will find most useful and chok full of cool stuff from alot of Been there, done that guys"

And they'll be more than happy to assist you with this.