Small block intake

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It’s just a dicey thing. I read so SO many times about disappointments with cam swaps on heavy vehicles due to cams and there lack of vacuum for the PB set up.

And you're dead on too! Know what you're saying. Too many poor choices have been made over the years.. I cringe every time I hear about it. Lol
We don't hear about RV Cams anymore. Mainly cause they were, for the most part, too small.
By the time a cam was swapped, intake and exhaust bolt ons had already been made.
Everything has its place. Good tip on the MSD BTW!
 
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My issue with cam swaps is, some people think if some is good, more is better & choose the biggest cam &/or carburetor they can find. This includes cams, rear gears, & carburetors. Some of the cars running on the street are over cammed, & over carburated, they don't run well & the fuel mileage sucks because they don't know any better. Installing a quality after market ignition system is probably the thing that can be done economically along with a decent street cam & 600ish carburetor for street use & an occasional run down the strip. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way that I you tore up your daily driver on the weekend that you had to make sure it was running on Monday to make your trip to school, or work. Now days, the wife & I have our daily drivers & I have my tow vehicle, trailer, & race car. If I have problems with the race car, it goes back on the trailer to be sorted out while I have another vehicle to drive, &/or chase parts.
 
Right on with Rumble’s input. On this application even the later Factory QuadraJet Is good. The performer has the last inch or so of the ports at the flange necked down to a 318 size port. Port match the floor and walls to a 1/16 or so of the intake ports in the head. Leave the roof alone to keep velocity up, the overhang acts a reversion dam.
The dual exhaust and crossover or X pipe will definitely help. If you’ve got the room, a set of early Magnum 2-1/4 inch exit exhaust manifolds would be an excellent addition.
Instead of a cam swap, put a fresh timing set in and advance your cam four degrees. The stock specs are .410 252 duration and 109 LSA, and advancing it’s worth some extra cranking compression and low end response. But if you decided to swap cams, make it worth the trouble with this cam and complete K-Kit. Lunati Voodoo Cam and Lifter Kits 10200700LK
 
Wow guys I'm truly overwhelmed at the information posted up so quickly, thanks a bunch. I'm on break at work now, when I'm home I'll go back and try to digest what's been said.
I know this is an A body site, but I figured here would be the best place to find the knowledge about LA engines. I do have a factory cast iron 4bbl intake and a thermoquad from the early 70s I could use, but the thought of dropping a few pounds appealed to me. This 1972 Monaco is 100% stock 360/2bbl/727/8.75. At this time some simple bolt ons to enhance power without sacrificing mileage is the goal, as it's mainly highway driven.
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I got no advice but i want to say that wagon is bad ***!!

Yeah, kudo's to BLIMP for keeping it alive.. Good 'ol Monaco wagon.
My Dad had a '70 woody wagon with a 383. He thought it was a rocketship compared to the 364 ci '56 Buick he handed down to my sister to take to collage.
 
Use the factory intake and ThermoQuad you got and put a fresh timing set in with the three key ways in the crank sprocket and set it at 4 degrees of advance. If you want to try a pair of early rear dump magnum manifolds, I've got a set I'm tired of tripping over you could have for the cost of shipping. I know they work well on earlier trucks with automatics, and they work on some of the FJM cars, so they should fit a C body. Here's a pic of a new set for comparison.
Dorman Exhaust Manifolds 674-538
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/rnb-674-271/make/dodge
 
I don’t know anything about the low numerical gear and boost, but I can say that Root’s Blower boost combined with 4.56 gears makes the simple act of breathing “difficult”...
 
yes sir
nothing overcomes a low numerical gear as plenty of boost
or tipping the can :)
that lunati suggestion best choice
I had a 1 owner Dr.s 73 fury wgon 3 seats, rear air
put cop car torsion bars and sway in it and a cordoba rear sway, cop wheels and tires (V rated)
makes sports car out of it
I had the later rear end
the hp manifolds are different 73 and later
 
SP2P is my favorite for a pick-up as a working truck - everything is low end torque, but it's not the ticket for 70 mph! I'd go with the LD340 as a favorite, but as noted they are pricey these days. The Stealth would be good, as would a Performer RPM. I would suggest one of the new AVSII carbs from Edelbrock (650cfm). My friends campaign nothing but Mopar wagons, including a 72 Town and Country That runs in the 9s with fake wood grain sides! Kudos for keeping this one on the road!
 
What rear gears are in it (I suspect 2.76 or 2.94) and what is the tire size? That's also one of the good thick cylinder wall 360's a lot of build potential there. I see a lot of potential with an overbore an a piston change for a compression bump, but a four inch crank would make a miraculous transformation.
 
thermoquad , performer intake 3:73 gears and a GV overdrive would be a decent combo , but it costs $$$
 
Edelbrock RPM intake
Edelbrock 600 or 650cfm carb
340 manifolds free flowing exhaust
Mopar Performance electronic ignition
 
Performer 318/360 intake would be just fine for that deal. It gets a really bad undeserved rap, but they are also easy to find and cheap because of it. If you massage the port opening a little bit, it runs REALLY close to a RPM intake... For the car in question, run it out of the box!
 
Garrett, love the cam choice. No torque converter change needed!
@BLIMP I get the weight loss idea. You’ll never see a strip or mileage gain with it. If I was in your socks, I’d run the OE intake and carb with Garrett’s suggested cam if a swap is in the cards, recurve your distributor and upgrade the ignition box. The MP Chrome is my favorite stock like box but a good working MSD-6 will add mileage over the Chrysler box. Been there done that and I know it’s a mileage getter. But I also leave the Chrome box in the car Incase of a MSD failure. Just unplug and replug in.

The Performer is just as Justin (MP official) said. Should you go with a square bore carb, a 600/650 is just perfect for that cruiser. The Edelbrock AVS II, Holley VS, Street Demon, or even the Summit 4010 will work great. Just get the carb your comfortable working on.

The other intakes mentioned are certainly workable and do-able, just not what I would use myself in the land barge. A 1,000lbs. lighter car? Umm, yea, possibly If cheap enough.

The 1 draw back or the TQ is the lack of rods and jets which aren’t so easy to get a hold of and you’ll need to be up on carb tuning really well to avoid purchasing to many singular parts as kits don’t exist.
OH! And use a thick gasket under it! Not the 1/16 thick paper garbage gasket. Find a OE or like gasket to keep that carb cool.

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I really like the cam swap, some free flowing exhaust manifolds, the out of the box performer intake, and the 650 AVS2. Any thoughts out there on the possibility of swapping magnum manifolds onto it? If they fit, a set of the $120 Chinese stainless shorty magnum headers looks like a better option. One of my crazy friends has a set on a truck that has seen some severe use (water up to the valve covers) and they’re still holding up. They are on the second engine in said truck.
 
I guess its harder to do than in the past, but a stock 440 with a moderate amount of compression would float along at 90 mph with those 2.76 gears.
Also, if you stick with that mini-block, I mean 360 :poke:, don't worry about the weight of a cast iron vs. aluminum intake, that barge probably weighs 4500 lbs!
Bigger torsion bars, stiffer leaves, sway bars and shocks, then SCARE people on that highway!
 
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