The rebuild has begun

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74duster

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I've had this 74 Duster for a couple of years now, and it has been a great driver. With a slant six and a three-on-the-tree it's no power house, but it's good for just cruising around and getting looks.
Now, however, the encroaching rust has gotten to the point where I need to stop it before it gets too much worse. So as long as I'm doing body and paint, why not upgrade performance as well, right?
I took the six out yesterday (still runs great) and it will go into my 74 Scamp. Then it will either be my driver, or maybe get sold.
I have been planning to put my 1963 413 in the Duster with a 4-speed and a 8 3/4. Now I'm not sure. I have several engines to choose from, and am hesitating on which to go with.
My choices are:
73 440 - its in pieces and may need major block work since it has been rusted over
67 383- engine is complete and supposedly ran when it was pulled
70 340- engine is complete but has corner of casting broken off where it bolts to the trans. I don't know if this is fixable or not
86 318- complete and was running when I pulled it out of the Diplomat
No matter which one I choose, it will need to be rebuilt, so it's just a matter of deciding what I want to drive, since the money will end up being about the same on any of them.
So, that's the basics of the project. I won't be doing much to it until I get the Scamp on the road, but at least it has begun.
Here are some pics, so tell me what you think.
 
Ok, I thought there were some pics. I have to get off line now, but will come back and post some as soon as I can.
 
Ok, I think I know what I did wrong with the pics before, so here we go again.

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I'd put the 318 in it. You know it works well, that way you'll be ready to cruise when this damn snow goes away.
 
LOL, I say take the quickest route to back on the road!! So I guess it would be the 340 or the 383. Either way, gonna be a rockin ride!
 
No AC, no power brakes, you choice is set. It would not cost anymore to build the 440 vs any other engine. 440 is the best choice, if you figure a mild street motor will make 1hp/ci, you can do a [email protected] cam in it and get around 450hp, easy. A built to the hilt 318 might get you 350 hp, and a race only 340 will get you about 450 in max output, where a 440 built the same way would probably give you 550hp. By the way, that 383 will also make some serious hp too, just at a higher rpm. If you use the same head on a 383 vs a 440, you still have the same port flow, so theoretically it will make the same peak hp, just at a higher engine speed, plus the 383 will wind out like a 340 since they have a similar stroke, but the big block heads just flow better than a small block, about as good as a set of small block R/T heads.
 
Ok, the Scamp is out of the way now, so I can start on the Duster.:cheers:
After considering all the options (thanks for everyone's input) I've decided to stay with my original plan. 413, 4speed, and 8 3/4.
Looks like it'll have to be done on the cheap, as budget expectations have not come through. That's ok though. I will make this happen!
Looks like this weekend I'll start with checking out the 413 to see just exactly what condition it's in.
One thing I haven't gotten yet is a floor hump. Can't afford new, anybody got a used one for a reasonable price?
Will update when anything interesting happens.
Happy Easter!
 
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