My new toy...Warning Vintage Resto Inside - Page 2

Hugh R · 09-25-2009, 04:29 PM

Still a cool toy. I don't know if I have the energy or motivation to do that kind of in-depth restoration.

pwd72s · 09:26 AM

Terry, that's not necessarily bad. Check out Edelbrock for ther mopar packages...they have various offerings of heads/cam/intakes that can turn the 360 into something wild...or something mild. Your call.

mattdavis11 · 06:34 PM

There is good info here, Terry. http://www.allpar.com. There's 360 info in there too. I've often thought about hopping up my 318, which is mated to a torqueflite 727. However, Jeff is right, there were many variations in the A-727's, such as the 998, 904, 500, etc...

When I saw the first picture of the engine I hoped you might have a 340.

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

Terry,
Restore that car and drive it in the Woodward Dream Cruise in MI next August!!

Jeff Higgins · 09-26-2009, 10:43 AM

There is a ton of performance stuff out there for the 360. It is very easy to hot-rod one; they make great power and are as reliable as can be. That's the best motor upgrade you can do in an early small block MOPAR. Putting a big block in requires a front cross member change.

Big bonus on the 727, too. That thing has got to be the strongest automatic transmission ever made. They were still running top fuel and funny cars through them up through the early '70's, before the two speed Lencos became available. They would machine the bellhousing off, get rid of the torque converter, and replace all of that with the Lakewood safety bellhousing and a clutch. This was known as the "Clutch Flite", and it was popular for years.

There are a number of valve body kits, like the old B&M, for this transmission. They work really well as a full manual valve body. There are also a number of small diameter, high stall speed torque converters available for them. I ran a 9" converter in my R/T, and with the big 440, I could launch at darn near 5,000 rpm - it would slip enough to let the motor rev that high in gear, with my foot on the brake. That car would darn near wheelie.

So, all good news. Someone put all the "right stuff" into it, drivetrain-wise. It should be a really fun car.

kmhemi · 11:51 AM

you dont have to change the K member to go from small block to big block on a Mopar. unless your car is different from the ones i have done
you will have to change the K frame to go from a 6 to any V8 or if you want to put a Hemi in anything that did not come with it originally. you WILL have to change the fuel lines small block lines wont feed a big block which also means dropping the fuel tank and the sending unit gets swapped too since its lines are small. also you will have to upgrade to the 26 inch radiator because the small block rad wont cool a big block. also the torsion bars are too small and should be changed but dont HAVE to..oh yeah..the core support has to be opened up to fit the 26 inch radiator because the opening is for the smaller radiator...I cant count the times I've done this swap. You really need disc on the front of it too. especially if you go the big block route

Jeff Higgins · 09-26-2009, 12:31 PM

All of the A, B, and E bodies that my buddies and I transplanted big blocks into needed the front cross member changed. In my circle of drag racing friends and acquaintances, we did a bunch of them. All were '68 through about '71 0r '72 cars. Maybe the earlier ones didn't need to have it changed, or the later ones, but every one we did absolutely required it.

kmhemi · 09-26-2009, 04:30 PM

might be pre 70 cars have to be changed. everything i work on is 70-74 E body and B body. Those I have not had to change. I havent owned any pre 70 cars.

lin7310948 · 09-26-2009, 04:52 PM

1963 plymouth savoy maxwedge clone...528 cubic inch maxwedge engine!

austin552 · austin552's Garage

aigel · aigel's Garage

All that cancer turned me away from classics. Here in CA I may have better stock now. You guys are braver than I am!

George

tcar · 08:20 AM

The 360 is the same engine that's in the 98 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 and it's a screamer.

I had basically the same car years ago but the Plymouth version; 64 Sport Fury, 2 DR hardtop, Red/Red, bucket seats, console. 426 Hemi. Rear tires were an ongoing maintenance item.

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

Too bad it is not a two door. Had a buddy with a '64 Sport Fury with a hemi, would pull the front tires well off the ground.

Guy I got my 914 from is a Mopar guy. He has had a number of winged cars, and was using a 440 six pack Cuda as a daily driver for a while. Had stupid short gears in it, would pull hard enough with slicks on it to make you physically uncomfortable. Those mopar autos are pretty stout.

lm6y · 09-27-2009, 08:17 AM

Austin552, if that car were white, with Weld racing wheels, it would look exactly like my friend's race car.

tcar, the 360, and the 5.9 are completely different engines. They look close to the same, but none of the parts interchange. Same with the 318, and the 5.2.

pwd72s · 01:00 PM

Really...ask 'em to send you a catalog. Lots of fun reading...

With a 360, I'd suggest aluminum heads, a performer intake, a mild cam, and a smaller 4 barrel carb...(edit) That would be a mild hop-up suitable for easy street cruising...

Edelbrock.com - Performance Carburetors, Cylinder Heads, Intake Manifolds, EFI Systems, Fuel Pumps, Crate Motors

Sure worked on my old Power wagon!

A guy I know has a '62 Dodge...old cop car. He keeps claiming he'll restore it "someday"...which will probably never come. I always thought it would be fun to turn it into a 413 clone, similar to the max wedge above.
Throughout this thread...I feel the need to keep reminding myself that I'm done messing with old cars...

K9Torro · 09-27-2009, 01:05 PM

Dude blues mobile that thing, like right now lol

Todd

kmhemi · 09-27-2009, 05:31 PM

I love old mopars, I have a 70 Challenger RT 426 Hemi , 4 speed dana 60 4:10 gears. i have had lots of them over the years.

TerryBPP · 09-29-2009, 11:06 AM

Fixing the rear passenger window cowl rust:

....the patented Jack O:

Still waiting on the new front drivers cowl panel to come in. This was good practice.

exc911ence · exc911ence's Garage

You can almost guarantee that the original engine would have been the old "Polysphere" 318 (230hp gross). It's a different engine than the newer 273/318/340/360 LA-series engines without much aftermarket support. You're better off with the 360 in there if you're after a little performance.

The 440 and 500 were just trim levels. The 440 was the lower-line one with the 500 being the high-line model with more chrome and a fancier interior.

My father owned a 64 Dodge 440 sedan with the Poly 318 engine in it back in the day and he loved it. I still think it's one of the nicest styled american cars of the era.

TerryBPP · 10-07-2009, 07:02 AM

Fixed a 50 cent piece size rust hole on the drivers qtr panel:

Then stripped her all the way naked and commenced with the sanding. Bondo'd/ skimcoated areas were taken to bare metal, clean areas were just roughed up for primer. 40 grit for both.

I had to use aircraft stripper on the trunk lid. I don't know what the material was but it was white and in between the primer and top coat. Tough as nails and thick, might have been some crazy sealer. 40 grit was taking forever.