Hmmm, what to do with my truck...

So my 84 D150 has slowly degraded to the point of needing several major repairs. I am mulling around some ideas of what to do with it since I can't spend the money right now. It is a 318/727/9 1/4 with a suregrip and 3.23's. 318 is pretty much stock with the exception of an Edelbrock dual plane intake (can't remember the model offhand), and a 650cfm Holly vac sec carb. The problems are as follows:

1. Front pump seal on the 727 is shot, looks like a murder scene where ever I park it (I can still use it, just have to keep it topped off with fluid).
2. It is overcharging (15.6 volts at idle, pretty sure this is the contacts being corroded on the firewall bulkhead, I have fixed this before on an old Ram Charger I used to have).
3. Off idle performance has a nasty hesitation (kind of want to do Fitech fuel injection anyway).
4. Roof is rusty (found a local painter, I am lazy and will probably have them paint it)
5. Rear drums are wasted, front rotors are warped beyond belief and need replacing.
6. Cracked exhaust manifold pumping exhaust into the engine bay.
7. Heads likely shot because it puffs blue smoke pretty hard for the first 30 seconds of running after it has been sitting, I replaced the valve seals a few years back and it didn't solve this.

My Wife says I should just sell it then get another truck, but I have had it for 18 years and it is a straight old Dodge (rare around here) that I like despite it being a LWB (always wanted a SWB). My main concern is what to do with the engine. I *think* the bottom end of the 318 is fine, since I need to replace the manifolds I wanted to do headers, however, these old garbage smog heads have the small holes for the manifolds under the exhaust ports. Not a huge deal since the heads are garbage anyway (plus old open chamber design, yuk). Not sure what the results would be, but I'd like to put a set of stock Edelbrock heads on it to see how it would react (leaving the stock cam though) for giggles. Eventually I can pull the 727 out of my Dart and put it in the truck since it is a good transmission and I want to put a stick in the Dart.

Other option is, I have a 440, a 400, and a 383 big blocks sitting in my shop. The 440 is so rusted out it needs 7 sleeves (no joke), the 400 is an old early block with the thick castings so it would be good for a 451 base (way too much motor for a truck, and kind of a waste IMO). The 383 was a running motor I bought years ago that came with some 906 heads, but ran like a dog. Turns out it had over a 20% variance in pressure across the cylinders, so it needs a rebuild. Out of the three I am considering the 383 for the truck, I would put aluminum heads on it for weight and the extra hp they will bring.

However, I don't have a BB 727 case at my disposal. None of our yards around here have anything remotely old, and the one place that did closed up a few years ago. Plus none of my accessories will fit (PS, A/C compressor, etc).

318 with aluminum heads:

Pros: Can likely fix this all on my own, no machine shop needed, cheaper, more transmission options on hand.

Cons: It'll most likely be super weak because of being a 318 and having a stock cam

383

Pros: Pfft, big block, gonna make probably double of the 318, finally put one of these BBC's to use.

Cons: Cost, more down time for the truck, have to sort the aux stuff (trans, acces. brackets, etc).

I use the truck for work around my property mostly, and hauling parts for my other projects. I'd like to give it a good go and put it back into service for a few years. I really like driving the truck as it is comfy and unique around here since everyone rolls coal in duallys/bro trucks.

I suppose my main question amidst all this rambling is would the stock short block on the 318 be any fun with the Edelbrock heads?

A 360 LA truck motor or newer 5.9 magnum would probably be the cheapest, easiest way to go. All your 318 stuff will bolt up to the LA engine, the magnum would need an intake to keep the carb. Just add a weighted flexplate or a 360 torque converter, drop it in and go.

if you got the heads off the to put on the eddys why not throw in a rv/torque cam while you got it apart? throw on a set of 302s from your choice of auto supply and you should have a bit of pep!

Well down here in Texas junkyard 360's are hard to come by and insanely expensive when you do find them. I didn't want to bother with the cam because the engine has about 100K on it and I imagine the cam bearings will need to be replaced. I don't feel like dealing with that.

Cam rotates half speed of the crank shaft and probably are just fine. It is one of those things that always gets replaced because they really don't cost anything.
Rod

That's true. I wonder if it would be of any use though rodding a 318 in a 3600lbs truck. I really want to do the 383, it's just more money and work.

Put the 383 in your truck, it sounds like thats what you want. I am kind of in the same boat you are in, I have a 76 Powerwagon with a 318. I have a 360 magnum and a 413 in my garage and not sure what one I am going to use. Good luck.

If you put the 60779 Edelbrock heads on it with .028 thick head gaskets, then the compression ratio will actually go up over the stock open chamber heads. Look for the 20% to 35% off sales at Advance Auto online sales for a good discount if you do indeed go with Edelbrocks. (BTW, the deeper discounts are in the form of an Advance gift card...)

I would also look at the RHS heads with a 62 cc chamber. (Or even Magnum heads with smaller chambers. But that is more to change in the valvetrain.)

While you are there, put in a good torque cam and enjoy the results. The cam will cost a fraction of the heads, and some of the degraded performance is likely due to a stretched timing chain, so that can be put in at the same time. I would not fret over the cam bearings. (I have raced an 8000 RPM 4 banger a lot on cam bearings that were pretty worn with no issues). If you find a cam bearing that is losing bearing material due to age or acids, since you will have the trannie out for the front seal fix, you can rent a cam bearing tool and drive some new ones in while you are at it.

The Eddy heads would be a waste of time and money putting them on a stock 100,000+ mile 318. Freshen up another set of 318 heads and just swap them, or take the current ones to a machine shop and have them recondition them.

About a year after I got my Duster, I pulled the tired 318 with only 117k on it, put replacement '302' casting heads, 256/262 Voodoo cam, Performer intake, AFB carb etc. and put it back in the car.

With the 2.76 gears it was still a turd off the line but pulled decently above 2500 RPM. What I soon got though was LOTS of blue smoke, I'm talking a constant trail following me down the road and it steadily losing power until I parked it and began building a 360 to swap in. It was a learning experience for me as it was my first time doing anything like that with a car but looking back it was kind of a waste, of money at least anyway... Ideally I should have just kept the 318 in the car the way it was and built the 360 on the side and still have a running/driving car. The rings were shot and I didn't realize it from the pretty big ridge on the cylinders.

I think a good running used Magnum converted to a carb might be the cheapest and easiest way to keep it going for a long time. Get the heads redone or good aftermarket iron RHS/EQ, factory heads are almost guaranteed to have cracks and while you're at it maybe swap/regrind the cam but the bottom end should be in great shape, the cylinders don't wear from fuel wash like the old carb'd engines because of the EFI. Add electric fuel pump (or swap to cam with mech. fuel pump eccentric) and it's basically like swapping in another LA.

A 360 mag cannot be that hard to find.
Putting one in my old w150 the old 318 was getting real tired.
There is no way you can put that 383 in cheaper than a mag.