1974 Dodge Dart Swinger Hardtop engine swap

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Frankie-Joe

Frankie-Joe

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Manassas, VA
I found a 1968 340 bored .30 over with a TCI 727 in my area for $3900 and wanted to know if it was a good price for that motor and transmission and if it would add value to my 74 dart, also if it would be worth the swap from the slant six and 904. Also wanted to know if you would be willing to help out with it, if yes how much would you charge? Thanks. Also should note the guy selling says the motor has 2000 miles on it and 1000 on the transmission. What other parts would I need besides the K member, mounts, and maybe better front suspension? What would a good rear end be for the car, the rear in the dart is stock so it'll definitely have to go. I've read on another forum that 68 340s were rated at 270hp 5000rpm, but the dyno results the seller posted looks like the max is 224 at 4900, the engine looked to be somewhat cold when it was tested so that might have something to do with it. Also it comes complete except for the starter, would I be able to use any small block starter?
 
Yes any small block starter will work. Iirc even the slant six starter will work. I'd recommend a pre 99 ram or Dakota magnum starter. They are cheap readily available and work 100 times better than the original and there smaller and lighter!
As for the value the 340 is a good find it will add resale value to the car depending on the buyer it could also hurt. 74s are not all that sought after or collectable to the big money markets so I wouldn't worry about it id just do whatever makes you happy. I do think a 340 dart would sell for more than a slant 6 dart regardless of the year or originality. Just my opinion tho
 
As far as the swap itself i will get back to you when I have more time to explain I just got done with a 75 dart slant to 360 swap. I
 
The swap is not as simple as the pre 73 cars because of the spool mounts. I got lucky and ordered the shumaker mounts before they went out of business if your lucky enough to find a set used or whatever then your set you just cut the top of the tall mount down and drill a new hole its that easy. If you can't find a set (you probably won't) you can either find a pre 73 k frame and swap the whole k frame out or make your own conversion spool mounts. Its doable if your a good welder and fabricator. As far as the suspension id leave it stock the 340 isn't that much heavier it will be fine. I just used 318 torsion bars instead of the slant six ones. For the rear end there are alot of options depending on your budget. Me I opted to go the most affordable bang for buck and built a 8.8 Ford rear-end. Its got 3.73 gears with a sure grip ,traction lock, posi whatever you want to call it lol I simply narrowed the long side to the same length as the short side ans used 2 short side axles. I built the whole rear for less than 350 bucks. And for a mild 360 its pretty much bullet proof! Hope this helps feel free to ask anything I'd be glad to help.
 
dartfreak75 said:
The swap is not as simple as the pre 73 cars because of the spool mounts. I got lucky and ordered the shumaker mounts before they went out of business if your lucky enough to find a set used or whatever then your set you just cut the top of the tall mount down and drill a new hole its that easy. If you can't find a set (you probably won't) you can either find a pre 73 k frame and swap the whole k frame out or make your own conversion spool mounts. Its doable if your a good welder and fabricator. As far as the suspension id leave it stock the 340 isn't that much heavier it will be fine. I just used 318 torsion bars instead of the slant six ones. For the rear end there are alot of options depending on your budget. Me I opted to go the most affordable bang for buck and built a 8.8 Ford rear-end. Its got 3.73 gears with a sure grip ,traction lock, posi whatever you want to call it lol I simply narrowed the long side to the same length as the short side ans used 2 short side axles. I built the whole rear for less than 350 bucks. And for a mild 360 its pretty much bullet proof! Hope this helps feel free to ask anything I'd be glad to help.
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I found a guy on CL who might be able to hook me up with a pre 73 K member and maybe a rear end, if not him I might be able to find one from a junkyard in Culpeper. Thanks for the info, if I can find the parts I'll just need to find someone with proper tools and space to help with it as I don't want to break the bank having a fancy restoration shop do it.
 
Frankie-Joe said:
I found a guy on CL who might be able to hook me up with a pre 73 K member and maybe a rear end, if not him I might be able to find one from a junkyard in Culpeper. Thanks for the info, if I can find the parts I'll just need to find someone with proper tools and space to help with it as I don't want to break the bank having a fancy restoration shop do it.
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I started with a basket case and did it all myself in my driveway I don't have a garage or lift or fancy tools just harbor freight welder and air compressor and basic tools nothing expensive or fancy. You can do a good job without spending a fortune..its an expensive hobbie no matter what but its doable on a reasonable budget. And the good news is you have a wealth of knowledgeable and helpful people right here to help you out. This site is great just read listen and enjoy you will learn alot I promise.
 
dartfreak75 said:
I started with a basket case and did it all myself in my driveway I don't have a garage or lift or fancy tools just harbor freight welder and air compressor and basic tools nothing expensive or fancy. You can do a good job without spending a fortune..its an expensive hobbie no matter what but its doable on a reasonable budget. And the good news is you have a wealth of knowledgeable and helpful people right here to help you out. This site is great just read listen and enjoy you will learn alot I promise.
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As much as I would love to be able to do that, I cannot. I live in a townhouse and don't think they'll appreciate me out in my driveway welding lol.
 
Frankie-Joe said:
As much as I would love to be able to do that, I cannot. I live in a townhouse and don't think they'll appreciate me out in my driveway welding lol.
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In my own opinion you should stick to basics and pass on the 340.
One big reason is that you have no idea what the condition of this used motor (even if it is a 340) is.
Another reason is that a 74 Dart with a 340 is just a novelty and with your living quarters situation a complication you don’t need.
Even if everything advertised is true, and there are no unexpected mechanical problems, you still just went through the expense, time and trouble of needing help to put a 340 in a 74 Dart.
Seems smarter to me to go with something more common like a modified 5.9 and spend your money there instead.

People ask all the time if my Dart has a 340 and I tell them if it did it would get pulled out and sold or stored for a later sale.
I don’t know why people have that 340 fixation.
Especially if they don’t have a car that came with one.
The Magnum is faster, more efficient, WAY more available and cheaper to get.
Then you could spend the money upgrading that instead of being able to say you have a 340 in a 74 Dart.
JMO
 
I agree with trial beast. I meant to ask does the dart still have the slant 6 in it and does it run? If it does id leave it and fix it and enjoy it
 
The engine was dyno'd at the rear wheels, the guy says you add 20% to get what it makes at the flywheel. Also that it has a truck cam in it or something that's good for torque. Also the price of 3900 is for the engine and the tci transmission, which I've seen alone go for 1500. I'll see if the guy will take less for it. I'll see if he has receipts for the transmission and the work for getting the engine bored. Thanks.
 
Terrible deal in my opinion, and the low power numbers sound fishy. You could do A LOT more with $4k than 224 HP! They made more than that from the factory, don't believe the "truck cam" BS. Im not a purist, but since 74's never had a 340 option I agree that its just novelty, and doesnt add a lot of monetary value. A full V8 drivetrain swap is a pretty big undertaking, costly, and takes some time to do it "right". If you don't have the space or tools to do it, sell your car and along with that $4k you should be able to find a decent V8 car, imho. For a fraction of $4k you could have a nice 318 or 360 that will really surprise you if you stay the course of the V8 swap. With a jack and an impact you can pretty much swap the entire drivetrain. You will also probably want disc brakes, stiffer torsion bars, sway bar, 8.25 or 8.75 rearend, V8 radiator, all of your pulleys/brackets (PS, Alternator, etc.), and a million other small things here and there that you wont be able to plan for. If you paid someone to do it all it would probably exceed the value of the car pretty quickly
 
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