1973 dodge charger 318 good ideo or a bad one?

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AxelsMopar

WolfiesDuster
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Ok so I was wondering if getting a 1973 dodge charger with a 318 ci engine was a good ideo or a bad one? I've been looking to get a mopar for a while and my favorite was the Charger! I was looking for a good amount of time at a 1969 Charger... It ended up being more of a dream then anything seeing that they can be both hard to find and priced pretty high even for projects! Now I don't have a lot of cash and after a while started looking at later years and fell in love with the '73! Now im not that old but I still would like a Mopar over any thing thats new and says "muscle car" on it. So seeing the 318 is the cheapest of all the engines that cam with the '73 Charger not to mention the most abundant of all of them... I was wondering if I find one for a good price. If a 318 would be a good idea?
 
i would say that getting a 318 would be a good idea, because there are alot of aftermarket parts for it, also i heard that they respond very well to mods.
 
Thanks I heard they lasted a good amount of time without trouble but i wasnt sure about the mods... I dont know if im going to do mods just yet because i dont have the money. Thanks for the advice
 
I had a 73 charger with a 318 in the 80's. They are a great road car. Very comfortable ride. They weigh about 500 lbs more then a Dart with the same engine so performance wont be quite as good but they are very comfortable cars to drive. Very easy to work on as there is a ton of room under the hood with a small block. I wanted to turbo mine but had 3 little ones at the time. Look around you should be able to find one with the rallye dash and buckets and auto on floor.
 
The 318 in my 79 Dodge Magnum had extreme mileage. Key factor in any long life engine is conctant change of fluids. Of course, not beating the crap out of it ethier will help.

I got the car from the orginal owner. He stoped recording miles in 1989 with over 300,000 miles where he then gave the car to his daughter for 4 years of collage about 3 hours away. After her schooling, his son got it for collage (Same one) for 4 more years.

After all the schooling was done, he then used the car for a daily comuter in and out of the city, 40 miles one way in, another 40 miles back home for 10 years.

That very engine now powers my "Hot Rod" Duster here; http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=10508
 
furz4 said:
I had a 73 charger with a 318 in the 80's. They are a great road car. Very comfortable ride. They weigh about 500 lbs more then a Dart with the same engine so performance wont be quite as good but they are very comfortable cars to drive. Very easy to work on as there is a ton of room under the hood with a small block. I wanted to turbo mine but had 3 little ones at the time. Look around you should be able to find one with the rallye dash and buckets and auto on floor.
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I thought about a Dart wonce just cause I thought about preformance but I really love the charger! I was hoping for room under the hood glag to hear there is some! Ive been looking for bucket seats but I'll settle for a bench if needed. Im am also glad to hear that the '73 Charger is comfortable to drive! i had a little fear just because its a older car but im not so fearful now! As for the "rallye dash" do you mind explaining a little because i did'nt know there was a diffrence.
 
Rallye dash will have 150 mph speedometer, oil pressure and temp and fuel gauges and possibly a tach or clock. Later on if you want any kind of big block it's an easy bolt in too.
 
Nothing wrong with a 318 Charger, just won't be as quick as a big block (duh). Get it tuned up well and drive the car with the stock engine as you fix up the suspension, brakes, and other stuff it needs. While you're doing that collect parts to convert to a big block and toss in a budget-built 400/451.
 
MOPEkidD-3 said:
Nothing wrong with a 318 Charger, just won't be as quick as a big block (duh). Get it tuned up well and drive the car with the stock engine as you fix up the suspension, brakes, and other stuff it needs. While you're doing that collect parts to convert to a big block and toss in a budget-built 400/451.
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So should I try to make it a stroker if possible?
 
fishy68 said:
All depends on how fast you want to go. A stroked 318 can run real good but not nearly as good as a stroked 400 (stroked to 451 with a 440 crank) if it's done up right.
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So lets say I build it into a 400 if thats possible right? then turned it into a stroker? Would that a) be possible and b) is that a good idea?
 
Fix your car the way you'd like and after all the little crap ironed out (interior, electrical, brakes, body -- then you can take some time to decide what you want to do in the engine department. Right now -- there are a lot of 360's out there to give good dependable power and a pretty easy swap.
There are a lot of 318's also but it seems as if the 360's are more popular.
I've always stressed that dependability was paramount to speed. Good luck!!
 
AxelsMopar said:
So lets say I build it into a 400 if thats possible right? then turned it into a stroker? Would that a) be possible and b) is that a good idea?
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Not to be mean, but that question right there just showed me your rookieness and you need to read a few books. Start with "How to rebuild my S/B Mopar" and then move onto "How to Hotrod my S/B Mopar."

In trying to answer your question, to build a 318 into a 400 is an additional 82 cubes. You need to stroke it to get there and bore it out more than recomended by 99% of all builders.
 
Welcome to the site. The best advice I can give you is to buy the best car you can find that you really like. If it's a 73 Charger, then go get it. I think that's a good choice as they are sporty and inexpensive and the parts are still fairly easy to find. Save your money for awhile and work for a decent car. A 318 car will be cheaper than a big block car in most cases, but not always. No matter what engine, don't worry about hot rodding it, worry about keeping the car nice and enjoying it. You can then save and build the engine you want as you drive and enjoy the car. In the mean time, a nice set of headers, decent exhaust and wheels/tires will make any car look and sound great.
 
If you like it, and it's clean and in good shape, buy it. You can make a heap into a diamond if you want to. And it's YOUR car... right? So if you like it, buy it.
 
318s are very durable. My dad had a 77 Fury that went 120,000 miles before trading it in with only 1 oil change and it ran fine. If you are wondering dad was very short on cash and did his best to raise kids and keep mom in a newer car but could not afford alot.
 
rumblefish360 said:
Not to be mean, but that question right there just showed me your rookieness and you need to read a few books. Start with "How to rebuild my S/B Mopar" and then move onto "How to Hotrod my S/B Mopar."

In trying to answer your question, to build a 318 into a 400 is an additional 82 cubes. You need to stroke it to get there and bore it out more than recomended by 99% of all builders.
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No you are 100% right I am a rookie and I figured that a 400 would most likely not work! But what about making a 318 into a 340 or 360? Then after that make it into a stroker?
 
chryslerfat said:
318s are very durable. My dad had a 77 Fury that went 120,000 miles before trading it in with only 1 oil change and it ran fine. If you are wondering dad was very short on cash and did his best to raise kids and keep mom in a newer car but could not afford alot.
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Well I am glad to hear all the good things about the 318! I get what your dad did seeing kids need alot of teaching and what. Thanks for the info on the durability.
 
AxelsMopar said:
So lets say I build it into a 400 if thats possible right? then turned it into a stroker? Would that a) be possible and b) is that a good idea?
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What I'm talking about specifically is swapping out the 318 for a 400 'B'-series big block which would have a stroker crank in it. I'm just recommending the 400 stroker route because it would be the cheapest way to make the most HP and torque for a larger car such as a Charger. You could also build up the 318, stroke it to a 390, swap in a 360 (stroked or not of course), find a nice 440 to swap, blow your college fund and drop in a crate 528 Hemi, you name it... Then there's also the wonderland of forced induction in which, for example, a supercharger would make your 318 push 450+ HP no sweat. It's just a matter of how much money you have and which way you want to spend it to go fast.
 
AxelsMopar said:
No you are 100% right I am a rookie and I figured that a 400 would most likely not work! But what about making a 318 into a 340 or 360? Then after that make it into a stroker?
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I think there's some confusion there because you can install a 400 (or 440 for that matter). It's a big block so you'll need conversion motor mounts or change the K-frame and change the transmission to a big block trans. You really don't want to waste a bunch of money building a 318 twice, do you? Depending on your amount of money to spend figure out a game plan and stick with it. As Rumble said buy a couple of books and read up on the specifics of the different engines and you'll see why it's not feasible to try to "build" a 318 into a 340 or 360.
 
MOPEkidD-3 said:
What I'm talking about specifically is swapping out the 318 for a 400 'B'-series big block which would have a stroker crank in it. I'm just recommending the 400 stroker route because it would be the cheapest way to make the most HP and torque for a larger car such as a Charger. You could also build up the 318, stroke it to a 390, swap in a 360 (stroked or not of course), find a nice 440 to swap, blow your college fund and drop in a crate 528 Hemi, you name it... Then there's also the wonderland of forced induction in which, for example, a supercharger would make your 318 push 450+ HP no sweat. It's just a matter of how much money you have and which way you want to spend it to go fast.
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Haha well if college gets to be too hard to get into by the time I graduate then Ill go for the hemi! thing is that i've never seen a hemi in a '73 Charger before.
 
i had a 318 in my duster when i first got her...and she ran for years no matter what i did.!..then i blew 2 360's before putting a 451 stroker (400 big block stroked into the ole girl. I love the big block, but that 318 was a great motor. I also love them big old chargers even though most don'r. my next project is my 74 charger SE 400 big block..
 
dusterbd451 said:
i had a 318 in my duster when i first got her...and she ran for years no matter what i did.!..then i blew 2 360's before putting a 451 stroker (400 big block stroked into the ole girl. I love the big block, but that 318 was a great motor. I also love them big old chargers even though most don'r. my next project is my 74 charger SE 400 big block..
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Have fun fixin the se! It really comes down to if the car is priced right! So it may be a 318 cause theres alot of them around and there the cheapest in most cases... Or i may get lucky and get a 440 only time will tell!
 
Im think to get about 2 grand or so to buy the Charger. The cheapest one Ive seen is a 318 for 1500 so if my plan on getting the money works... seeing how im only 15... I know cant drive yet but still If I get the car now I have 6 months or so to make it driveable and cool! So heres another question do you think doing odd jobs that pay $20+ on wednesday friday saturday and sunday is better or waiting for summer and getting a job at i dont know a food place?.. What do you guys think?
 
Go with the summer job, you'll make way more money (esp. if full-time). Better yet do both!

Just keep looking on craigslist at stuff that fits your budget and try to get the nicest car possible that you can afford. The two things that make or break the "right" car for me are the engine (type, condition) and rust. If you're looking for something around $2-3k you're gonna have to stick with /6 and 318-powered cars, unless you land a 383 C-body or something of the like. In fact my cousin just bought a decently clean and very low-mileage 440-powered 1972 Dodge Polara for $2500. It might be heavier than the more popular Mopars but boy is it comfortable and roomy, and 440s overpower anything under 6000 lbs. anyway (lol).
 
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