318 Steel Crank Motor

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billshotrod

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I have a 1972 318 that was pulled out of mY dart to make room for a 5.7 hemi. It ran well when I pulled it out. It is complete pan to carb. I am looking to get $300 for it.
Thanks Bill
 
68 318 has a steel crank. as a general rule of thumb Chrysler Industrial red engine paint indicates a steel crank but there are exceptions so it's not a rule to follow closely.
There are indicaters seen on the crank that remove all doubt.
 
It has the thin Internal balance harmonic dampner. Later when the 318 went to cast cranks they had larger balancers with weights on them becuase they were external balanced motors. That is the tell tale between the two.
 
billshotrod said:
It has the thin Internal balance harmonic dampner. Later when the 318 went to cast cranks they had larger balancers with weights on them becuase they were external balanced motors. That is the tell tale between the two.
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There are no LA 318's externally balanced. The 67 and 68's did leave the factory with steel cranks, but if it was rebuilt who knows. The 73,74 and some 72's 340's had cast externally balanced cranks. They are the same size phiscally but I've been told they have different bob weights (heavier rods and pistons). So if you have a unmolested 67 it's likely a steel crank. The only premium fuel 318 I know of is the Mexican version. LA 318's are internally balanced, Period! If your 74 318 was rebuilt it might have a steel crank, otherwise it's a cast crank internally balanced motor..but it's a good motor to build on!
 
It is a rebuilt 1972 motor that is the original motor for my dart. But I though the very thin balancer like the 340 balancer meant the motor had a steel crank. That was at least my understanding but I may be wrong.
 
This comes up all the time, the 340 cast crank external balance has a " cast crank only" balancer. The 318's use a neutral balancer. It's a great little motor and all of them are internally balanced. All stock 360's are externally balanced and some 340's are too. The harmonic balancers have a machined groove partially around their perimeter. Good luck with the sale, it's not a bad price for a rebuilt 318. The steel cranks have a wider casting part line, a machinist once showed me a trick. They ring when tapped ( it's got to be out of the block) and cast ones thunk. Also you can check the Numbers on the crank for ID. Why don't you stroke it to 390 Ci, that would be cheaper and just as cool. Tell everyone it's just a teen!
 
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