/6 to 360 swap

-
H

heavybreather

Do it like a Champion
Joined
May 7, 2007
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Inland Empire
Please help, I need more power. I tried to work with the slant, but the whole reason i got a muscle car was to have a muscle car. Can anybody tell me exactly what I need to get from the wrecking yard besides the motor and trans, is there a write up somewhere. Also would it be hard to install a fuel injected 360/ trans setup or is it easier to stay carbed. :-|
 
heavybreather said:
Please help, I need more power. I tried to work with the slant, but the whole reason i got a muscle car was to have a muscle car. Can anybody tell me exactly what I need to get from the wrecking yard besides the motor and trans, is there a write up somewhere. Also would it be hard to install a fuel injected 360/ trans setup or is it easier to stay carbed. :-|
Click to expand...

I am doing just that once again on my 68 Barracuda. I have converted many a 6 banger to an 8. Even my S10 Blazer I installed a 350 in it.
What kind of car we talking about here? The first thing on a 6 cyl, is the K-frame change, You can buy adapter mounts, but the best way is to find an 8 cyl K-frame. Keep in mind as well, the small block and big block are differant. So it all depneds what you want.
 
The car is a 74 plymouth duster. I just wanna throw a 360 in it, it does not matter weather its carburated or fuel injected. I would like a 4 speed trans though.
 
Attached is a list I made during the conversion to a 318. I would recommend making a list like this, it helped me. And do your homework for items such as pulleys & brackets. Also V-belts, I waited till I had everything mocked up and then bought the belts. Since you are going with a 360 and 4-speed of course your list will be alot different than mine...... but this should give you an idea of what it takes.

Schumacher conversion mounts are the ONLY way to go in my opinion if not changing K-frames. It is worth the investment.

Hope this helps.
 

Attachments

  • Engine Conversion List.txt
    13.1 KB · Views: 297
You may want to visit the local or not so local junk yards and find a 318 a-body. Things you would want are the K-frame, motor mounts, torsion bars, radiator and the other stuff mentioned above.

Jack
 
I beleive Schumacher uses a std. pass side V8 A body mount and a driver side truck mount to convert from /6 to V8 using the /6 k member. The 340/360 use a narrower mount than a 318 on the driver side. Do a search here. There was some one that did this swap using the parts above. Go to the JY and save a bunch of cash. :headbang:
 
I agree with 19duster74, make a list. Thats what I did. Take the time to do the research. I called texas acres for some misc. stuff. I actually started with disassembly of the /6 today. Tomorrow I will be running to get a couple items, then saturday is the day...
 
I bought the Trans Dapt kit for my 74 Duster conversion from /6 to 318. The original mounts were spool mount type. Nothing lined up. The TD kit specifies to 1972, I don't know if this makes a difference. I sent it back and bought the Schumacher kit that was made for 1974 models. I had to modify the drivers side mount as per the Schumacher installation instructions, with a little cutting and grinding, but it was no big deal. When I dropped in the 318 everything lined up perfectly, level and the transmission lined up as well.
I don't think I was doing anything wrong with the Transdapt kit, the drivers side mounting perch was tall on my Duster, I don't see how the Transdapt kit would have ever worked in my case.
Just my two cents, It set me back a week waiting on the Schumacher mounts once the TD mounts did not work out. Has anyone else experienced an issue with the TD mounts when converting from existing spool mounts? Maybe I just didn't do something right..............
 
I just did this swap in a 72 Demon. The Schumacher conversion mounts fit perfectly and the 360/904 lined up nicely. I got my motor/trans from a 76 Cordoba. I needed a Lokar trans kickdown cable to replace the cordoba kickdown. The slant 6 kickdown is totally different, and the cordoba kickdown hit the firewall. The Lokar solved it nicely. I'm using an Airgap intake, so I also got an adjustable throttle bracket, which the Lokar mounts up to very nicely. I got the Lokar and the bracket from www.magnumhp.com. With a little loop, the slant 6 throttle cable works fine.

You can use the existing wiring harness, but you'll need to extend the positive coil wire. I used an electronic ignition kit from proform, and a new could from advance auto.

Also, I used Hedman ceramic headers, and they fit perfectly with no bending/banging required. I would suggest leaving the exh studs off the motor for ease of installation. When I dropped the motor in, I tied the headers up in the engine bay then dropped the motor in from the top.

I replaced the full size starter with a mini starter from Advance auto for a 1991 Dodge Dakota truck with a 318 motor. I removed the plastic piece which extended the terminals on it to expose the "regular" terminals. It fit in with just a little wiggling AFTER the motor and headers were fully installed. First I ordered a mini starter from summitt, but the terminal setup was modular, and did not have the terminals I needed. I did not see a way to modify it.

I used the pulleys that came on the 76 'doba motor. It had a smog pump and A/C, neither of which was reinstalled. I bought repop alternator bracket and P/S bracket from an ebay vendor. Since I was going from A/C to non ac, I had to use some washers as spacers between the water pump housing and the brackets to get the belts lined up. I then measured and bought belts at Advance auto. If you are not changing from A/C to non A/C, or don't have s smog pump, you can probably skip this.

One last thing, if you have PS and are using a /6 k frame, you will need to notch the k frame so the ps pump can rotate for tightening. The line coming out the back of the pump will hit the point of the k frame and prevent you from tightening that belt. I have not yet ground that off, but will tomorrow. Don't worry about this one...it'll be obvious when you install the p/s pump...no advance planning required.

Let me know if you have any quetions or problems...it's fresh on my mind as I just did this a week ago.
 
My Dad did this swap in his 74 Duster and bought the Schumacher kit and he did it himself with NO issues at all. He swears by that kit. I will be getting the same kit when I do the swap for my Wife's 74 Swinger too.
 
i'll be doing this soon to my 72 Duster.All my cars until this one already had v8's in them.I didnt realise how much is involved.is there any topics of anyone doing a "build" of a /6 to v8 conversion? :-|
 
Don't be alarmed. Most of the parts listed above on the attachment are needed for a rebuild....not just a /6 to sb motor swap. The conversion is actually very simple with the Schumacher motor mounts.
 
I'm in the midle of this now. What did you guys do with all of the wiring? My car is a 75, going to a 360. Did you guys take out excess wiring and boxes? I'm going with a Mallory ignition and coil. I read last months issue of mopar muscle where they converted their 74 sport from a /6 to a 360 and noticed they have few wires.
 
I used the voltage regulator, then just followed the directions on the Proform electronic ignition kit (which is just like the mopar performance one). The only change I had to make to the wiring harness other than changes called for with the igntion kit, was to lengthen the coil wire.
 
I've done a /6 to 318. Heres my thread for some hints.
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=10508&page=1&pp=20
On makeing use of a modern F.I system, you'll need to find a place to mount the computer and power it. Really simple enuff. Upgrade the fuel line with electric pump and bypass the mech. pump and I think your basicly good to go.
Oh, fuel line return needs to be added.

Performance. I like super chargers. Something like a Paxton. But not them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top