Help Please

[Frostbite]

OK i had my 1973 duster up for sale, but i decided not to sell it. It has a stock 318 with 80,000 miles that puffs some blue smoke on start up. Im going to take some compression tests to check all the cylinders and if they are ok i wanna do some performance work to it. It already has edlebrock intake and carb with dual exhaust.

I found a set of rebuilt 302 swirl port head i want to put on the duster. But i need help figuring our what odds and ends i should do with it while im at it and what head gaskets,cam,lifters, ignition?

Id like it to be on a budget and within the capability of the stock drivetrain.

Here is a video on you tube of it running [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngPi3g1CnmU"]1973 Duster 318 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[LXguy]

You're better off doing a leakdown test. It will tell you more about the health of the engine than the compression test. If you're lucky its just leaky valve seals causing the blue smoke.

Use the skinniest head gasket you can find, which might be the stock replacement. Mr Gasket and mopar sell some skinny ones. Like .028 compressed.

You want to be very conservative with cam choice on a stock bottom end. Very. There is a lot of power to be gotten, but if you go too big you wont' make any power off idle and won't be able to turn the motor high enough to take advantage of any improvement. I'd recommend one of the very small Comp XE grinds.

Looks like stock manifolds in the pics? Definitely needs headers.

Torque converter is probably the best bang for buck acceleration upgrade.

 

[RedFish]

Have someone follow you watching for a small puff of smoke every time you step back into the throttle.The long slow up and down grade of or local interstates are perfect for this. When you let off the throttle the pistons can actually suck oil past worn stem oil seals.

 

[Frostbite]

what kinda of torque converter and stall rating you think? If i do that i might spend a lil extra to have it rebuilt since ill have it pulled out if i replace the stall?

Thanks for the advice on checking valve seals i might try that tonight

 

[Oklacarcollecto]

The first thing is to see for sure what is wrong with your engine so you don't mess something up. The valve seals seem likely.

 

[Mopar44134]

valve stem seals fixed my problem like this.

 

[TrailBeast]

Have someone follow you watching for a small puff of smoke every time you step back into the throttle.The long slow up and down grade of or local interstates are perfect for this. When you let off the throttle the pistons can actually suck oil past worn stem oil seals.

Up through the rings too.