So, I decoded my fender tag on my 73 Swinger, and all is correct, except of course the paint and vinyl. It came from factory red, black stripe, white vinyl top. The 318 was ordered as the 230hp version with the 2brl for that year, which now has a 4brl, and a light duty transmission. I really love this car, and do not want to change it except for a little more pep. When I rebuild the motor, I was thinking of a Mopar tri power, always loved that set up, a little stronger trans and switching to 8 3/4 rearend.I want to keep it as original as possible. I want to get 300 hp or so, I think I am at about 270 now. the curb weight on this car says 4600 but I think it is way less, the car is so quick on it's feet and 300 hp would be a very nice place to be, so any suggestions on how to hit this number without a motor swap would be great!
Still Learning
- Thread starter dbs1473
- Start date
-
1st thing you need to know is there's net and gross crank horsepower. Net is how the engine is in a car with all the accessories, breather and exhaust and gross for the most part is without so it will be higher rating. A factory gross can be a complete fabrication.
I guess the dino is a good starting point because this motor for some reason could be ordered with 3 different hp ratings, 150, 170, and 230 all with the 2brl, this being my very first Mopar, I am just trying to find out from you guys what works and what doesn't, how finicky Mopar engines are etc.
230 is a gross number I wouldn't worry about
318 didn't really change over the years the stock 4bbl has
a few more ponies than the 2bbl which is easily fix.
Don't get caught up in the hp game. Just pick parts to make a good street engine. 600 cfm 4bbl, stock/performer or similar intake something like Comps XE262H cam. When rebuilt a CR bump and head work or better heads.
318 didn't really change over the years the stock 4bbl has
a few more ponies than the 2bbl which is easily fix.
Don't get caught up in the hp game. Just pick parts to make a good street engine. 600 cfm 4bbl, stock/performer or similar intake something like Comps XE262H cam. When rebuilt a CR bump and head work or better heads.
middleagecrisis
Well-Known Member
"Just pick parts to make a good street engine. 600 cfm 4bbl, stock/performer or similar intake something like Comps XE262H cam."
^This^, plus a shiftkit in your 904 trans with maybe a 2200 stall converter. No need to upgrade to an 8 3/4 rearend if you have the 8 1/4 already under the car, there plenty strong for a 318 auto combo. I had a mild 318 build in a Dart Sport and it was a great running little combo.
^This^, plus a shiftkit in your 904 trans with maybe a 2200 stall converter. No need to upgrade to an 8 3/4 rearend if you have the 8 1/4 already under the car, there plenty strong for a 318 auto combo. I had a mild 318 build in a Dart Sport and it was a great running little combo.
AJ/FormS
68 Formua-S fastback clone 367/A833/GVod/3.55s
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2014
- Messages
- 26,608
- Reaction score
- 13,849
If by Tri-Power you mean 6-pack, my guess is, you haven't priced a complete system out yet.....
You don't say you have headers or duals or a cam,etc....so there is no way a 4bbl by itself will get you 40 hp.
I had a 73, and I agree, there is no way that beast was 4600.I doubt it was 3600 with me in it!
Put some gears and a SG in it and call it done.Say 3.55s to 4.10s Shazzam!
You don't say you have headers or duals or a cam,etc....so there is no way a 4bbl by itself will get you 40 hp.
I had a 73, and I agree, there is no way that beast was 4600.I doubt it was 3600 with me in it!
Put some gears and a SG in it and call it done.Say 3.55s to 4.10s Shazzam!
Infecteddog
Well-Known Member
A bodies do not weigh near 4600 lbs. They tip the scales depending on options, safety devices, etc between 2600 and 3700 lbs. An early car with basically no options would curb around 2600 lbs whereas many of the later cars low on options would still be just under 3000- even their successor F bodies had some cars that were in the 2900s. Pretty well in the range of modern Civics. Average for your optioned up cars would be in the 3200-3500lb range, a shade less than your average Mustang or Accord today.
GVWR is the gross vehicle weight- it is the payload capacity added to the curb (actual) weight of the vehicle to determine its maximum legal capacity. It is not a reliable way to compare vehicle weights at all as the payload is vastly differential and the sources to decipher it will also clearly denote the actual curb weight dependent on options or close to it. To put it into perspective some heavier cars with lighter springs have very low payload capacity while lighter trucks with heavier springs have very high payload capacities- so a truck with a higher GVWR than a car can weigh less.
GVWR is the gross vehicle weight- it is the payload capacity added to the curb (actual) weight of the vehicle to determine its maximum legal capacity. It is not a reliable way to compare vehicle weights at all as the payload is vastly differential and the sources to decipher it will also clearly denote the actual curb weight dependent on options or close to it. To put it into perspective some heavier cars with lighter springs have very low payload capacity while lighter trucks with heavier springs have very high payload capacities- so a truck with a higher GVWR than a car can weigh less.
BlueDream
Aspiring Mopar enthusiast
On the cheap you can do a cam swap, new valve springs, headers, performer intake and 600 CFM carb. More specifically I would do a Comp high energy 268h, 901-16 springs, Summit or Hooker headers, Edelbrock performer intake, and an Edelbrock 1405 or Holley 600 carb. For the cost of a 6 pack you could do all these mods.
Keep the transmission, just add a shift kit. 904's are great (I assume you have an automatic..)
Get an 8 1/4 rear if you don't have one already. They're cheaper than an 8 3/4 (A LOT cheaper, especially considering no factory A body 8 3/4 came with a 5x4.5 bolt pattern..), you can get rear disk brakes easily, gear selection is good, and they weigh less and take less HP to spin as well!
A few bolt ons, a shift kit, and a gear swap should make the car a lot more fun to drive.
Keep the transmission, just add a shift kit. 904's are great (I assume you have an automatic..)
Get an 8 1/4 rear if you don't have one already. They're cheaper than an 8 3/4 (A LOT cheaper, especially considering no factory A body 8 3/4 came with a 5x4.5 bolt pattern..), you can get rear disk brakes easily, gear selection is good, and they weigh less and take less HP to spin as well!
A few bolt ons, a shift kit, and a gear swap should make the car a lot more fun to drive.
Will someone please tell me if the axles from the original 7.25 rear end in my 73 Swinger will fit the differential on an 8.25 or 8.75. These are actually in really good shape and if I can save a few dollars there I can put a little more in the motor rebuild.
-
Similar threads
- Locked
