Thread: I just bought a '72 Dodge Charger.

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Ok Carfreak, here ya go....
The K-Member sits directly BELOW the engine. It is the main support that connects the right and left frame rails together. In small block V8 mopars the pickend of the oil pan is towards the rear of the engine just like a small block GM. In big block mopar V8's the pickup end , or the deep end of the oil pan, is in the front. So placing a big block mopar in a car that has a small block K-Member won't work. the pick up end will sit on TOP of the K-member instead of sitting around it. The enhine mounts wont line up, tranny won't bolt up, and you wont be able to close the engine hood.
I<....small block K-member
>I....Big block K-member
Concerning the engine situation. You are getting alot of info here and from your one post you sound a little confused. The info that you are getting is correct. Everyone is just giving you options. Cocerning switching a 440 over to a hemi.....don't waste your time. Racers did this when ma Mopar no longer made the Hemi. Go to your local Mopar dealership and buy a Mopar performance parts book. You can now buy the OLD style hemi that everyone so feared. The 440 is harder to get ahold of now a days. if you can find a old school bus, dump truck, moterhome with one it good luck. Just remember, these will more than likely have ALOT of miles on them. The 383's and the 400's will be easier to find. When you get the engine see if the tranny comes with it. You see Mopar did a switch on the trannys and engine combo's. If looking for a 4 speed, go for a A-833. Standard 4 speed on all big blocks. Put them onto 383's to hemi's. Just a different bolt pattern on the bell housing. the 727 tourque flight is a heavy duty auto tranny they put in EVERYTHING except cars with the 225 slant 6 engine. the 904 went with them. Some 904's went with small block V8's, but on the real light cars. ( Signet, valiant, early Darts) Anyway, GET THE ENGINE TRANNY COMBO. This is why....some engines were INTERNALLY balanced and some were EXTERNALLY balanced. It all depended on the tranny that was installed at the factory.
Concerning the rearend. When you have a car thats puts out marginal HP, then the stock rearend is fine. But going from a small block to a Big block. There is more tourque and Hp on the rearend. Pull a rearend out of a big block car if possible. Good doners also would be trucks with V8's in them. They just have a steeper rearend gears and you might be running high RPM's at 65 mph. But great off the line tho! In my Charger and my Road Runner, I ran 3:73's. Gave me a little shot off the line and good cruizing speeds as well.
The front end suspension used torsion bars. mopar used these to control ride height on the vehicals along with shocks instaed of springs and shocks that GM and Ford used. they worked VERY well. They came in two sizes as well. Smaller size for 225ci to 360ci. Larger size for cars with 383's to 440's. The hemi used the same as 440's with beefer threads and stronger bolts. They are bars that run along the inside of the frame rails and connect to the K-member abd a mid point support bracket under the front seat area. By turning them one way or another you can lower or raise the front end of your Mopar. In doing this you change the ride of it. If you do this or replace them you WILL need a front end alignment. EVERY TIME!!
I hope this answered some questions for you. Now their will be some people here giving their 2 cents worth and that is another point of view. i am sure there may be some things I ommitted.
Remember....No such thing as a dumb question.
DCON

Originally posted by CarFreak
I assume by boat you mean rediculously huge cars like cadilacs, buicks, and the like right?

Most of those cars I've seen have 350s in em. Although I do think it would be possible to find whatever engine I want in the local sales paper now that I think about it.

Uh, 350, that's a GM engine there buddy, you need a MOPAR. Try to find a early 70's Imperial, Newport or any other big Chrysler or Dodge, I do belive the cars I listed ( Chyrslers ) were offered with 440's or at least a 383 but, my dad knew a good trick with Mopar 383's. You can get 440 heads for the 383 and they increase the power a lot. My dad had a '68 Cornet with a 383 and he did just that.

440 powered boats. This brings back memories. I know that the 79 New yorker for one did indeed have a 440. Also, dont kill streets. I have to lose to him in a race in a few months. Seriously though, Any Mopar dealer should be abe to get a 426 Hemi new. But, if thats not up your alley, have you considered modifying your 318 to move. A few extra ponies will help move that 2dr land barg a lot easier. just a thought

At 3800 lbs, that Charger would almost qualify as a land barge !! The easiest and cheapest way to improve the performance of the car is to lighten it up. Don't forget the 340's and 360's, they were good runners when built with the right parts.

Thanks a whole bunch for that extensive covery Dcon! That was a very big help! Now all I gotta do is decide which way would be easier to go at.... Hemi, or 440. I gotta while to think about that one since I am obviously gonna need some serious cash.

What are some common ways to lighten up the Chargers?

68 Roadrunner and Super Bee, 383 Magnum. 383 block and practically everything else 440, rated at 335 hp from the factory LOL. Properly tuned ran low to mid 14's at Lion's with automatic trans. 69 was a different story.

Ok carFreak, here we go.....
The Charger like I stated was a heavy car. Now that was the weight of mine with a big block when I had to weigh it for a race at a strip.use a small block and you lighten it up by couple of hundred pounds. Not as much tourqe either to get it going off the line. Like the old saying.." NO REPLACMENT FO DISPLACMENT! "
In other words...the bigger the ci ya running the more tourqe and hp ya got. Now some will say no to that and in certain engine combos I can get more from a small block Mopar than a big block mopar. It all depends on what you want the car for and do!!
These are questions you have to ask. Everyone here has asked them at least once in their lives concerning a ride.
What do I want the car for? Steet? Strip? Both? just a cruizer? restore to factory specs? Weekend strip? Monday thru friday work car?
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH IT?
If this going to be a daily driver and a little strip racing then go this way.....Take your small block and get 400+ out of it. I have a build plan for this if you want. During this time, take your time and find a big block combo for it and all the parts you need to do the swap and start building it. That way you have a goal for your Charger, You can still drive it daily and when you ready to do the swap take a weekend and do it all at once. Then you have a more STRIP Charger than a everyday STREET Charger when you swap the big block in.
What a wicked ride it will be. Hell even the "tuners" will "FEEL" the rumble thru the pavement when you bull up beside them at the light....just imagine it. It's a GREAT feeling to have! I've been there and done that. They kinda "mine their own business" when that happens. I guess self preservation kicks in them some.
DCON

used hemi for sale

AHHHH an early HEMI!!!!!!! The sight of one makes the owners grin and the potential competition run away .

Alas now the reality: KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING INTO BEFORE YOU BUY ONE

From the valve covers, this is a Chrysler version (Chrysler, Dodge and Desoto all produced a unique version from 1951-1958 in a total of 13 diffrent displacements). This would be one of the not very desirable 51-54 extended bellhousing 331 CI versions.

It will have the not so hi-performance small valve heads (as noted by the lack of water passages in the ends of the heads, and if memory serves correctly ran a compression ratio of 7.5 to 1 (OK so I had to look that up). I see it also has a 2 BBL intake on it, so plan on spending anywhere $100 (if your real lucky finding one for that price on E Bay) for a castiron single 4BBL intake which will require an adaptor plate to run a modern carb,- to up to a grand or more for low production multiple carb intakes. Of course with that compression a blower would be good (likely about 2 grand, AFTER you spent several thousand dollars on rebuilding the bottom end to take all the HP).

The transmission behind this looks like a 2 spd Powerflight (not a very heavy duty piece, just heavy because of the castiron case) and besides just 2 speeds, no Park, just a big brake on the back of the tranny. With the extended belhousing your transmission choices are pretty much limited to a ....castiron 2 spd Powerflight (unless you get really lucky and find an old Offenhauser tranny adaptor for the OLD ford trannys which were not much better than the Powerflights).

The oil pan on the engine is a rear sump, and a custom oil pan and and pickup will need to be fabricated to let it work in your Charger engine bay, along with custom motor mounts.

The headers are neat looking and will make a nice addition to any Fuel-Altered or garage wall.

And when all is said and done, you have (drum roll please) a VERY heavy engine under 350 cubic inches, that LOOKS impressive as hell.

I'm not trying to talk anyone out of using one of these engines (or any other engine swap for that matter) just pointing out the necessity of doing your homework and knowing what your getting into).

(MY Project)

GOOD PICS from "the Al Show and from Mike. Good info also Mike. I am always willing to learn something new on Mopars.
Oh and also Carfreak...if you do with the big block route. Remember to get a bigger radiator as well. you will need it!
DCON

The best methods for lightening up a car have a lot to do with it's intended use. Street, Strip, Cruizer??? Like dcon said, decide on your plan for the car, then stick to it...That is until you change your mind and start a brand new plan !!!!!!

As fas as lightening goes, remember, fiberglass and aluminum fenders and doors are a lot lighter than steel. Also, hoods and trunklids. But then again, how much do you have to spend is the question?

I agree with the fiberglass way of getting the lbs off. the problem was for me anyway of NOT finding anyone that made fiberglass replacment panels for the '72 thru'74 Chargers. Now that was awhile ago and maybe someone does now. The hood is LOOOONG and wide on them. I would make sure it has steel supports in it if using the hinges. If not, it better be a complete lift off, held on by 4 hood pins.
It just seamed that everyone made panels for the early Chargers, Road Runners, Cuda's, and Challengers. Hell even some made some for the Darts.
Here is some ideas to shed some lbs...... remove glass and put in plexiglass. Remove interior except drivers seat. Remove ac, radio, heater core, wiber blades and motor but then you getting to race form.
I would like to see some pics from CarFreak and find out what he wants to do with it.
I lowered my charger, put 60's all the way around with old ET Turbine rims on it. Painted the entire front grill flat black and put some performance car stickers along the front edge of the doors. It looked like a nascar stock car running down the street. When you are 16 and 17, it looked cool. Well to me anyway.
DCON

Carfreak:
Send me a email and I'll point you to a really nice site dealing with exactly what you want to accomplish. It is strictly Mopar related and the forums are setup the same way.

hey Castle50, Just post it here we so ALL can go to it. If not ....heres my addy---------
dcon426@yahoo.com

DCON