Guest Anonymous Posted August 16, 2001 Share Posted August 16, 2001 Does anyone know of a small block Dodge to a 79ZX conversion kit? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted August 17, 2001 Share Posted August 17, 2001 Unlikely you'll find a 'kit' the only one really around is either MSA, Johns cars or JTR for the Chev's, no kit for Fords, and I've not heard of any for dodges. Many of the Chevy swap basics out of the JTR manual translate to a Dodge just as easy. You just need to fabricate a mounting scheme in front and use the JTR tranny mount in back as I'm sure a dodge mount can to found to bolt to the crossmember. Everything else should be pretty similar, with a few small exceptions and maybe a few unique things to the dodge engine. There are a few of these swaps going on right now in First gen Z's. Regards, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Adkins Posted August 17, 2001 Share Posted August 17, 2001 Don't know of any kits for mopar small blocks into a Z or ZX, but here a few things about the mopar small block on how it compares to the Chevy small block: about the same width and length as small block Chevy oil filter on right side, starter on left 25-50lbs lighter than small block Chevy, depending on engine set back plates used on small block Chevy Z swap not needed due to motor mount lugs being farther foward on small block mopar mechanical fuel pump mounted to timing cover rather than block oil pans are available in center, rear, and front sump The mopar swap shouldn't be any more difficult than the chevy swap [ August 17, 2001: Message edited by: John Adkins ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted August 17, 2001 Share Posted August 17, 2001 John, So in your opinion, would a stock 318 be any better or worse than a chevy sb? Sounds like the weight and mounting are beneficial. How about power components? Mopar parts plentiful like Chev, also go fast little suckers, right? THanks for your input and thoughts. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Adkins Posted August 17, 2001 Share Posted August 17, 2001 It depend on a lot of factors If you compare a stock 318 to a stock Chevy 305, I would say the 318 has some advantages, like lighter weight and a little more displacement. One thing about stock 70's and '80s 318's is that they have really a low lift stock camshaft and low compression ratio(due to smog laws of the '70s ). Later 80's and 90's Magnum 318s are better in stock form. Just changing to a stock 360 cam or even a mild aftermarket cam really wakes up the stock 70's and '80s 318's . I think a pretty much stock 318 with 8:1 CR and just a better cam than the stocker, headers, and 4bbl can make 250 HP easy. 300+ HP is not hard with a little more work (raise compression, bigger cam, etc). However, if you compare a stock 318 to a Chevy 350, then the SBC is definitely better. When comparing a Mopar 360 vs Chevy 350, then I think the 360 has the advantage (more cubic inches, a little less weight). Comparing a stock Mopar 340 vs. stock Chevy 350, the 340 loves to rev and makes great hp, but the 340 is getting hard to find these days. One disadvantage is that mopar speed parts are a little more expensive than the Chevy small block parts. Lots of speed equipment is available for Mopar small blocks, but not the HUGE number of choices that the Chevy has. Check out Mopar Performance for a sample of what's available from just Daimler-Chrysler itself. The Mopar swap is not documented like the Chevy swap, so if this would be a person's first engine swap project, then the Chevy swap would be better. The JTR book is available and you can even buy the mount kit prefabbed. However, if a person has a Mopar background and doesn't mind doing a little welding and fabricating, then the Mopar swap would a good choice. [ August 17, 2001: Message edited by: John Adkins ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted August 17, 2001 Share Posted August 17, 2001 A 360cid block with 340 heads and a cam is the ticket. Remember, the 340 heads have 2.02 intakes just like the old LT-1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted August 17, 2001 Share Posted August 17, 2001 John, The motor that I would be trying to work with is a 1985 318 out of a B-250 van with 727 automatic (I think). The motor is now not running, blown and cracked the heads, replaced heads, but engine is seized. Probably melted the bottom end, it ran ultra hot near the end. I figured that if I got into this swap, I would rebuild the block top from the bottom up. Drop it in car in near stock form, maybe change the cam while it is out, and work on the extra HP as an ongoing project. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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