Ok a dakota and my car weigh close to same. I saw a dakota with a 408 stroker...pretty ballsy. Now a 408 is a 360 Correct? Now here is the real question. What is the difference between a dakota 360 and my 78 360. Can i add those parts to my motor or would i be better off getting the fuel injected dakota 360 put in it. I believe the dakota 408 would be better gas mileage than if i made mine a 408. WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHAT ALL WOULD I NEED?

 

Two different motors Your 78 Is an LA motor It's replacement is the Magnum motor line. Different heads, different oiling system Just to name a few

 

Well do you think it will bolt right in, like are they the same mounts and size. I think it would be alot better if i got like a dodge ram motor in it. Plus you have to admit it would get alot better mpg

 

Well you COULD convert your "whatever you drive" (the 78 360) to a Magnum style 408, and you CAN run a carb manifold, although I understand there are not too many choices for magnum CARB manifolds......

but to suggest it will get better mileage is a fairy tale

If you want mileage, get a 318

or de-cam your 360, put a smaller carb on it, run a spreadbore design carb if you are not, review what you have for gear ratio and tires, do a complete diagnostic and tuneup, paying particular attention to timing, and KEEP YOUR FOOT OUT OF IT

 

But doesnt a 318 get less power than a 360. Also doesnt a fuel injected motor get much better mileage. I figured if i took a ram F.I 360 and used the ram ecu tranny and different rear end it would be much better off. Besides the 57 4dr bel air i used to have this is the only carb car ive had. Idk why but i think it would be pretty nice to make this cordoba somewhat newer aged with fuel injection due to it will one day be my daily driver. I dont really want it to be a race car and am wanting to stick with an auto trans, i just want it to be a cordoba that is upgraded. I like to get a car and make it look nicer, and preform better as well, as an all around better version of what the manufacturer created. I wanted it to be a lowrider but i cant come to terms with doing so due to it has t-top and i feel having t-tops it should be a little sporty. My full goal is black cherry paint, 18' blk and chrome two peice rims, slightly lowered, sound system, tint, and some BALLZ.

 

Ok *** the horsepower. Does anyone know an absolute way to get good gas mileage in this car. Im just gonna bag it. Puttin wire wheels with white walls, and cruz the heavy sum-bish. LOL. as long as it sounds cool i guess. S>L>A>B, SLow loud and bangin

 

Well you could always put a Neon SRT4 motor in it... But seriously, the best, and cheapest, mod you can do for gas mileage, is lighten your right foot. I used to get 11 mpg in my fuel injected, 318 Ram. Now I get 15 with my a/c almost always running. Because of my foot, it used to shift between 2500-3000 rpm, now it shifts around 1800. I used to have a lockup converter, and now I don't but I'm still getting better mileage because I pay attention to how I drive. Before I used to pull away from everyone, thought it was cool because no one expects the "old truck" to do that, now I just go with the flow. Besides, when you don't blow past everyone, more people see your car!

 

Thats the thing tho man, i drive this cordoba like a cadillac and it still get **** mileage. Maybe its because it has 140k and bad heads idk. Maybe if i just rebuilt it all it would do much better. Atleast im hoping.

 

moparautos.com has the '78 Cordoba with 2 different 360's. A 2 barrel rated at 155 hp and a 4 barrel "heavy duty" w/o lean burn with a whopping 175 hp. The 360 was dropped in '79 because it couldn't get good enough mileage. Compression for both engines only 8.4:1... HP numbers like that in a 4000 lb car, no matter how you do the math, I don't think mileage is going to get any better. Chrysler de-tuned and smogged-up that 360 so bad to try to get mileage up (which apparently didn't work) that they sucked all the power out of it.

Just as a comparison, a 318 with a 2 barrel from late 60's was rated at 230 hp. I think they were around 9.5:1 comp which I'm sure makes a huge difference. I bet you'd get better mileage with one of those under the hood. Heck I wonder if you could put 318 heads on your 360 to up compression a little. Yes the valves are smaller, and you'd lose flow, but so are the chambers. Keep the 2 barrel on there if that's what it has. My '89 318 Ram is rated at 170hp.

 

From Tanon Weber (someone on allpar.com): Removing the lean-burn seemed to give me tons of extra horse-power, without changing anything else. Rebuilding the front-end also allowed for a proper alignment, and I went from getting nine to ten miles per gallon with this 2-barrel 360 to fifteen, in the city.

Written about his '78 Cordoba

Check this link out too:
http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Fuel/...rysler/Cordoba

Gives you an idea of what your car was meant to get for mileage to compare to what you are getting.

 

Yeah see mine was the 4b carb gettin 12mpg. that site helps alot but, will the 318 go right in, do you think mounts are same?

 

A 318 will drop right in but one engine is internally balanced, one is external, which I think means you'll need a matching torque converter for the 318. If you have all that lean burn stuff on the 360, you may want to look into removing it and going with the orange box ignition, or maybe pick up a 2 barrel manifold and carb for it, along with the ignition change. 2 barrel manifolds are probably cheap and easy to find, since most people swapped for 4 barrels.

 

See i figured if i kept the engine and removed all that stuff it would get better everything, if not add power to it i thought might help the mpg since its so heavy but idk yet man. I wish i could find someone on here who has had one and did it ya know. I want this car to be pretty damn reliable and something i can drive and get 17-18mpg

 

it wont really be cost effective to swap in a 318, you wont gain more than 1-2 mpg from it if your lucky. if you want mileage, get a /6 or 4 banger.