I created this account for my 15yo son. We bought a 74 Swinger to work on as his 1st ride and our 1st project. (pics to follow).

Its in decent shape and I did auto body for 20yrs in the Army so no big deal, but, the guy we bought it from said they did some MODs to the rebuilt 318.
- 318 w/360 heads
- 650cfm Edelbrock 4bbl
- New(ish I say) wiring

Everything works fine (minus radio and a/c-no compressor).

Question is, is there an easier way to tell if its got 360 heads without pulling them?

Also, it has POS Camaro buckets in front and not the split bench. I need a split bench for this. And a compatible overdrive AT. Any help is appreciated.

 

 

A 518 Overdrive trans will work but it requires some major work to the cross member & floor pan

 

thanks. how can I determine if the heads are from a 360?
New question, on the eddy 4bbl, should I connect to the port vacuum?
I do plan on upgrading to disc brakes.

 

My experience with the small block is limited to a few I did in the mid 80s but I think there's part numbers around the spark plug area.

 

M -

There should be casting numbers on the heads, but you're going to have to find someone who can reference the numbers to tell you what they mean.

BUT, does it really matter? If the car is running right, who cares, and if you're going to swap in after market heads -again, who cares?

As for the overdrive, your best bet would be Gear Vendors. If you have a 727 trans, they make a bullet proof OD unit for it. If you have a 904, you'll have to ask.

Again, why? If you're running 3.55s or less, you shouldn't need an OD.

Not following you on the carb vac line. What do you want to connect it to?
Brakes, I assume?

Archer

 

http://www.mopar1.us/casting.html

 

Yes, brakes. And you make valid points. If its running right, who cares? So we set the timing to 10BTDC and smoothed out considerably. backfiring and cruising speed stalling hasnt happened again. Besides seal leaks (rear main, pan and heads) its a dandy engine. I would like to milk more power, but considering this is his first car... We'll need to revisit that. Ill check out gear vendors.

Manu thanks

 

M -

10 degrees works well for a lot of Mopar engines, both big and small block.

Yes, you should connect full manifold vac to the break slave cylinder (which appears to be there, as is the PCV) and the ported vac to the distributor. Make sure all other vac ports are used or sealed sealed.

If/when you want more oomph and have an idea of the HP and RPM range you want, the first thing to look at are cams, and then work around it's specs for the rest of the car. Things like the torque converter and rear gears are factors, but may not have to be done all at once.

Literally, enjoy the ride!!!

Archer