dodge a100 engine/trans swap
 

hi all!! new member here. by day i work on old vw's but unlike most of my co workers i really wanted a van with an engine up front. something i can tow a couple thousand pounds with. so i got a 1966 A1oo!! and of coarse i love it! some things are a bit tricky like finding door locks and brake shoes (mine has the 11inch option which is hard to find..) but this thread is about the engine. its actually a 318C (which I'm told means it came from canada) but it looks like a regular 318 to me. beefy and heavy. but it is getting old and the transmission gear oil is nice and glittery so even though its running fine at the moment.. I'm looking toward the future when i buy a low miles engine/trans out of a smashed something or other.. but I'm having trouble finding what that should be.. can an LA318 bolt into an A series mount? what about a 318magnum? or something as new and fuel injected as a 2002 dodge ram? as long as i stay in the 318 family will the mounting pattern remain similar? sure ill have much more of a wiring harness to deal with but if i take all of the accessories out of the car with the engine.. all my A100 has is a handful of lights and 3 fuses. even the window washer pump is manual! thanks you to anyone who can help

Nice project... Welcome to the site.. I would have to see some pictures to see if the mounts looked the same. But I am not sure off the top of my head.... But all things are possible.... :)

Wiring is not bad with a new Painless system...

Keep us posted...

Bob your heads got to be skind off by now, the LA and the the magnum externally are the same and you can convert to carb no problem. The trans depends upon your wants, auto or manual. FI or carb?:)

Way back when I had a friend had one with a 340. Any small block will fit. I would use the stock manifolds no headers - too much heat.. All of that insulation is there for a reason. Had a 67 6yl for many years at work..

Oh... Ok... I was thinking the A-318 and the LA-318/Magnum had different mounts.
So they are all the same mounts !!!... I was not sure... But know I got it... All the same... Thanks Tom... :)

Hi everyone this my very first post here... I have a 1965 Dodge A100 6 Cylinder 170, it is 3 on the tree right now but I am looking for an automatic transmission to swap in. I heard the 904 or 727 are the ones I am looking for? Google has only gotten me so far..... ANY ADVICE HELPS :)