318 or 440 when on a budget?

[LeadfootBob]

Hello guys and gals, I've got a bit of a conundrum for you (first post! WHEE!).

I just bit the bullet and bought myself a '70 Charger 500. It needs a bit of work, but I figure it could be up and running in time for a bit of summer cruisin' bruisin' if I can just get a reasonable powerplant together. Thing is, I'm not exactly daddy warbucks at the moment 

I've got a '79 Oldsmobile "dirt track"-type car with a running 318/904 combo in it, sounds fairly healthy engine-wise.
And, sitting on the garage floor under a tarp, a fresh '77 440 block with pretty much everything but good pistons, rings and a cam. There's a 727 available for this one (had a small-block 727 too, but sold it with a car! GAAH!).
As I see it, there are three options:
1: Drop the 318 in and curse every time some moron in a Civic Type R wants to watch my taillights (pretty as they may be).
2: Piece the 440 together, pay for a set of six pack pistons, a rod resize, a balance job, rings and a cam. I've got a fresh forged crank, ARP rod bolts and a good Romac balancer for it, but no flexplate or converter (only for the cast crank).
3: Piece the 440 together, pay for a set of rings and a cam and hope the stock balancer doesn't explode if i twist it past 5000.

What do you guys think? I figure it will have to be balanced, even with factory replacement magnum or six pack pistons. And what kind of cam would you run in a '77 440 without killing the whole power curve?
7.5-8.2 something compression sounds a bit tired to me, unless somebody gives me a procharger

[richard pettys 73]

IMO ...GO WITH WHAT YOUR BUDGET CAN AFFORD RIGHT NOW  YOU CAN ALWAYS BUILD IT UP LATER WHEN MONEY IS BETTER   

[grdprx]

If it were me, and i have a running 318/904 setup; I'd throw that in the car for fun this summer.  Build up the 440 as I'd want it done and when it's ready, blow by the Type R's!   

What engine was in it?  That also might determine which is easier to drop in..   

[flyinlow]

You did not say what engine is in it now and its condition. That could effect a recomendation,however first things first : safety!

Tires,brakes,steering and suspension. Make shure these are all in good shape first. Not as much fun as building a monster motor, but your Charger has survived 4 decades, help it to be around for a few more .

Switching rods/crank and maybe pistons. It should get balanced.

If you reuse the stock pistons you can mill the iron heads an pick up some compresion. I think Ron recomended an Engle cam for a simmilar build.

[Ghoste]

And naturally if both engines require some work, it will cost the same to do the 318 as the 440 all things being equal.

[LeadfootBob]

Not to worry, i'll be ripping the brakes apart for a gander, right after I weld the floor and trunk up 
There is no engine in it at all, the fender tag says 318/904. Would that matter, given that i'll still have to buy a transmission crossmember (none bolted to the car)?
The seller included a '73 440/727 but there's been water sitting in two cylinders for a long time... It'll need more work than the '77 I had laying around waiting for a car.
It's got a 8 3/4" with a 742-case in the rear, good stuff but not the "best".
And there's a full exhaust system, 2.5" H-piped with a set of hooker super comps (440)... WAY too big on the primaries for a mild engine, but hey, they were free!

[mikepmcs]

It's got a 8 3/4" with a 742-case in the rear, good stuff but not the "best".

Nothing wrong with that rear which is very desirable by most moparnatics standards


Welcome, by the way.

I'd throw the SB and 904 back in it and build the other when funds allow.

70 Charger 500, my first car, plum crazy.  Sweet man! 

[67_Dodge_Charger]

Welcome to the site..

You will need a different k-member for the 440 setup plus all of the mounting hardware, linkage and such.  I suspect you have a 8 1/4 rearend since it was a 318/904 car. 

good luck

Robert

[Rayzor]

your K member on a 70 will work on any V8. No need to change there. 71 up I think was the year you had to change or get conversion mounts. In my opinion I would run the small block as its all together. And build the big block up how you want it money permiting. Take your time and gather up all the little pieces to swap in the 440, in the meen time have some fun with the small block .

[Runner]

  if it was me in your place i would put the bigblock in it.  318 b bodys typically arent very fast.....   do any b bodies requre a k member change to go to a big block from a small block?  i know you dont have to all the way up to at least 72  but even when they went to the spool mounts couldnt you just change the mount?

[Foreman72]

  if it was me in your place i would put the bigblock in it.  318 b bodys typically arent very fast.....   do any b bodies requre a k member change to go to a big block from a small block?  i know you dont have to all the way up to at least 72  but even when they went to the spool mounts couldnt you just change the mount?

i believe i recall nacho ( the authority on this stuff ) say that the ks were the same up until 73

[elanmars]

so starting with '73, small block and big block k members were different? so if you wanted to build up or build down, you need a specific k member for it? anything else?

just curious.

[GTX MATT]

You could always run the 440 with the low compression slugs and just use something like the HP cam, try to find a set of closed chambered heads and mill them, mill the ones you have, or just leave the compression alone. With headers, an HP cam, and Eddy RPM intake shed run good and put out something like 350 horse, 470 ft lbs of torque.


You could also always buy a cheap set of used pistons from an earlier engine, theres a guy on Moparts with a bucket full for like 40 bucks.

Im assuming youre not boring it out.

I vote 440 either way.