1972 dodge dart swinger engine swap

[Mr.gunns72swinger]

So a am not new to the car world I'm just getting my feet back on the ground i made the poor decision to try to get married thus meaning that the 72 swinger went under the car cover and i just uncovered it for good the girls gone  i will finish this car or at least get it on the road by July i have a built 360 i have been working on for a year and it is ready to drop in but i have never done a swap and i truly have no idea where to start. be it parts i will need or money and time the dart has a toasted slant 6 in it now its a 1972 i have a 727 trans ready to go. i guess i am asking what all i will need to get this job going smooth any help will be appreciated need to get my mind off of things and i think the car will do it for me Thanks for your help some of you old timers might remember me as gunner22 its been a few years sense i have been on the site  but i am back

thanks,
Ben

[Tilar]

I did a swap maybe 25 years ago from the leaning tower of power to a V8 and I don't think I had to change the k-frame. If I remember right it was a fairly easy swap. Get the mounts for that car with a 318 and you should be good to go. Maybe check to see what manifolds you need.

There again it's been a few years and lots of barley and hops so I may be forgetting something. 

[Mr.gunns72swinger]

I think i am going to need shortys and i also herd i dont need to change the k frame i think  need to relocate the oil filter herd the dart with a v8 tends to break them off is that true Thanks For the info you just made it to the xmas card list  and trust me i am olny 24 but the hopps are sure as hell doin me in.

thanks
Ben 

[Tilar]

I don't remember having any oil filter issues.    Only thing I remember well is having the man down at the muffler shop cussing when he was trying to bend the pipes to match the manifolds. 

[RallyeMike]

Gunner...

No need to change the K. Buy the Schumacher Creative Industries conversion mounts  /6 to small black to make it easy. No need for remote oil filter. Gonna need a bigger radiator. Should be able to re-use the /6 trans cooling lines though you might have to bend them to fit the radiator you come up with. Gonna have to come up with some V8 kick-down linkage for the trans. You'll need v8 accessory brackets and can then re-use the alternator and other accessories. /6 throttle cable and wiring in the engine bay (though both a little longer than v8) should work as is.

If you use a 727 instead of the fresh rebuilt 904 that went with the car you will need to shorten the drive shaft   (       yeah - remember me ?!). Existing shift linkage should be able to work, but if you are going with headers you may want to put an aftermarket floor shifter in it.

Unfortunately I have relieved myself of anything A-body or small block related, so I don't have anything left to donate. PM me if you need any "local" advice. My thread notification doesnt work, so I may not check back here.

[Mr.gunns72swinger]

Mike-
good to hear from you, you would know what i have You sold me the car so what is better the 727 or the 904 i am buying up all the parts so i can get it done  i looked for you but i forgot your screen name turst me you will be hearing from me alot chris as well (tk73). can you think of anything else i might need Proformance wise?
talk to ya soon
Ben

[Kern Dog]

So a am not new to the car world I'm just getting my feet back on the ground i made the poor decision to try to get married thus meaning that the 72 swinger went under the car cover and i just uncovered it for good the girls gone  i will finish this car or at least get it on the road by July i have a built 360 i have been working on for a year and it is ready to drop in but i have never done a swap and i truly have no idea where to start. be it parts i will need or money and time the dart has a toasted slant 6 in it now its a 1972 i have a 727 trans ready to go. i guess i am asking what all i will need to get this job going smooth any help will be appreciated need to get my mind off of things and i think the car will do it for me Thanks for your help some of you old timers might remember me as gunner22 its been a few years sense i have been on the site  but i am back

thanks,
Ben

Christ, man ! LEARN how to type! USE A PERIOD AT THE END OF YOUR SENTENCES!  Reading your post was painful. It makes you look UNeducated.

[Mr.gunns72swinger]

Dear Red,
Hows it Going? I understand that a period is very important to some people and I have horrible grammar. The fact that i didn't use a period really bothers you is quite entertaining. I will try to make it less painfull for you by using periods every time i type a MSG on this board. I know that i posted this thread for some usefull knowledge on my 72 engine swap but i am very grateful that i could get an English lession in return. Just so that you know a little about me in my carrier those who cant read or write cut meat for a living and fortunately i cut meat, you guys and gals are the only ones that have to put up with my poor grammar and spelling. I never thought that i would upset any one with my grammar but it is what it is and yes i am uneducated but for the most part i am good at being a smart a**!!!  So did you have anything relevant to the thread topic or did you just want to vent about my grammar issues?    you hurt my feelers... Have A Nice Day...

Sincerely,
Ben 

[Kern Dog]

I hurt your feelers?
You did much better this time and deserve to be complimented. Now lets move on. The letter "I" gets capitalized both at the beginning of a sentence AND when it is used alone as a reference to oneself.
So... A Dart engine swap? Sounds fun. I've been there several times. Not difficult when you know the obstacles beforehand. Using all factory parts makes it a total bolt it, but if the V8 parts are unavailable, you can still make it work. Some people re-use the slant 6 throttle cable. It CAN work, but it is longer and will need a LOOP in it to 'eat" up the excess length. The problem with that is that sooner or later, the cable will wear through the casing at the looped portion.
If you are replacing a slant six, you can keep the K member in place and use TRUCK motor mount brackets and the biscuit pads. Ask around...this works and is cheaper than the conversion mounts. Stock exhaust manifolds will make the swap easier of course. If you have manual steering and cannot find manifolds for a 67-76 Dart, the manifolds from most any RWD car up to 1989 will fit. If you have POWER steering, the steering box is in the way of using anything BUT the A body stuff. Need a radiator? Consider a unit from ANY V8 RWD car up to 1989. They all came with fan shrouds.... use that too.

[chargd72]

Man, Red.  Having a bad day?  This is the third spelling/grammar correction you've commented on today.

I hurt your feelers?
You did much better this time and deserve to be complimented. Now lets move on. The letter "I" gets capitalized both at the beginning of a sentence AND when it is used alone as a reference to oneself.

BTW, I think you mean let's, as in let us.  

[Kern Dog]

You're right! wow.. I missed that one. Thats a common mistake of mine! Thanks for the heads up.

[Mr.gunns72swinger]

Red-
Thanks for the advice it will help alot. 

What kind of  ignition should I run I am thinking msd but I am not sure is there anything better out there?

[Kern Dog]

I have to admit that wiring and ignitions are my weakest trait. I have the best luck by using factory stuff. I converted a 72 Duster to electronic by taking the entire wiring harness (ENGINE side) from a 73 Dart and simply plugging it in place of the old wiring. Everything swapped over without modification. Theres no way to do it wrong, as the wire plugs can only go on ONE way. The 73 wiring was for a V8 car with electronic ignition, so everything was in the correct location already. I was fortunate to find an UNmolested Dart in a local Wrecking yard. Now that PickNPull has a website to check their inventory, I dont have to drive 150 miles to a yard ONLY to find all FRONT wheel drive stuff.
If you can't find a donor car for wiring, its not difficult to convert a points ignition to the factory electronic setup. I run Mopar stuff in everything that I own. The Charger probably could benefit from an MSD setup, since it has aluminum heads, 10.8 to one squeeze and a fat cam. My Duster 360, My Dart 360, My Brother in law's 72 Duster, my '74 Dodge 440 truck.... all have standard, reliable factory distributors. The weak link in them often is the ECU or spark box. The ORANGE ones seem to be the most unreliable, who knows exactly why. Some guys have them run fine for years, others, (like ME) have had more than one of them fail without warning. I carry spares when driving more than 20 miles from home. Any more questions? I'll be here.

[Kern Dog]

Mr Gunns...................... Where are you?
I have checked this post every day, thinking that I might read that you have made some progress...... Whats going on?

[doctor4766]

Perhaps you scared him away with your unwanted English lessons.

[Kern Dog]

Yeah, maybe so. Not everyone has thick skin like I do.

[Mr.gunns72swinger]

Imma back,  Sorry guys I was working on a few other projects over the summer. As for the dart  I have it 90% stripped getting it ready to get media blasted ill post some pics soon now I am just gathering  parts to get the 360 in  as for having tough skin... Not much gets to me u guys missed me.  New question I need fenderwell headers where should I get um?