Ok, I'm going to start off with that I'm not sure if i should post here on dodge muscle cars, or on Dodge Classics, and I couldn't really find any good 70s Chrysler era forums. So boring stuff aside, I recently saved a 77 Cordoba from the crusher, I WAS planning on pulling motor parts and some interior parts for my 73 charger (I got the car for $200 and its 98% complete), but after i ripped up the motor and sold the block i realized that the body is actually in pretty good condition. So my question is can i swap a small block mopar or maybe resto mod with a Magnum block ( a V10 magnum would be cool, but i doubt it would fit) with out changing the suspension? I would probably swap the transmission too for whatever i get with the motor or possibly a stick shift.

 

If it was originally a v-8 car, then you could probably do either. The V-10 conversion would be REALLY cool...... but, yeah, I think that would be REALLY tight.... (though the V-10 isn't really that much longer than the V-8's......)

 

What engine was in it? 318 or 360? The two engines are balanced differently so you'll need to either swap the transmission too or use the same engine. Now, those cars also came with the 400, albeit lean burn. If it was a big block, I'd go back with one. It's factory (although I'd trash the lean burn system) and also a bit rare. Nothing like the distributor in the front to show off at a show. This is the same basic body used for police cars back then.

 

It had the 400, the block didn't turn over so I used some parts for my charger. I would use it as a daily driver over a show car so that's one reason I thought of a small block

 

Actually, the only reason the big block engines were dropped was emissions rather than economy. The torque of the big blocks got the large cars going better than the small blocks that had to really work at it. Chryslers engineers found that they couldn't meet emissions standards with a bore of over 4 inches. A 360 had a 4 inch bore and could barely meet emissions. On heavier chassis vehicles, the big block lasted beyond 1978. I've seen 413 engines in motor homes up into the 80's. They didn't have to meet the same standards. That's why the D100 is so rare compared to the D150. The heavier truck was exempt for several years.

I'd see about getting another low deck big block. 361 or 383 if you can't find a 400. I always found bb engines to be easier to work on and tune.

 

In that case I'll probably build up a 383, sadly I just cant find pre 90s Chrysler products in junkyards near me.

 

Where are you located?

 

In northern Illinois. Most junkyards I've been to are Toyotas and other imports.

 

Well back then there was the gas shortage, You could only buy gas every other day depending on your last digit on your tag(even or odd). I'm sure that put a big kink in selling big blocks. Also Chrysler was about to go bankrupt so that didn't help. They did produce one of the last vehicles that didn't have catalytic converters with the Little Red Express.

I think that's the case with most junk yards, They want stock that sells. look on craigs list, ebay some of the mopar forums or car part.

 

I think you are going to have a hard time finding ANY pre 1990 cars of any description in the wrecking yards these days....... Price of scrap metal got pretty high for a while, and a lot of yards took advantage of that, and 'disposed of' some of their older stock.