Kern Dog
Well-Known Member
Hey guys,
I have considered looking into the purchase of an 80s era 4 door Mopar.
This is unusual for me...I always viewed 4 door cars as stodgy, mature, geriatric sometimes. I have a few Classics already but nothing that would be considered a comfortable cruiser.
I do like the Fifth Avenue cars but I have wondered if the choked off 318 in such a heavy car would be an absolute pig in a straight line. Now, I'm not looking to outrun my other cars....
...but I would like it to have respectable acceleration. Here in CA, due to the 1976 and later regulations, I'm bound to remain emission compliant which means catalytic converters, the stock cam and carburetor. Years back I had a 76 Camaro with headers and had to scramble to put the emission stuff back on every 2 years to keep it registered.
We may be leaving CA within a year and with the possibility of moving to a place without emission testing, the options are widening. I'm curious about what some of you have done to improve the power of your cars while not destroying the fuel economy. I have a rebuildable '74 360. I have thought of stroking a 318. Elimination of the catalytic converters and a decent 2 1/4" exhaust system were some preliminary ideas that I had. I love the ThermoQuad carburetor so I'd factor that in the build.
A stock cam, stock intake 360 would have more torque than the 318. Dual exhaust with quiet mufflers would allow power gains without a rumble.
I thought of a switch to an A-500 4 speed overdrive from a Dakota, Van or truck. Those have similar ratios to the stock 3 speed transmission but also an overdrive 4th gear. The axle gearing in the Fifth Avenues is a super tall 2.2 from what I have come across, so I thought that even a 2.76 or 3.21 gear would be fine with the .69 overdrive that the A-500 has. Final drive could still end up around 2.0-2.2.
I wouldn't be concerned with cutting out weight. I want quiet and comfort, that means padding and thick, plushy seats.
I even thought about a 5.2 or 5.9 Magnum. They have better flowing heads, they don't leak oil like the LA series engines and all have roller camshafts so I wouldn't have to risk the dreaded flat tappet failures like we all have seen on the higher performance classic engines.
Let me know what you think!
I have considered looking into the purchase of an 80s era 4 door Mopar.
This is unusual for me...I always viewed 4 door cars as stodgy, mature, geriatric sometimes. I have a few Classics already but nothing that would be considered a comfortable cruiser.
I do like the Fifth Avenue cars but I have wondered if the choked off 318 in such a heavy car would be an absolute pig in a straight line. Now, I'm not looking to outrun my other cars....
...but I would like it to have respectable acceleration. Here in CA, due to the 1976 and later regulations, I'm bound to remain emission compliant which means catalytic converters, the stock cam and carburetor. Years back I had a 76 Camaro with headers and had to scramble to put the emission stuff back on every 2 years to keep it registered.
We may be leaving CA within a year and with the possibility of moving to a place without emission testing, the options are widening. I'm curious about what some of you have done to improve the power of your cars while not destroying the fuel economy. I have a rebuildable '74 360. I have thought of stroking a 318. Elimination of the catalytic converters and a decent 2 1/4" exhaust system were some preliminary ideas that I had. I love the ThermoQuad carburetor so I'd factor that in the build.
A stock cam, stock intake 360 would have more torque than the 318. Dual exhaust with quiet mufflers would allow power gains without a rumble.
I thought of a switch to an A-500 4 speed overdrive from a Dakota, Van or truck. Those have similar ratios to the stock 3 speed transmission but also an overdrive 4th gear. The axle gearing in the Fifth Avenues is a super tall 2.2 from what I have come across, so I thought that even a 2.76 or 3.21 gear would be fine with the .69 overdrive that the A-500 has. Final drive could still end up around 2.0-2.2.
I wouldn't be concerned with cutting out weight. I want quiet and comfort, that means padding and thick, plushy seats.
I even thought about a 5.2 or 5.9 Magnum. They have better flowing heads, they don't leak oil like the LA series engines and all have roller camshafts so I wouldn't have to risk the dreaded flat tappet failures like we all have seen on the higher performance classic engines.
Let me know what you think!