Stock 1984 318 specs

[rcmaniac791]

Hey guys,

This is my first post in the site, so hopefully I won't butcher it too badly:toothy10:

I have a 1984 Fifth Avenue, and I've had it almost 3 years now. It's my first car, and I love the thing, it's my baby. It belonged to my great uncle, and I inherited it. I've done a lot of work to it, including a full tune up, suspension work, brake work, new tires, exhaust, etc. Nothing high-performance yet, I just wanted to make it bulletproof again. I've been having some issues recently with a rough idle and some pinging/surging at highway speeds. The pinging goes away with better quality gas, and I run Marine sta-bil to kill off that stupid ethanol, so my fuel system is clean. So now I have decided to go ahead and dump the lean-burn computer and distributor, and replace it with one of those Performance Distributors HEI-style units just to simplify the engine and hopefully be able to tune it to run better.

http://performancedistributors.com/product/dodge-small-block-dui-distributor/

It seems really simple to hook up, and should give me more power overall. The really nice thing is that you give them your engine specs (cam duration & lift, compression ratio, carburetor size, vehicle weight, towing weight (if applicable), maximum rpm, transmission and octane of fuel) and they put a custom timing curve in it so that there is no guess work. I know it's more expensive, but I would rather put the money into it since I plan on running the Fifth for a long time.

I've looked all over and can't find the specs that they need. I haven't replaced anything, so I need to know what the stock cam size is, compression ratio (I think 8:1?) and the size of the stock carter carb. Any other help would really be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Jack Meoff]

First off.
Welcome aboard.
I can dig out the specs if you like. I think I have then somewhere.
My question though is what do you want to do with this car?
If you want performance the first thing you want to do is swap the rear end. The 2.2 gear ratio is the biggest obstacle you have right now. Secondly. If the lean burn is functioning then why change it? If it ain't broke so to speak.

The surging could be a few things like a sloppy timing chain or crappy gas. The pinging is no doubt garbage 87 octane. I'd try a few tanks of ethanol free premium first. That's all I run in all of my Mopars. It makes a huge difference.

My Fifth is all stock. With premium. A good tune up and regular maintenance she runs like a champ.

Just throwing it out there.

 

[rcmaniac791]

Overall I just want to have a reliable daily right now. I will try the Ethanol free gas. I hope it isn't the timing chain, but that will be something I will be checking. Something else that has given me idle issues in the past is the carb being loose. I really need to throw some thread locker on those bolts.

 

[Jack Meoff]

First of all I'd like to correct myself in regards to the timing chain. I didn't mean surge. I meant stutter. Like at idle. If the chain is loose there'd be a slight stutter from the slack.

If you want a reliable daily you've probably got it already if everything is sound. My 87 Fifth is the most reliable daily I've ever had. Over 60,000 trouble free miles.......

My secret?
No vacuum leaks (carb included)
A full tune up with good stuff. I use Mopar wires. On a budget the high end Napa ones are pretty good too. I've been using NGK ZFR 5N plugs. They seem to be really good with these 318's. But that's me. Good cap and rotor. Again Napa seems good. New fuel and air filter and last but also my most important thing. Ethanol free premium. The difference it makes far outweighs the price difference for me.

That surge could be anything from a vacuum leak to a bad wire to crappy gas. If the carb is coming lose than there's an issue right there. Personally I don't think you need to redo the ignition if all you want is a solid daily. I'm still running stock lean burn.

 

[brotherGood]

Dude..save that money and just get one of the kits from jegs. At the very least it gets you the basic stuff youd need to swap it over, and replace using parts store replacements. I'm thinking thats what was in my car when I bought it..we went ahead and replaced the dist, and ecu when we swapped the engine. That kit is like 160 bucks..much less than the one you have listed here.

 

[Jack Meoff]

Dude..save that money and just get one of the kits from jegs. At the very least it gets you the basic stuff youd need to swap it over, and replace using parts store replacements. I'm thinking thats what was in my car when I bought it..we went ahead and replaced the dist, and ecu when we swapped the engine. That kit is like 160 bucks..much less than the one you have listed here.

Why replace something that isn't broken?

Is your Dip even running right now?
Last I read it was still a mess.

 

[brotherGood]

If I read it right..he's wanting to do things that the lean burn won't allow.

We replaced them while doing the swap because a new dist was 40 bucks, and the spark wasn't near what it should've been when we put it in.

And the thing runs beautifully..haven't had an issue with that engine since putting the new carb on it. Just gotta get it fine tuned..but the battery is shot..so it's a pain to start it.

 

[Jack Meoff]

Overall I just want to have a reliable daily right now.

If I read it right..he's wanting to do things that the lean burn won't allow.



And the thing runs beautifully..haven't had an issue with that engine since putting the new carb on it. Just gotta get it fine tuned..but the battery is shot..so it's a pain to start it.

He wants a reliable daily driver.
Lean burn will do that just fine. Ask me how I know. ..

So yours is running beautifully but you need to tune it and get a new battery? Not exactly a reliable daily at the moment then right?

 

[brotherGood]

Nothing high performance YET..were the words. My suggestion is solely based on his suggestion regarding the HEI. I understand he wants a reliable daily..who said the 400 dollar HEI is more reliable than the jegs kit..nobody. If the plan is to keep it all stock, never change a thing..then lean burn would be just fine..but then there'd be no need for this question.

As far as my car goes..I don't daily it..that's why it can sit on the garage with a battery issue. I'm not sure what point you're trying to prove by slamming my project car..but you're wasting everyone's time.

OP...cap is right, in that of you plan on staying stock forever..stick with LB. But if you plan on changing stuff up, there are options that are less expensive..that's my point. Welcome to the site..

 

[Jack Meoff]

Nothing high performance YET..were the words. My suggestion is solely based on his suggestion regarding the HEI. I understand he wants a reliable daily..who said the 400 dollar HEI is more reliable than the jegs kit..nobody. If the plan is to keep it all stock, never change a thing..then lean burn would be just fine..but then there'd be no need for this question.

As far as my car goes..I don't daily it..that's why it can sit on the garage with a battery issue. I'm not sure what point you're trying to prove by slamming my project car..but you're wasting everyone's time.

OP...cap is right, in that of you plan on staying stock forever..stick with LB. But if you plan on changing stuff up, there are options that are less expensive..that's my point. Welcome to the site..

Dude.....

I'm not knocking your project car. I'm simply making the point that it is a project car and not a reliable daily driver which is what the OP is shooting for.

As far as wasting anyone's time......
Wouldn't it be a complete waste of time and money to go swapping out the ignition system for no reason whatsoever?

For future mods....yes there are many cheaper options but none of those are necessary right now to make the car a reliable daily IMO....

 

[Justwondering]

hey rcmaniac791 ..
I've got an 87 Fifth Avenue that sat up for 2 years with all fluids left in it. This summer, I got the car - oil change, gas treatment, new fuel filter, new battery and it runs fine.

Everything is stock.

I had it out a few weeks ago on its first trip to the gas station and was running 85 up and down the highway. No stutters, no shudders.

Maybe this is a good time to take a deep breath and figure out the current issues you have before you dump big cash and major sweat equity into the project.

It could be simple carb issue or vacuum line issue. Both relatively easy and inexpensive to fix. Look at the recommendations and perhaps you'll get a bit of a boost from a rear gear swap.

I think you have the right idea about getting things sorted out before you take your daily driver out of service for a complex swap.

All I know for sure, every 'little' thing I've done on the 5th so far has taken longer than I planned no doubt due to my ignorance or unbridled optimism.

I'd hate to have another great car stuck in the garage instead of out there kickin rice box ass on the highway.

Post a picture of your ride. It sounds like you have quite a auto!

 

[rcmaniac791]

I agree holding off on the swap right now. I'll bet what I'm probably dealing with could just be a vacuum leak somewhere. I'm in college, so I just need something that works right now. I'll be throwing upgrades at it once funds are not so tight.

Here's some pictures. It's all original, and I just rolled over 60,000 miles. I put on the chrome caps about a week ago.

 

[Jack Meoff]

Very nice!
I love the caps.
I've got dog dishes on mine.

 

[Justwondering]

Well be still my heart -- that is magical!

I long to have my seam lines as straight and true as yours.
I like the color and it doesn't have the clear coat wasting off of it making it look nasty.

And, of course, your bumper filler upfront is not wavy. Sigh.

You be real careful or I might sneak to campus and relieve you of that filler....

Which would be one real good trick since I don't know your name, your city, your school, or where you park. I'm going to try the 3m double stick tape on mine.

Thanks for the pictures.

 

[Jack Meoff]

The deer whistles are a nice touch.
I have those on mine.