left to rot

Thanks for the replies. The green 300 will be rescued from where it sits, I will get some better photos when I pick it up and give it a quick bath. When I drove it in 2014 it ran good, shifted fine and stopped well. The exhaust is kind of ratty on it with a couple leaks but nothing too bad. I can't remember if the Autotemp worked or not. I wouldn't even attempt to try and drive it now, when I looked at it I was pulling chunks of the stub frame off and it was packed with rocks and sand.
The car has some good points, but there is a lot of rust in the seams of the body and so on. If you look in between the trunk lid and the rear bumper on the passenger side you can see it. The trunk isn't terrible, and could be patched but it would be a big job. Then the frame rails and the 1/4 panels, fenders, wheel houses, etc. I won't part the car out before offering up here first, will keep this updated once a deal is reached. For the parts I offered up in trade, I'm into the car for a good amount of money already. I just didn't want to see it get any worse.

The Winchester gray car is super cool and really in decent shape overall. The stub on that could be patched, but I'm looking for a donor one before trying that. I'll spend a weekend on it trying to bring the paint back and cleaning up the interior as best as I can. It's a very straight and original car. The doors close nice, no leaks, and everything works as it should. I bought it mostly for the colour as its one of my favorite Mopar colours in 1971. After getting it running and doing a quick spin around the block, I've taken a liking to it so it might be one I keep. Again, if I do decide to sell it I will offer it up here first.

I do happen to have a donor car, but I feel bad about ripping it apart as its a really nice running and driving car.

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Would you mind sharing the odometer readings on the two cars? I'm just curious.
Thanks
 
The green 300 will be rescued from where it sits (...) I won't part the car out before offering up here first (...)
The Winchester gray car (...) might be one I keep. Again, if I do decide to sell it I will offer it up here first.

Super-nice outcomes!

I do happen to have a donor car, but I feel bad about ripping it apart as its a really nice running and driving car.
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Agreed! Can you please post more info about / pics of that '72 New Yorker (Brougham, if I see correctly) -- especially the interior and rear? The fender tag would be great, too. I might be interested in that car if it's for sale, since you are in BC.
 
How hard is it to get a standard 440/350hp engine up to muscle car performance? B.B

The block and the head castings are usually the same. What you will need to do do will partially depend on what year engine you are starting with. Usually the high performance engines will have a better cam shaft, higher compression pistons, improved exhaust, stiffer valve springs and different carbs. Many will have a 26" radiator with fan shroud with a clutch fan If dealing with a motor built in the smog era '74 and later the crank shaft is likely to be a cast iron unit that should be replaced for any serious performance work. You would also want to get rid of an intake with an EGR valve and replace it with an aftermarket performance unit. If the vehicle did not have dual exhaust to begin with, it should be converted to that configuration. Most performance engines will likely have a transmission with a different governor setup and probably a different stall speed on the convertor. '70-'73 high performance usually had the 6BBL rods with the forged steel crank, most builds these days do not retain these items as after market cranks and rods are stronger and are capable if higher rpms.

Dave
 
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Oh boy.Might as well get a crate motor.Heh.Maybe a changed manfold,carb. setup plus dual exhaust would yield some results.If i ever get a car again i would love to do a proper engine rebuild but that,s really expensive.Thanks for your insight.B.B
 
The HP muscle motors of yesteryear had 25 horsepower over the 350 horse engines. Wont take much to gain that 5% nowadays, there is no need to do so much.
Personally I would say leave the pistons alone, you don't want higher compression ratio as it is, today's fuels don't fit well with 10.5 to 1 ratios of those old days.
I would say fit a modern holley carb or FST brand, I believe that even Edelbrock now provides a hipo version of the AVS carb. Couple that with a modern grind cam that works well with today's fuels and you should easily outdo the stock HP 375 horse figures. If you want to go a little further, stick an aluminum inlet manifold on and a set of HP exhaust manifolds.
The possible combinations are many and varying. Ultimately, how much horsepower do you want?
 
Wow.Nice to know guys like yourself have this experience.Not going to look for a fire breathing car but just one with more torque to move the car easier and with more momentum without stressing the drive train.Really just want an unstressed cruising vehicle which the c bodies do best.I will keep all this in mind.Thanks again.B.B
 
Oh boy.Might as well get a crate motor.Heh.Maybe a changed manfold,carb. setup plus dual exhaust would yield some results.If i ever get a car again i would love to do a proper engine rebuild but that,s really expensive.Thanks for your insight.B.B

Well the question was how to bring a 350 horse up to muscle car status. Wolfen is right, about a 9.5 compression ratio is about all you can get away with on pump gas. That was the standard for pre-smog T-Code engines, so you should leave that alone. You can gain the 25 horses with a good aftermarket intake and carb and dual exhaust if that is all you are after. Adding a performance based electronic ignition will also help if the vehicle is not so equipped.

Dave
 
If you are looking for 40hp Fella you hardly need anything, if you have 9:1 compression it needs a 484 hyd cam in (great sound!) and some valve springs and pref hp exhaust manifolds, that's about it
I built a 76 440 truck engine with 8.5:1 threw in a 509 cam because the overlap wont crunch the valves, stock everything else and it made a 3600lb cast crank, '70 Coronet go 13.19 with 3.23 gears.
 
WOW.That,s incredible for just a few changes.That must make the car more livable every day.What,s great about big blocks is you just put the car in drive and the car just wants to go even while it idles without stepping on the gas.I,ll keep this info in mind.Thanks,take care and be safe out there,oh and if you can find any respirators give those to your local hospital.My sister is an RN and everything is locked up.I spent over 300.00 on ebay getting her masks.It,s not good.If all healthcare workers get sick, we,re done for.Please be as careful as you can.Thanks for everything.B>B
 
This little piece of rock I live on is in a real state at present, I'm ashamed to be British mate with how people are acting over here, its on a fast downward spiral.
My concerns rest solely with my Mum who is 93 and goes out everyday for a walk, try telling someone as "Hardy as hell" She cant go out...but She has listened thank goodness, cheers for the concern
 
I,m glad she,s ok.But we all need to show some concern.I hope all those kids in florida during spring break learn a good lesson.Lack of imagination can get people hurt or killed.New York just tested 45,000 people and 10,000 came back positive.Just be as careful as you can.Thanks. B.B
 
What's scarier is how many people who come in sick and aren't being tested. So who knows how many may have had a mild case of the cv and not been tested and went on to infect who knows how many more?
 
That,s so true.This virus is just ramping up and hospitals are already nearing capacity and are operating with few ventilators and nurses with not enough PPE.Please,i beg you and everyone,practice social distancing and cleanliness.To many people of all ages are in ICU in hospitals.Rural areas especially do not have enough supplies and facilities.We all have to imagine we,ll becoming infected at some point.We want to enjoy our families,friends and co-workers as long as we can in this life.And the above member is right about spreading without showing symptoms.As a country we are not seeing the urgent Federal response we need.The Federal govt. could talk to states and hospitals and see what is needed,get required money to back it up,and call companies and say we need this amount made.We,ll even give you a small bonus amount on each mask,ventilator,gown,gloves you make.It,s not taking over a company but using emergency powers.This virus severely aggravates existing physical conditions.Please listen to your health authorities and don,t try to self medicate ,talk to your Dr. about what to do and not do as a plan before something happens.Strangers or friends come over clorox wipe down your door knobs and surfaces.Let,s be safe and smart because we have months to go.Let,s be smart about our health and be safe.Sincerely,Phil
 
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