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Tech Question
Andy Mack, 1971 plymouth Duster 318
Hi Rick. I have a question. I have a 1971 Plymouth Duster 318 car that i and my father are planning on restocloning. My first question is, will the stock A904 transmission hold up to a mild 318? I have heard these trannys are aluminum and dont last long. My 2nd question has a lot to do with the last one, how much horse power and torque can I expect from the 318, here is what I'm planning on doing:
1: 308 heads from a 360.
2: .450 inch lift cam.... I cant remembr the duration.
3: Hooker headers.
4: single plane intake with a 625 cfm carb.
5: and of course all the goodies like spark plugs, wires, viscous fan
etc...
I just mainly want a good fun street car that may see one or two trips to the track every 6 months. (By the way it will have 3:55 gearing) Thanks rick. Andy
Andy, so aluminum is weak, huh? Tell that to all those 8-seond super stock guys who run basically A-904 internals, lightened with even more aluminum stuff, in stock aluiminum 727 cases!
While a 904 will never last as long as a 727 in high-horsepower / high torque street applications, building a 904 to last 100,000 miles behind your relatively mild 318 is pie, even dead stock it should be OK for a while, just crank up the line pressure. Remember, even some 360 cars came with 904s.
Your buildup sounds pretty good. Longtime MA readers know that I generally like single plane intakes for virtually any performance application, but a 318 might -- repeat, MIGHT -- be the exception. With your gears, and, hoefull, a decent converter, it will probably be fine, but if it seems especially doggy at lower RPMs, you might want to do a re-think on the manifold. If you haven't bought the manifold yet, maybe initially try a dual-plane, even the stock 360-4 piece, though heavy, flows pretty damn well, add maybe a 1" spacer and you'll be home.
Rick
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