ok guys lay it on me.....dropped a lifter in my 383 and have a chance to trade for a running 318.....replace cam and lifters or swap out engine?????what ya think??????
Going from a 383 to a 318 will be like going from eating steak and lobster every night to eating uncooked ramen noodles. Keep the 383, stab in a hotter new cam and some new lifters and keep making mountains of torque! The 383 is Ma Mopars' best kept secret! They have tons of potential. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
You will have to change tranny if you go small block. If you stay with the big block the dist is a lot easyer to work on.
Motor mounts wont match up either, so you will have to either fab new ones or try to find a kit...but most kits go the other way....SB to BB not BB to SB. Transmission will have to be swapped, driveshaft as well. None of your pulleys or brackets will work either, so those will need to be sourced or fabbed up. The only thing that will interchange is the starter motor... $150 for a cam and lifter kit, might as well slap on a double roller timing set while you are at it....4 hours and a handfull of beers and you will be back on the road doing burnouts!!! Keep the big block, snag the small block for a future project. What kind of car is this in?
Dropped a lifter? as in dropped it on the floor or what? Perhaps I am the only one who doesn't understand the 'lingo'... If, by chance, you had a lubrication failure that resulted is metal-to-metal contact between the lifter and the cam, and the lifter, as well as the cam lobe, were physically damaged then you have a problem. Has the source of the failure been addressed? How bad is/was the damage? How much metal particulate will be floating around if you 'just stab in a hotter new cam'... Oh yeah, don't worry about pesky details like appropriate valve springs on a bigger cam. geesh .
I am assuming a lifter collapsed, not all that uncommon. There could be other issues at hand here that we just dont know about....if he wiped a cam lobe then yes...there is definitely going to be lots of metal floating around in there that needs to be addressed. The stock valve springs and rockers are okay to use on mild cams. I installed a .480/.495 lift 300/308 duration cam in a 383 with the stock springs and rockers and had zero problems other than keeping tread on the rear tires.
is the 318 a big block? how easy is the change? it might be good to swop it, and rebuild the 383 at your leisure.
If it is a faulty lifter such as you suggest then why not put in one new lifter and keep driving? The 318 is either an A or LA series engines. The 'big' blocks are either B (like his 383) or RB. .
The 318 is either an A or LA series engines. The 'big' blocks are either B (like his 383) or RB. .[/QUOTE] thanks for the info. the reason i asked is i had a buddy [like a brother] in high school days that ran a 318 poly, with multi carbs, in a yellow T-bucket rack body. i would vote for that engine [cool factor] over the 383.
Pretty much a bad lifter. ,...well thanks for all the advice...gonna keep the 383 and put in s nee cam lifters timing chain and might as well do a valve job and replace the seats..,,winter project Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I love my 383, COMP cams 268Extreme Energy cam, slight lope at idle and makes a lot of power. Comp recommended this cam for my build. Wouldnt change yours to a 318
Very nice......well here is what I see do far inside the engine Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I see loads of sludge and what looks to me like multiple cooked cam lobes. Hmmm...oil starvation due to sludge build-up and a plugged oil galley?
that would explain the gold color of the cam.......one guy is telling me I have to do a total rebuild.....I'm thinking a new cam,lifters,valve job and fire her up.....keeping the 383....
He might be right. If it was oil starvation, you'll just ruin the new cam and lifters too. You better at least de-sludge the engine and make sure oil is flowing to the valvetrain. You may or may not have hurt the lower end too, but it might've only been an issue with the top end. The excessive heat to the cam might've also adversely effected the cam bearings...maybe not. If they need replacing, or the bottom end is hurt, or the block and heads need to be hot tanked, it's time for a rebuild. 383 Mopar engines kick ass. It's worth rebuilding. The guy that wants to trade you a 318 for it knows that. Maybe you could buy and install a decent 440 while you're rebuilding the 383...then sell the 440 when this engine is ready. Good luck.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
Just repaired the collapsed lifter now have 115 compression on a cylinder that had 35.......gonna put her together run tranny fluid through her and see what happens......even sick Wanda still spins the tires Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
oh man that thing is a mess inside. looks like no one ever changed the oil in that poor engine. i'd pull it and go through the 383. if you go 318 you will need motor mounts, a small block trans, probably have to modify the exhaust, and if the 318 doesn't come with them you'll have to find the proper brackets and pulleys then buy all new belts and hoses to fit. so was it just a lifter or a wiped out cam? if it was a bad cam where do you think all the metal went? if you just throw it together and run it you run the risk of that metal wiping out the rest of the bearings in the motor. i have seen it happen way too many times. looking at the sludge in the lifter valley it may be too late anyway. good luch with whatever you decide.
Thanks chunk40. Here's my engine for the new build, a RPU Cabrio. I think its pretty cool too. Dodge 270 baby hemi
Replace the cam and lifters. As much as I like a 318 it takes a lot to build the torque of a 383 in one.
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