Everybody knows by now I have a 51 Cranbrook. I am doing my research to do a V6 to 318 Swap... on the radiator I know I prolly cannot use the stock radiator, is there a company that makes radiators that look stock? Am I going to need to change the rear end? If so what would I change it too? A ford 9 inch or something else? Just doing my research before I waste a bunch of money breaking stuff!
I have done this swap a few times .You can use the rad from a 60's era v8 mopar they will fit the body with a little work. Use a set of early a body exhaust manifolds. A mopar 8.75 rear from an abody mopar fits nice,if you shave the narrow spring perches off the original rear it goes in easy .
i have a 51 belvedere and ive been told late 90's jeep cherokee rearends are a perfect fit just have to reposition the spring pads
Walker make "stock" looking radiators. Like said before, a mopar 8.75 a-body rear will work. You could also go for the ford 9 inch , depends what you want.(if you can find the width, or have it custom made) Don't know your budget.
It's easy to go overboard & get a bigger axle than you really need. Will the 318 be close to stock power & what tranny are you going to use? Way back I saw a line of Aspen/Volares in a junkyard. The /6 Sticks had 81/4 & the 318/904s had 71/4 axles. Guess they figure the manual puts more stress on the axle than the 904. You don't need 1 that'll stand up to a big block.
Seems like you should shop for a running but rotted out 318 Dodge Dart. Then you'd have the engine/trans/rearend/radiator and maybe even a driveshaft that would work, all in one package, and you could part out the rest. If you're good, you could buy the car for about $500 and make all that back in the parts you'll sell. You'd have to shop around a bit for the right car, but they're out there, and you'd come out way ahead.
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