hello, i was wondering if i could put 383 headers and intake on my 361 are they the same......im new to dodge so any help is greatfull. thanx
The headers will interchange between all B and RB blocks. The intake depends on if it's a tall or low deck 383. If it's a low deck 383, yes, they will interchange. If it's a tall deck 383, then no. The taller deck height of the RB383s, 413s, 440s, etc, requires a wider intake. Find out the year of the 383 and that will tell you
i got alittle info earlier.......about this.......im talking about a 1962 dodge 880 with an all original 361.......i need performance parts.......what engines interchange and if none.....where can i get parts...like intake and headers, valve covers..custom stuff.....nothing original.......offy 2x6......shit like that....
I hope you go the super stock route with this car, the old Mopar drag cars were the baddest of the bad. Here's some gneral info. The 350 ('58 only), 361, 383 and 400 are B motors, or low deck big blocks. They have the same outside dimensions and parts interchange. Water pumps, exhaust, intakes...all the same The 383 ('59 & '60), 413, 426 wedge, 440 are all RB motors, or tall deck big blocks. They have the taller deck height to accomodate the longer stroke. Therefore, they are slightly wider and the intakes on these motors do NOT interchange with the B motors. All bolt on shit, water pumps, starters, oil pans....are interchangeable across the board. Instead of messing with the old starters, get a starter from a 2000 Dakota with a V8. They are available new from Jegs or Mopar performance for $145. They're less then 1/2 the size of the old ones, have a gear reduction and are magnetic. You'll need to trim the stud for the battery cable about 3/8" to clear the block. Othe than that, it's a bolt in, and you'll be glad you dropped the money, The bolt pattern across the heads for the exhaust manifolds is symmetric, so you can use a driver's side on a passenger side and vice versa. IMPORTANT NOTE: The exhust manifolds have studs and not bolts. This is because the holes for these studs go all the way through into the water jackets. Take one out, you'll lose your coolant to that level of the motor. what a mess. The threads into the head for those studs appear to be 3/8-16...they aren't. It's a pipe thread so that you don't get a coolant leak. If a stud comes out and you need to replace it with a 3/8-16 bolt, wrap the threads with teflon tape until the threads are barely visible, then apply Ultra Copper to the remaining threads. Jam the bolt in and start cranking on it until a thread hooks and pulls it in. This will seal. Your hands are tied as far as a trans goes. Either a torqueflight or a 4 speed 833. Transmissions for small block mopars are not interchangeable with B/RB engines. Plenty of parts available for the Torqueflights, which are great and VERY durable. Most have a 3 gear planetary, if you're making huge horsepower, you can upgrade to the 4 gear. The TCI pro super kit is kickass with the manual auto valvebody, and chirps the tires hard with the 1-2 shift. Lots of other parts available as well, such as trans brakes, performance valvebodies, high stall converters. This is all shit you don't want used, and it available through Jeg's or Summit. 833 maunals are good transmissions, but the B/RB bellhousings aren't cheap due to resto guys wanting them. Keisler makes a full kit to put a Tremec TKO behind a B or RB....for about $3000 Cool induction is a bit of a challenge. Dual 4s are common, 3x2s are available from Mopar performance. I've never seen a 6x2 intake for a big block Mopar. Sonaramic intakes are hands down the coolest intake you can possibly get ever. Be prepared to spend big bucks. Offy makes finned aluminum valve covers, but they're cast on a demand basis so you'll probably have to wait. They're $250 is my memory serves m correctly. Call Frank and Carol of Chrome-it and they can order them for you. Other than that nobody makes real period correct dress up shit for those. Chrome valve covers are the way to go. Remember that in '65, B and RBs went to a 6 bolt pattern on the valve covers. They will interchange, but you'll probably need to do a little grinding to get the 4 bolt covers to fir on a 6 bolt head. Exhaust in a pain in the balls. Sanderson has you by the junk as the only company that makes block huggers for a big Mopar. There is a rib cast into the block that will interfere with the collectors of a block hugger header. You can grind this off with no damage to the block. As far as parts suppliers go, Jeg's, Summit, Mopar Performance, and Chrome it for dress up goodies. That's all i can think of now
Darn, this was pretty helpful for my future project. I have a 60 dart phoenix sitting in the storage building waiting for it's 440. It was a 318 wide block car. I have a 361 from a '61 to scab parts...motormounts, exhaust mannies, etc.....for the 440 I have. Is there anything special I have to do to get the big block to fit in the car origionally with a 318? I would also like to run a sonoramic, but can you put that on the 440? Torqueflight is a push button trans?
Wow, sounds like you got a challenge there buddy. Clearance wise, you should be fine front to back going from a 318 to a 440. HOWEVER, the 440 is going to be significantly wider then the Poly-head 318. The A body is a small platform, so some modification may be necessary to get it to fit. Sonaram intakes will fit on the 440, if the intake originally came off of a 413. That will add another width factor too. Torqueflights were all push button through '63 if I'm not mistaken
JoeFoMopar covered pretty much everything, but I will add these 2 things: First, the 361 is not a real performer when compared with a 383, 400, 413, 426 or 440. Given how common the BB Mopars are, and how easy one of the other engines should be to get, I would just swap the whole motor. It would be a super-easy swap, because practically everything should interchange/swap directly. By the time you buy the headers and intake to put on the 361, you could have bought a 383 or 440 and swapped in a motor with alot more potential. I don't have specific HP numbers on any of the motors, and it would of course, vary by year and model, but I would guess that a stock 383 or 440 would perform as well, or better than a 361 with intake and headers. But you'd have the added benefit of alot more potential for building up a motor. Second, check out: www.allpar.com They have a very in depth history of all the different families of Mopar engines and some awesome info. It's probably the site I recommend to people more than any other. Good luck with it and keep us posted on your progress.
I got a 62 880 here. FWIW I've found it's cheaper to drop a 440 instead of trying to hop up a 361. Nice car though.
Swap the motor to a larger, later one if you want to hop it up some. You will not be sorry. Any big block will drop right in...but won't bolt up to the existing tranny. The 62' and earlier big block mopars have some issues that will cause you problems. First is the heads. They are 4 bolt valve covers instead of the later six. They also suck ass. All 4 bolt heads suck except 1. The 62' 413 Max wedge heads...worth about $2g's. They have small valves and no hardend seats. Depending on the year, they might have the removable rocker stands also. Luckily all big block heads are interchangable, as long as you realize that there is open and closed chamber heads. If stock, the heads on all 361's are closed chamber. There are no closed chamber heads with factory hard seats. The best flowing closed chamber head is the 915 casting which is a 1967 only casting. Putting on open chamber heads will drop your compression by about three quartes of a point to a point. 452 castings have hardend seats, larger valves, are cheap and readily availble, and are very good flowing heads. Finding 4 bolt valve covers will he a chore also. The crank flange on the pre 63 motors hangs out of the block more and uses through bolts to hold on the flexplate instead of tapped holes in the crank. This means you are stuck with pre 63 transmissions with the slightly deeper bell unless you change the crank. This also means that you cannot run a 833 chysler transmission because the only factory bell that will fit fits the T85 3 speed, which I am told has a different bolt pattern than an 833. Intakes and camshafts are all interchangable, as are exhaust manifolds. They made factory two four barrle inline intakes for the 361. Edelbrock still makes a six pack manifold that will bolt on also. Factory 2-4 manifolds will likely take a pair of small pattern WCFB's unless you find a very rare 383-343hp manifold that takes AFB's. For a bit of a real cheap hop up, I would install a factory Magnum camshaft, 68' 383 or later 4 brl manifold that fits your choice of carb, and a good dual exhaust. Headers for that car are availble but are very $$$. Very few manifolds are better than the factory 383/400 non smog manifolds on the street. The Performer RPM is about the only one. You will probally get about a 40hp increase with the cam, good intake, carb, and dual exhaust.
Looking through old Motors and Chilton manuals I only find tall deck 383s listed in Chryslers no DeSoto's or Dodges were both B and RB 383s produced in59?
Torqueflites were pushbotton through '64. Mopar went to a stick on the tree in '65. That's how you can quickly tell a '64 Barracuda from a '65.
I'd find a whole motor and trans, avoid the crank/bell issues all together. I can see a 440 painted HEMI orange, black wrinkle valve covers, stock ex manifolds with a silvery high heat coating and a raw aluminum 4bbl intake manifold. The only trouble would be shifter choices at that point. Now you have an engine and trans that can be serviced easy and quick with hundreds of parts available at any Orielly or other parts chain vs paying the VIG of collector parts and waiting until whatever supplier decides to ship em to ya. Less work, less mods, high visual impact (which sounds like what you want) and a casual find-a-deal approach to something special on the intake. In the meantime you're on the road enjoying and sorting the few minor bugs of an engine swap in a leisurely and fun time frame. But that's just me, you're building it for you.
Do NOT forget what Joe said about the exhaust studs in Mopars. If in doubt, check the hole and see if it is blind or through hole. Even the small blocks have through holes on the ends of the exhaust manifolds. That is one thing you don't want to learn AFTER you've installed and run the engine.
I can't tell you how much it hurts my heart to see a thread where I left a comment 20 YEARS AGO. I should probably go schedule my colonoscopy now.
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