dart 318 to Mirada 225 engine swap

[DrZippo]

my buddy as a means of repayment is giving up his hopped up 318 and 727 out of his 75 dart. I'm wanting to put this in place of the 225 that I have in my Mirada right now. I know that I need new mouts/k-member or a swap kit but other than that is there anything else that I should watch for? I think my main concerns are will the linkage from my 904 line up with the 727, and if the oil pan will fit the crossmember. I'd like to do the swap in a day or two so I'm trying to get as much info and advice as possible before hand.
Thanks a buch in advance.... Nate
1982 Dodge Mirada

[DrZippo]

Bump?

[rumblefish360]

Hey Nate;

The swap kit is a great place to start.
You'll need to watchout is the cooling dept. A larger rad. may be needed. You'll need to get a driveshaft and a rear upgrade is wise.
The carb throttle cable should be OK. If you need a new one, look up the size and order one up. That shouldn't be hard. I went to the dealer for mine. I just told them what I had and presto. The same for the kickdown linkage for the tranny. DO NOT RUN WITHOUT IT! You'll fry up the tranny in min.'s. I don't know if the slant 6 linkage will work though.
Exhaust. Headers do wonderful things in terms of power and mileage.

[DrZippo]

Cool man.. thanks very much for the advice..

Nate/DrZippo

[dwc43]

The tranny selector linkage will work but the kickdown linkage wont work. Best thing to do is use a Lokar cable for the kickdown linkage. The stock radiator will work fine. The drive shaft will need to be shorter since using the A727 and it will need a larger yoke too. THe stock 8 1/4 year end will take all the abuse you can throw at it. Headers would be nice to with some 2 1/4 pipes for your 318 and install a merge X pipe. That will get you some extra low end torque and hp gains with your new exhaust system. While your at it, install a new set of front and rear sway bars to make that big car handle a little better. 1 1/8" on the front and 1"on the rear.

[dodger1]

Wow, another Mirada!! Dr.Z, I have a 360/904/TQ/Hedmans in my 82 Mirada. It had a 318 so I didn't have the same issues you have. However lemme give you a few tips. First (cause you'll wish you did it now instead of when you HAVE TO do it sometime down the road) get a cable-operated kickdown set-up, and if you have a column shift car as mine was, get a cable-operated AFTERMARKET floor shifter. These two mods get all that linkage off the side of the bell-housing and make the header install liveable. As for the throttle cable I don't know if the /6 cable is the same as a V-8 unit but the Factory Service Manual illustration indicates they are different lengths. You WILL need the correct (2bbl. or 4bbl.) throttle cable bracket that mounts to the left rear intake bolts. If your 318 has it, you're OK; otherwise get Lokar's set-up for kickdown AND throttle cables. Keep the /6 starter, unless you're gonna have a mini-starter. It's a half-inch shorter than the V-8 unit and can be re & re'd without moving the headers if you swap the upper mounting stud for a bolt. (Thread it through the bell-housing from the back after the starter is in position and secure the assembly with the appropriate nut.) The 727 is 3 and a half inches longer than the 904 so you'll have to get a shortened driveshaft. The u-joint may or may not be the same as you have but you're gonna get a custom driveshaft anyway. If you have an 8 and a quarter diff. you're lucky. Mine, and all the other /6 and 318 Mirada's had 7 1/4 weenie axles. Igot lucky and bought an 84 Caravelle (Gran Fury for you Yanks) cop car. It had the fat 1 1/8" front bar, the 3/4" rear bar (& mounting brackets, the holes are already drilled in your frame rails for these)), the 5-leaf HD springs, the 8 1/4 axle, a tired 318 with the TQ and correct linkage, a PS pump with the neat mini oil cooler on it, and the biggest rad available, as well as the aux. trans. cooler, lines and mounting bracket, all for $C500. Gotta like that! Well I could go on, but if you need more info e-mail me.

[dodger1]

Dr.Z you can e-mail me at paulpicard@cablerocket.com when, not if, you have more questions on this swap. Cheers!

[dodger1]

Almost forgot ; the Dart 318 should have a "rear sump" oil pan and yes it will clear your steering linkage. Only other stock pans on LA motors were center sump truck units. If that's what you have, you can get the correct pan from Mopar fairly inexpensively.

[dwc43]

You got that backwqards. Center sump on cars, rear sump on trucks.

[dodger1]

Thanks, 43. Should've proof read my comments. Dr.Z, the CENTER sump part # for 318-340's is P5249061.

[dwc43]

No problem. I get something backwards every once and a while too. Just look at that typo that you cant go back and fix now... LOL.