1973 Satellite Questions.

[Tajmartin]

Hello everyone, I inherited a 73 Satellite from my Dad a little while ago and really have zero knowledge of these B body's. While browsing the web looking for suspension options / clusters / and motor swaps I find myself seeing options to convert to other options that only include up to lets say the 70 satellite or 72. This one was made in October of 72 but the vin says its a 73. I guess my question is am I stuck with grabbing something like a 340 or 440 considering these came with that as an option? Although a gen 3 swap would be nice its on the expensive side not to mention all of the kits I see seem to only account for the 70 Satellite as an option. The picture shows a 340 sticker on the side since it was done as a RR tribute but its deff a 318 under there lol. I would love to bring some more power to this as well as a manual trans, but don't know where to start, would it be better to just rebuild this motor to get as much power as possible out of it? It sadly is automatic which I am not a fan of and really feels like a gutless wonder along with the excessive slop in the steering wheel its not exactly confidence inspiring to drive. I would love to be able to take it out every weekend but it can be a pain to start and that looseness I feel while driving it worries me a little. Any recommendations will be mech appreciated!

 

[5.7 hemi]

You can get a better steering box, you didn’t say power or manual, but both can be had. Power, you can stroke that 318 and it will be lively! You didn’t say if ya have a 904 or 727, either one can be built to the hilt.

 

[YY1]

"Easy" is drop in a 100,000 mile 5.9 Magnum- see magnumswaps.com for details.

Vintage BB swap has some ancillary body and suspension issues that will need addressed.

The big difference that changed between 72 and down and 73 and up is the ISO suspension, K frame and brake spindles.

 

[Tajmartin]

You can get a better steering box, you didn’t say power or manual, but both can be had. Power, you can stroke that 318 and it will be lively! You didn’t say if ya have a 904 or 727, either one can be built to the hilt.

I actually have no idea what trans it is, I would guess this would be the 904, as for steering it has power steering. It has AC too lol but its not hooked up or its dead. I would love to learn more about the engine and do most of the work myself if possible!

 

[5.7 hemi]

Call Firm Feel, they can help ya on the steering.

Nothing wrong with wanting to learn by doing things yourself, nothing!

 

[Tajmartin]

"Easy" is drop in a 100,000 mile 5.9 Magnum- see magnumswaps.com for details.

Vintage BB swap has some ancillary body and suspension issues that will need addressed.

The big difference that changed between 72 and down and 73 and up is the ISO suspension, K frame and brake spindles.

Dang they were able to do it for under 2500 bucks?! That's an amazing selling point.

 

[Ron_M]

I agree with YY1. Dual plane intake Carburetor equipped Magnum 5.9 is a great option

I also agree Firm Feel is the place to go to for suspension and a steering box. Did that on two of my cars. I will admit, it may take some trial and error to find the best combo.

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

That is a great looking car.

 

[WileE]

That is one nice looking car. Some time ago a friend dropped in a crate magnum 360 in his car, what a difference. Are 360 crates still available ?

 

[#41]

There are numerous options. The direction depends on your budget and what you want to do with the car. Driver, highway or town-putter, part time race car, Power Tourer, etc? A 73 small block B body can be fitted with any 318-340-360 pretty easily. Upgrading to 383-400-440 requires big block transmission, bigger torsion bars, maybe a bigger radiator, different exhaust and motor mounts, some minor wiring modifications, and driveshaft. If you plan on keeping the AC, that will require a kit or big block AC mounts and hoses. As you mentioned, modern hemi swaps are whole nuther level.

Everything is available to swap to period manual transmission, or of course the aftermarket 5 and 6 speed swaps. Again... how much do you want to spend?

These cars can steer ok when fresh, but not like a modern rack and pinion. To begin, get someone to look at your steering box, ball joints, ties rods, etc. to determine why it's uncomfortable to drive and at least make sure it is safe. As for hard starting, look at the carb when cold and see if the choke is closed.

Very good looking car!

 

[Thrashingcows]

I had a 73 Roadrunner 340/auto car years ago with a 3.23 gear set and that was one peppy car! My buddy had a 383/4spd Roadrunner and it would keep up with his car quite easily.

My roadrunner came factory with front and rear sway bars and handled very well so I would recommend staying with a small block and upgrade the the sway bars front and rear to at least run poly bushings on the sway bar frame mounts and end links, and maybe a slightly larger bar diameter if the budget allows.

 

[Tajmartin]

I agree with YY1. Dual plane intake Carburetor equipped Magnum 5.9 is a great option

I also agree Firm Feel is the place to go to for suspension and a steering box. Did that on two of my cars. I will admit, it may take some trial and error to find the best combo.

That's great to know I will check them out as soon as possible!

 

[Tajmartin]

That is a great looking car.

Thanks =) He loved it!

 

[Tajmartin]

That is one nice looking car. Some time ago a friend dropped in a crate magnum 360 in his car, what a difference. Are 360 crates still available ?

Something like this? ATK Engines HP73: High-Performance Crate Engine - JEGS

 

[Tajmartin]

There are numerous options. The direction depends on your budget and what you want to do with the car. Driver, highway or town-putter, part time race car, Power Tourer, etc? A 73 small block B body can be fitted with any 318-340-360 pretty easily. Upgrading to 383-400-440 requires big block transmission, bigger torsion bars, maybe a bigger radiator, different exhaust and motor mounts, some minor wiring modifications, and driveshaft. If you plan on keeping the AC, that will require a kit or big block AC mounts and hoses. As you mentioned, modern hemi swaps are whole nuther level.

Everything is available to swap to period manual transmission, or of course the aftermarket 5 and 6 speed swaps. Again... how much do you want to spend?

These cars can steer ok when fresh, but not like a modern rack and pinion. To begin, get someone to look at your steering box, ball joints, ties rods, etc. to determine why it's uncomfortable to drive and at least make sure it is safe. As for hard starting, look at the carb when cold and see if the choke is closed.

Very good looking car!

Well if the 5.9 Magnum isn't crazy expensive even as a crate engine I would assume I would go with that, as for trans I am not sure it needs a 6 speed, but being able to cruse on the freeway without killing it would be great.... maybe a little tire spin here and there lol. As far as the Carb, it looks like the choke is closed I need to get a Holley and just be done with it but wanted to make sure I was getting one that will work on whatever I go with next with enough room in it. I deff would love to keep the AC since we are in Cali

 

[Tajmartin]

I had a 73 Roadrunner 340/auto car years ago with a 3.23 gear set and that was one peppy car! My buddy had a 383/4spd Roadrunner and it would keep up with his car quite easily.

My roadrunner came factory with front and rear sway bars and handled very well so I would recommend staying with a small block and upgrade the the sway bars front and rear to at least run poly bushings on the sway bar frame mounts and end links, and maybe a slightly larger bar diameter if the budget allows.

Is there a prefered place to puchase most of these parts or is it just a free for all?

 

[YY1]

A big block will also change the front/rear weight distribution.

Just curious if it is a "RM21G" 318 Road Runner. If it is it should already have a thick front sway bar and also a rear bar.

My 73 had a "wandering" steering issue that I fixed by setting the toe properly. It seers GREAT now, without any slop. Factory stock box.

It does have some pretty bad body roll that is likely from:

A- not coming from the factory with any sway bar (it's an "RL" low price class car) and having an aftermarket bar cobbled in.
B- an aftermarket rear bar that I took out because the bushings were missing and the mounts were bent.
C- squishy factory rubber ISO bushings between the K frame and frame horns. Both solid aluminum and "hard" poly are available.

 

[chargervert]

It looks like dad gave you a good starting point, because the most expensive and time consuming part of a build is body and paint, and that is already done. Now all you have to do is make a good car into a great car. As mentioned above, I would stick with a small block in that car, 360/408 stroker with aluminum heads and intake manifold would make plenty of power and less weight than a big block conversion. A big block swap on a 71/72 B body is a simple swap, however 73/74 B body cars had a different K frame assembly for small block cars than the big block cars used and the passengers side inner fender was different too on small block cars versus big block cars as well. A fuel injection setup like a Holley Sniper kit would greatly improve starting and drivability too. You can either upgrade your stock steering box and sway bar if budget is a problem, or go with an aftermarket k frame with rack and pinion steering if you have the funds to do so. A pair of frame connectors would help stiffen up the body too. A manual 5 speed Tremic transmission, it would make highway driving a pleasure, four wheel disc brakes would make stopping the big car safely happen, and an 8 3/4 rear axle with a 3.55 sure grip and a rear sway bar would finish up the driveline and make for a great running and driving Plymouth.

 

[YY1]

Be aware that a tremic/TKO transmission requires MAJOR work to the floorboads and crossmember.

There is a "drop in" 5 speed version of the "833" made by Passon performance but the jury is still out on availability and quality.
Even a "stock" 833 4 speed install will require some work on the floor pan, a sheet metal "hump" and a Z bar pivot bracket welded to the frame horn.

"Factory" overdrive 833's are also available and relatively cheap but the gears do not work well with all rear axle gears.
Not really a "granny" 1st, but can become one real easy with low differential gears.

Speaking of the axle, a 318 non RR car likely has an 8 1/4- check and see using the visual reference pic available on FBBO.
My car has a 2.76 8 1/4 axle. Ratios like 2.94, 3.21, and 3.55 are available and that axle is strong enough for a 5.9.
They came behind 2 barrel 400's but 4 barrel 400 cars and 440 cars got 8 3/4 axles. I believe the 318 RR also got an 8 3/4.
An 3/4 is "easier" to swap gears into but a "correct" 8 3/4 is not super easy to find for a 71-74 body.
An E body 8 3/4 is much easier to find and will work.
However, a non- ISO axle swap will require new or moded shock/mount plates and can affect the sway bar mount as well.
This could also potentially tighten up the handling, though by eliminating the rear ISO system.

 

[HawkRod]

I'll chime in as well.

I fully agree that you should stick with a small block. As already mentioned, changing to a big block means lots of things have to be different, including lots of brackets that bolt to the engine.

A drop in 360 or better yet, stroked 408 crate engine is the way to go. Why? It is physically identical to your 318 engine that is currently in the car. You can remove the 318 and drop in the crate engine without changing anything. So it is about as easy as you can get and it won't become a frustrating science project where you will be trying to figure out how stuff fits, and then have to source (and buy) those parts.

Having said the above, putting in a stout 408 stroker motor will likely stress the rest of your driveline. But, if you drive it carefully, they will survive for some time and you can upgrade those little by little.

I have a 73 Road Runner with a 340. I stroked it to 416 cubic inches. In my case, I did it to drive across country and I have low compression so it runs on 87 octane fuel. Even so, it is still a monster and accelerates way harder than my 70 383 Road Runner.

As has also been said above, these cars can be made to handle quite well with a Firm Feel steering box (I like Stage II). However, it also requires all the suspension parts be in top condition, and you need the appropriate sway bars too.

You are asking all the right questions - best of luck with your (very good looking) project!

Here is my beater with the 416 small block...