I think my 74 Charger has a truck motor...

[74charger07ram]

Does anyone know how to decode a 318(?) truck motor. The numbers are not working out for a car motor and I have reason to belive it is a truck motor.

 

[WP29440SE]

sssso , what makes you think that? does it really matter? its just a 318

 

[74charger07ram]

I would like to decode this this motor to see if it is a 318 and what year. I can't find anything online to tell me how to decode a truck motor. And is a 318 truck motor any better than a 318 car motor?

 

[ODZKing]

Do the stampings and dat ecode match your vin and date(s)?
See http://www.mmcdetroit.com/ for LOTS of info on that.

 

[Badvert65]

there is a casting date for the engine right there on one side of the block (passenger side if I recall). I believe the 318 engines are all basically the same. Nothing special about one in a truck except for a different oil pan (rear sump for clearance).

 

[74charger07ram]

The numbers on the block do not match the VIN on the car. I have decoded the VIN on the car on Allpar website but none of the numbers on the block match anything on Allpar. I have tried to find other places to look up truck numbers but can't find anything. I really don't know if it is a 318 or what. I can't measure the bore and stroke because it won't spin. So I am trying to find out what engine it is to see if it is worth fixing. ODZKing I will look at that site. Thanks

 

[Badvert65]

Is the engine in or out of the car?

 

[HT413]

Post some pics of the engine and the numbers.

 

[Cranky]

There should be casting numbers on the side of the block and within the numbers, there should be listed what size the engine is. Also, there is a stamping on the left side front (driver's side) just below the head gasket and it too will list the engine size. A lot of times this number is faint so you will probably have to clean and possibly use scotch brite to make it more visible.

 

[ODZKing]

Well, one really easy way is where the distributor is. Front is a big block, rear is small block. 318/340/360 is small block.
Nothing wrong with a 318 and the earlise rthey are, the more HP. The difference between a 69 318 and 73 318 is quite noticable once it's in the car. So don't let the "it's just a 318" discourage you.
Pictures would be quite helpful here.

 

[bm02tj]

If it was a 318-3 you would know it with out asking the heads are different as are the spark plugs
it has been so long ago since I have seen one but the PU motors are close to the same as car ones

 

[Cranky]

The way I understand it the -3's were HD truck units and used a water heated intake vs exhaust heat so the heads and intake are different than the passenger car engine....however, I've had a few small block pickups including a 3/4 ton and a 1 ton. Now if these HD engines didn't come in anything less than 1 tons, then that may be the reason I've never seen one.

 

[74charger07ram]

Ok on the right (passenger) side of the block is this number 86145-23. On the lift (driver) side is this number 4006730-318-4. So I am thinking it is a 318. Here are some pics.

 

[WP29440SE]

. So don't let the "it's just a 318" discourage you.
Pictures would be quite helpful here.

that wasn't meant to discourage. as a matter of fact I have a lot of respect for the 318. I just didn't see why it was important to know whether or not it was a car or truck 318. there is virtually no difference other than the pan/ pick-up tube , exhaust manifolds , and maybe the crank being drilled for a pilot bearing. that little teen in my yellow 73 duster would **** n' git
a couple of my 318's ...............

- - - Updated - - -

Nothing wrong with a 318 and the earlise rthey are, the more HP. The difference between a 69 318 and 73 318 is quite noticable once it's in the car.

here is a thread discussing just that very thing



http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=281353

 

[YY1]

Yeah, some of us actually like 318's.

- - - Updated - - -

hmmm -4....

I wonder if it's post 77.

Not real easy to find info on anything past 74 and down right hard past 77

There should be a casting of a clock hand with D and N on either side of it.
Real close to that should be the date.

One of mine is a 76 warranty block and has some odd numbers.

Is there a VIN on the pan rail pad?

 

[wannadrag]

318s need a cam,headers good intake and carb and you have the makings for a nice peppy cruiser.Been a long time since I had a small motored car and they are surprisingly a good little engine.This is in my Barracuda.

 

[Deleted member 214]

If I remember right, some 318 truck motors came with forged cranks. That would be a bonus if yours has one.

 

[ODZKing]

That is a post-1976 318. The -3 means it is the 3rd casting of that engine.
I'm told after so many castings they wear out and loose detail so they make another and that is how they identify them.
See http://www.mopar1.us/casting.html
Yes, they were used in Dodge Ram's 76-79 but not exclusive to.
See http://ramchargercentral.com/engine/la-engines-273318340360-part-1/
If you google "4006730 318 Mopar" you'll see posts where folks have a -12 (12th casting) so I would say as a guess probably closer to 77-78. What does the clock say on the side? You can see the clock and date tag in these pics of mine.

 

[74charger07ram]

If the pan rail pad is on the right side of the block the VIN is 86145-23. I will finish pulling that block apart to see if I get a bonus or a big surprise. Thanks for all the input.

 

[Cranky]

Yup, teen for sure....and yeah, you can make them run pretty dang good. A buddy and I played with his 72 Demon which has a 115k miles 318 in it and with some head work, cam, intake, 650 DP, headers and lots of gear, it slammed down a 13.51 @ 102 mph crossing the stripe at 6200. With a stock converter, it cuts 2.2 60 foot times and the 102 mph says it should knock down some 13.20's at least. It surprised us for sure since all we did was just throw this thing together with parts that was laying around between the two of us. We did pay close attention to doing a good bowl job on the 360 heads. Estimated compression ratio is 7.8 lol