Torsion bar 318 stay or go

[Monkeymaster]

Happy New Year
66 Dodge Charger 318 automatic
318 has been tossed, 383 and 400 in garage waiting for the decission.
Question, will the torsion bars from the 318 be adequate with the added weight of a big block ?
This will be a street cruising car and will see less than 300 miles a year.
Thanks

 

[moes]

no, most guys use 1 inch for Big block cars. check this article out

http://arengineering.com/tech/torsion-bar-tango/

 

[WP29440SE]

that big block only weighs 150 pounds more than that 318. I have ran NUMEROUS 440's on top of 318 bars and even a few 6 cylinder bars , NEVER had an issue

 

[Zeppelin264]

I had the original 318 bars when I installed the 440 and the car was very "floaty" over bumps. Installed 1.1" bars this year and what a huge difference! Car rides much better now.

Alot of people say "well 318 bars are better for drag racing", IMO the front end seems to lift alot harder with the new 1.1 bars than it ever did with the 318 bars.

 

[Kern Dog]

300 miles per year?
The .88 318 bars are soft with a 318. They will feel worse with the added weight. A high quality shock will help. It isn't just a matter of ride though. Soft torsion bars will result in harder brake dive in a panic stop, making it more difficult to control or to keep straight. The car will not respond as well to a quick steering action to avoid another car on the road.
In short, the car will function but in the event of the need to avoid an accident, you are taking a step backwards from the stock setup, one that was marginal to begin with.

 

[Zeppelin264]

Also would like to add that from the factory the cars were under sprung big time! So add 50 years of weight sitting on the spring and its not going to be a good outcome.

 

[mopar 3 B]

Dam wish someone had convinced me of that 43 years ago. Not. Don't let to pro touring crowd bully you into something not needed.
If your pulling the original 318 poly it may actually loose some weight. I would install some good front shocks and drive it.

 

[Kern Dog]

Every new car today will outhandle a stock classic Mopar. Why not take every advantage that you can to even up those odds? You can make these cars handle quite well with some well thought out upgrades that are affordable unless you are a complete broke dick. I don't think that is the case here though.

 

[Monkeymaster]

Thanks for the replys,
I did a little digging in my garage to look at my 383 and 400 blocks trying to decide what one to use, and looky here, a set of torsion bars from a 1970 440 Charger, problem solved.
After 14 years of marriage, three kids, and several jobs, I had totally forgot I even had them.
Now, if I could just find a Hemi in there......

 

[383man]

We have a 400 in my sons 72 Dart that was an original 318 AC car and we still have the factory 318 torsion bars in it and they work great as it handles great. I figured it is only about 150 lbs more at the most which is like having a passenger in the car. Also we took the AC out of the car and run aluminum heads and intake and headers. Heck by now it may be lighter with the 400. Ron

 

[rumblefish360]

@Monkeymaster

The big block can be lightened to small block weight with aluminum parts which would include the heads.

Reguardless, a step up or two in T bars will be a nice addition.

Been there, done that, enjoyed it a lot.

I also run a B 400/727 in a ‘71 Duster. While this is more of a street striper with 4.88 gears, it drives OK. The combo of fat and skinny tires does nothing for handling. (LMAO!) BUT for casual drives, it is OK. It doesn’t have anti roll bars ether. So quick turns and certain road conditions are not the best. But again, it’s not so bad where it call it dangerous unless foolishly drivin.

 

[not so famous bob]

@Monkeymaster

The big block can be lightened to small block weight with aluminum parts which would include the heads.

Reguardless, a step up or two in T bars will be a nice addition.

Been there, done that, enjoyed it a lot.

I also run a B 400/727 in a ‘71 Duster. While this is more of a street striper with 4.88 gears, it drives OK. The combo of fat and skinny tires does nothing for handling. (LMAO!) BUT for casual drives, it is OK. It doesn’t have anti roll bars ether. So quick turns and certain road conditions are not the best. But again, it’s not so bad where it call it dangerous unless foolishly drivin.

I ran a hemi superstock type 67 belevedere for 14 yrs w/ 318 bars , it ended up being a drag only car, no problems. I was a straight line type guy for the most part.