I have a 1973 Duster all original with a 225 60,000 original miles! I have a friend with an original 383 he's willing to part with. I know the front end has to be re-done to hold the weight. How do you think the 383 compares to a 340???  

personally I would keep that slant 6 in it.otherwise I think all things being equal I would use the 340 simply because these cars seem to bring more money even if their a clone. by no means am I putting down the 383 as they rev like a 340 but would be more exp. build as you would require tti or fenderwell headers or the choking A body original exhaust manifolds, drivers side,  cough,,also using the small block wouldnt require changing the torsion bars nor would the 383 as the 383 is only 43 cubic inches more than the 340, my rule of thumb is check what diameter t bars are on the 6 first off as sometimes they were the .890s, second ,the cars intended usage and hp level, under 450 hp I wouldnt worry about changing t bars unless you want a firmer ride but if your planning on racing the 6 bars will give better front end lift.2nd rule of thumb in drag racing, 6 t bars for small block, small block t bars for big block but at 450 hp mild build 383 will have about the same torque as the 340 ,maybe a tad more. there is no difference in strength from a 6 k frame than a bigblock k frame,and you can either use a motor plate with either engine or schumacker mounts for either.heck just fix it up and run the 6 til it dies and then do the swap  

The 383 is a great engine and the swap is easy. I'm doing a Barracuda convertible project now and swapping a 383 in place of the original Slant Six using Schumacher mounts and headers. These are under chassis, tri-y headers and offer good performance and plenty of clearance. The Schumacher mount kit only requires a minor amount of clearancing on the driver side engine mount pad for the oil pump of the 383. I had everything installed in a day, easy.

Good luck.  

hi  Bad, my only thoughts were that there was a 73 340 duster from the factory ,hence a good clone car, and I agree the 383 is way underrated. Ive done a few myself in A bodies. Im just thinking the 340 would bring more money if it were ever to be sold again as its in the 340 correct  time period. Now if you want to go fast like most of us including me I could build one heck of a 383 using cheap but quality parts and have one bad as. ride... if the 383 is free I would go for it and just use a plate, My plates are a work of art, literally,no notching required hahaa, put the free 383 in it and when ya got the bux find a 73 340 engine or block. these A bodies gonna bring big bux in time . All in all I would run that slant 6 til it died .another 200k miles lol, and have everything ready when the time comes. A body 67 to 69 barracuda Bad? I think the 67 to 69 notchbacks and fastbacks blow the 70s look away,like your hairs gonna be blowing cruising that barracuda down the road, take care ps keep us posted alabama  

I took a trip to Mopar nats back in 04 and after talking to several folks on rather to restore the car and keep it original or build it like I want it. Most folks told me that without a 318 or better, the car wasn't worth as much so gut it and build my dream car or keep it original and buy a another duster to rebuild. Everyone has said also to put the engine in before it's painted lest they scratch something. Not really sure what I want to *** The interior is gold w/ bench seats and the exterior is bronze. Interior is burnt up from the sun coming through the car port where it sat for 20 years, and the paint is oxidized. This was my first car and I could never part with it so I'm not too concerned w/ it being worth a dime-I love it anyway. The 383 is in a 70' superbee that one friend bought off another. He has a 440 he wants to drop in it so he said he'd give me a great deal on the 383.I don't want a trailer queen, I want to drive this thing. I don't care to keep it original, especially with the low miles on the 225, all except those hideous chrome hubcaps! HA HA. What's your take on the best options for swapping from drum to disc brakes? Thanks for the info....  

dam,got permission denied? anyhow, folks saying oil to go to $200 a barrel in next 2 years, so *** can them ugly hubcaps firstoff and get some dog dish hubcaps, repaint rims also, its a good start.find the interior parts you need and store them as you drive the 73.repaint the car your color scheme and repaint the trunk while your at it,dont sweat the drums if your using the 6 they will give decent stopping power and keep cost down a lil .find a donor car for disc swap or find the components needed for conversion, parts car best as ya can snag the stuff ya need to convert to discs,and proportioning valve, and take the steering link while your at it.ya also will need a 2 resevoir master cylinder if going disc.store all the interior stuff in climate controlled enviromentor have your cores reupolstered if they dont have broken springs and decent foam. the 340 better choice as it would bring more money than a 383 as a 383 wasnt an option on any A body 73 car and are looked down on as there are a lot out there. They can be made screamers cheaply though. a correct year 340 for your car is also a good idea for resale value as clones are going higher. 383 great engine also weakest of most big blocks in main webbing but can hold an easy 550 hp on a budget.Ive built and raced many race cars over the years and resale is nowhere near investment unless its street legal.Im currently finishing a 74 duster ,I have mint original black interior from a 73 duster with bucket seats and I got any combo I want to use but I think im going to rebuild the 6 and 904 and detail both,car will last another 30 years, I feel your need for speed and have built some real monster engines and currently race a 71 dart big block, it has all the best parts, too much to mention but the idea of never having to need a scanner and rely on others to diagnose problems is sweet. and the car will run another 33 years.its drop dead gorgeous.when I pull engine I have a few dedicated friends help guide it out carefully,pull the trans and take trans in for pro rebuild for around 400 bux ,then take 6 in and for 1400 bux I now have a car that will outlast me,I got all the stuff you need to convert to a small or big block but im going 6 at this point ,while engines out ill repaint engine compartment myself,and when I reinstall engine I have a dedicated friend help me out and use a lot of blankets and cardboard so no paint damage occurs. dont be surprised if the lil slant 6 cars become more valuable than their v-8 optioned counterparts.take care  

Hey, thanks for the info! I'l take your advice on the 340-I would rather keep it as original to the year as possible. Do you know if Dusters came in the Mopar orange and flat black paint scheme?  

I'am working on my first build a 74 Duster it had a S6 but it will have a 318,Color:Sassy grass green W/Black hood W/Max wedge scoop,Wheels:Crager SS 16"R,14"F,Interior:White..It will be for show not go(lots of bling,bling under hood),weekend driver(W/good weather),PLYMOUTH in bold flat black letters on rear fenders like the superbird had..this is my Mopar and it will look good.With that said,This is your car,build it the way you want it,but I must say the 340 would be nice.