1969 coronet 440 build questions??????

so i just bought a hemi orange 69 cornet with a 318. I also bought a 73 440 out of a motor home. im not sure what to do first as far as performance upgrades to the motor. I have a 8 3/4 3:55 suregrip diff and a torker II intake and an aluminum radiator on the way what else do i need. which cam? what should I do to the heads, port them? mill them? if I mill how much and will I hav to change out pushrods and lol how much is safe to mill, also will I have to mill the intake side of the heads as well? also how to Id which heads I hav thanks  

As a former (way unfortunately!) owner of a 69 Coronet 2dr HT for 14 years... I did do a little research back then as mine was a 318/904 drive line too and I too had a 440/727 from my Mom's 69 New Yorker.  But it is not as easy a conversion as one might think.

Number one... is the cross members and front end suspension.  I know the main cross member and likely the tranny cross member need to be changed out for the big B blocks.  I do not remember the details.  I know a while back they were a bit hard to find, but after-marketers may have some now.  Since the B blocks are much heavier than the A blocks... the front suspension torsion rods needed to either be reset or maybe were even different heavier units.  I do not remember the detail... but they had to be addressed.

Also the rear suspension and rear end needs up-sizing too as you hinted at...

I DO remember it was NOT a simple bolt in conversion... LOTs of things were different on the big block units.  It becomes a major reconstruction of the car itself.

You might do well to consider warming up a 360 (dimensionally the same as the 318) and a heavy 999 ?? trans (dimentionally the same as the 904). One can get close to 400-425 hp out of the 360 and not have to change the front framing/suspension build of the Coronet.  Still need the heavier rear though.

I know... it'll still be a small block under the hood... but it'll run just as strong as a mildly warm big block once the Rs are up.  Torque... now for this there just isn't a substitute for CI... although turbos and supers can come close.  Something else to think about.

If your heart is set on the big block... look into the cross member and front suspension problem... if you haven't already.

Sorry, can't answer your other questions...
Hope this helps.

Dave  

I currently own a '69 Coronet 440 (RT Clone) that was originally a 318/904 car but now has a mild '78 440/727. The engine seems to sit a bit off center. I did not do the swap, but one of the previous owners had apparently swapped a 440 w/ a Six Pack setup to keep for himself and threw in the '78 440 to sell the car, so says the guy I bought it from. I do not know if K-Frame/trans crossmember were swapped but they sure don't look like they have been, as aside from paint, wheels, removing the vinyl top, and a Six Pack hood scoop, the car remain mostly original.
On the other hand, some 10 years back I swapped a '78 400/727 into a 273/904 '67 Plymouth and only had to swap motor mounts, small block K frame stayed put. I do not recall if I had to change the tranny x member, but I dont believe I did, which was lucky for me 'cause I was only 12 and barely made enough allowance money to buy my $79 Hedman Hedders

Either way, it pays to do your homework before an engine swap.  

I'm almost positive it needed swapping out... the K frame and front suspensions were different as remember it as was one of the limiters for me.

Ok some of you old timers from our day... what was it with these "B" bodies (I think the coronet and Furys were B bodies)?

Dave  

heres a link for mounts and plates for swaps
http://engine-swaps.com/
Way back when mopar was into drag racing they were installing there engines just slightly to the right for weight purposes with the driver. they are the only co. that i know of that did this  

OK... I stand corrected... I know I was told I had to change out the crossmember back in 1976 or so... maybe I was told wrong.  That's too bad, as its the reason I didn't make the swap then... and I could have had Mom's 69 440 I'd rebuilt not long before her New Yorker was totaled! Hmpt!  I just continued to run the 318 and once I was in college didn't have the money for a swap anyway.... drove her for 14 years and 230,000 miles original (and they were my early 20s miles... lots of WOT, but I always watched the revs... 318s didn't hold up to over-revving very long, but if serviced regular they'd run forever). Sold her to make a couple truck payments... that was in 1985 and I still miss that car... felt like I'd sold my best friend.  Even with all the miles then she still ran good and was still totally restorable.  Did a 100 mph the day I sold her.  Hopefully she survived and was restored by someone and didn't end up in the crusher.  I'd buy her back in a heartbeat if I could find her (still have the vin #... last I knew she was in N Ohio.)!


I am right about the added weight issues... see this Safety Note from the engine swaps link above.


"Safety Note
These conversions greatly increase the power and add weight to the front of the vehicle (the B/RB adds 120 lbs. to the V8, for instance). You MUST upgrade your brakes for safe operation and torsion bars for better handling. A torque strap is recommended. Some vehicles have 9" drum brakes — these are not acceptable for these applications!"

Dave