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Abe,
I’m not experienced in your exact swap, but I have crossed paths with the 380 HP crate motors. Just a word of warning, the 380 horse motor is not a mild mannered piece one would expect to find in an Imperial. It has a big cam and single plane high rise intake. It will prefer a high stall converter, big carb, and bigger gears in the rear (3.91-4.10).
The driver’s side motor mount is different from a 318 to a 360. I believe one from a 360 Volare or Aspen will do the trick, or your stock one can be shimmed.
What are you using for a transmission and rear? The 904 in stock form will not be happy behind that motor.
If you are using a stock air filter housing, and the stock motor is still in the car, you can take some baseline measurements. I made a tool out of a piece of old fix mast antenna about 15” long and a wire tie. I cut it off around 15” down from the top keeping the ball end (base was already bent). I wrapped the wire tie around the mast, then placed cut end against the block next to the distributor. I raised the wire tie to the top of the air filter housing, then took it out and measured the length of the antenna from the wire tie to the cut end. Then I placed the carb and air filter housing I was planning to use on the new motor and took the same measurements.
Using the measurements above, I balled up some clay (like Play-Doh) to make the stock configuration match the height of the new combination, then closed the hood. Reopened the hood and measured how much clay was still standing. That’s the clearance you have to work with. Hopefully it’s enough room (I think it will be). If it is tight, consider an aftermarket one with a drop base. Don’t let the lid get too close to the top of the carb though, it will choke the motor and run awful.
If you already have the motor, consider swapping out the cam with something milder from Comp Cams (their techs are very helpful), and swapping the intake for the Edelbrock Performer RPM for use with the Magnum heads. The RPM intake is a dual plane and will be happier around town. If you haven’t purchased a motor yet, consider the 300 horse crate. That will still have plenty of umph, but in a much more street friendly package.
Your stock exhaust will choke that motor to the point it won’t want to run. Headers designed for an A-B-or E-body should fit the bill. I recommend TTI headers. They are expensive, but are very high quality. Custom exhaust will be needed as well. I don’t know what your emissions requirements are for your area. Check with your shop.
You may want to consider going to a bigger radiator too.
I hope this helps. If you need more, I’ll be glad to help with what recommendations I can. It might not be of interest to the majority of readers here, so you might want to carry it over to the Salon.
Rob McCall ’67 LeBaron
-----Original Message-----
Hello Imperial Enthusiasts! the clearance for the air cleaner filter cover, also he warned me about possible stalling due to the rear axle ratio and the increased HP of the motor (?)...anything else I should be aware of??? BTW: I am planning to have Nick
Losurdo, of Classic Concepts in West Babylon, Long Island, NY do the engine
work...anyone know him? |
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