66 A100 Engine swap

Hi everyone. I am new to this so please bare with me. I just bought a 1966 A100 Sportsman in AZ. It has the original 318 auto. It has a blown head gasket. I don't know the mileage or condition of the engine. I figured to get it here to Minnesota and swap in a different engine right away. I want to stay with a 318. I have located 2 low mile 318's. One is in a 1985 B-150 and the other is in a 1990 B-250 van. You people are a lot more knowledged in this. Will this work or should I keep looking around. Thanks for and feedback and I look forward to sharing pics and ideas in the future. Just a note, my van is a 1966 A100 Sportsman Family Wagon, all original and rust free. Can't wait to tear up the streets in Minneapolis MN!!!!!!

Sarge:

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the site.

Other Mopar people should be able to tell you for sure what will work and which will perform better (I think those used engines will work as long as they're not Magnums).

Due to the condition of the body and all the work , time and money it takes for an engine transplant, I would consider a rebuilt motor with a tested block and heads.

This guy put a lot of time and money into a beautiful van any to have a lot engine issues after it was all done -
http://www.fieldsautobody.com/projects/65dodgevan/

Good Luck - Larry

Thanks Larry. Boths vans are runner drivers so I can hear them running. I also talked to a guy who said Magnums won't work also. Swapping a motor is easy so time is no problem. Thanks again.

your b-250 might be a 360 engine so get a good look at the casting number on the side of the block by the frost plugs. it will work but a little extra work is required. last three numbers denote if its a -318 or -360 engine. 360 engines are externally balanced and NEED the weight on the torque converter and the correct vibration dampner on the front. one thing i think you will have to change for sure is the water pump. old dodge vans and pickups used the cast pump that draws from the left side (fenco p575). all mine had them and still easy to get. also if you use a 360 engine just plug the small holes below the exhaust ports drill and tap with a 1/8 set screw and locktite them in .
the magnum engine will work but a little more conversion is needed but the payoff is better also. heads flow about 10% better and a roller cam depending on the year. check for fuel pump location and intake manifold if it was a fuel injected engine.

Thanks for the info guys. I am looking forward to getting a pic of the van on here. The transporter said it was loaded today @ 6:00 PM and will arrive here in Mpls on Saturday. The garage, my wife and kids and myself are excited to start a new build. Sarge

There might also be an engine mount that has to be moved a little to do the 360.

Thanks jrk, roller cam, fuel injection, more cubes, high flow heads - now you have me drooling for a Magnum.

thats right the mount tabs for the 360 are different but i had a bunch of mounts to work with so for me it worked out. now if you want to see a nice conversion in this months mopar action there is a guy from new brunswick (canada) who installed a 5.7 hemi in a early dart 4 door sedan. dog dish hubcaps and all. can you say super sleeper and camaro killer. but the same conversion could happen to a van.if i didn't have mine done hummmmmm. it got me thinkin right away just because i work for the dodge boys in service.

The 1990 engine will be fuel injected, so if you go with that engine, you'll need to swap the old intake over.

This is great. I like the feedback. I will probably go for a carbed 318, less hassle and they are a dime a dozen here. Also, what about headers? Or should I stay with stock manifolds? This should be fun, because I usually build old Chevy muscle.

old chevy muscle???? ten hut sargent!!!!!!!now your workin with horsepower and torque

The trouble with headers on an A-100 is trying to find a set that don't hang too low as most do. You could try a set of B-van headers, but again I'm not sure how low they hang.

I know a fellow that has a 340 in one of his A-vans and he uses Magnum exhaust manfolds. According to him, they flow better than stock 340 Hi-Po manifolds. They are readily available at junkyards. If you can, find a set of 92-93 Magnum manifolds...they have a larger diameter "dump".

Thanks Nate

your other choice would be block hugger style headders. they fit tight to the block and only drop down about as far as the engine mount. if possible go with 1 7/8 tube and a 3" collector. fairly sure they make those . check doug's - hooker - sanderson - patriot - all the good ones.