[mouseman]

I need some help on this one.

I have a ' 78 chevy (4 bolt main) 350 freshly rebuilt motor (I rebuilt in myself) that needs a home. It has already been run for 20 minutes or so.

This is the situation. A friend of mine is selling a ' 74 plymouth Duster with a slant 6 in it. It runs, and has a clean title. It is in grey primer, has some rust damage on the drivers side quarter panel and also in the trunk deck. Everything else seems to be there with the exception of the radio.
This friend of mine wants $400.00 or best offer for this car. The thought of bolting a Turbo 350 or 400 transmission to my motor and dropping it in the Duster crossed my mind, however; in doing so, what would I have to change?
Is it even worth the trouble? My girlfriends dad knows how to weld, and would probably be able to help with minor weld jobs.

My own personal thoughts on the matter is that in terms of the drive-shaft, one side would have to be chrysler (for the differential) and the other side (transmission) would have to be chevy. Then there is the wiring for the starter, coil/distributor assembly. I have HEI ignition on my motor. The motor mounts would probably also have to be re-located.

The car has been sitting there for a week or so, I could probably offer him $200, and he would probably jump on it.

What is your expert opinion on this?

[crankshaftkid]

Motor mounts, trans crossmember, exhaust system, would all have to be custom made and then you have to think about power steering hookups (if it has that), radiator mounting and electrical. And then there's the issue of the oil pan. Most Mopars use a center sump pan. Even if you used cast iron exhuast manifolds, you would still have to bend up custom down pipes to fit. Imo, you'd be better off selling the Duster to a Mopar guy and finding a Camaro or a Nova for your engine. It sure would be much easier. Besides all that, you will get flack from the Mopar crowd and probably from the GM crowd too. The Mopar guys will say you ruined a Duster and the GM guys will say you wasted a 350 lol. One good point is that the 74 Duster is not real desireable to the Mopar guys lol...yet.

[Crazy Mopar Guy]

Originally Posted by mouseman

Is it even worth the trouble?

Nope.
Novas, ChevyIIs, full sized Chevys, Vegas, you name it. Lots of good body shells out there.