Curently have a 72 360 Challenger that has been in my garage for 5 years. I can get the car to start and it will run well as long as it is choked. Once it is warmed up and the choke is released the car does not idle. Forget putting it in gear because it is going to die in a matter of seconds.

Any recommendations?

 

Hello fellow hoosier. The first thing would be make sure you have fresh gas. It sounds like a fuel starvation problem. This could be several things. Dirt in the fuel filter or carburetor or a stuck float. Could be a weak fuel pump.
Bob

 

Thanks Bob... I gave it a new fuel filter (see thru) as I thought the same thing. Used the see thru one so I could be assured the fuel flow and to see any debris. Thinking about scrapping the whole 360 2bbl setup. I have a 383 on a stand that has been completely done by C&P Machine shop in Ft. Wayne. It was originally for a 69 Charger but I sold it. I think I need to look into what all types of changes I need to make to the car to remove the 360 and put the 383 in.

By the way... if you are in Northern Indidna and need some Challenger parts... I have a few.

 

Just with the limited info ... sounds like a vacuum leak. Just a shot in the dark, but look over all the lines and while its running with the choke check with carb sray around the base and see if there is a leak there. Never hurts to clean the carb with good old carb cleaner. Not much to those old carter 2bbl, but when they operate wrong they can be annoying. Good luck and let us know how its going.

 

Thanks, but I do not need any parts at the moment. i live just south of Indy. The biggest concern with switching to a 383 would be the transmission. They were different from a small block. I am assuming that you have the 727 automatic behind your 360. Everything else except the exhaust should fit. I have the 330 hp 383 in my Challenger and is a good motor for cruising. If you are looking for more performance the crate motor 360 might be a good choice. Of course there is no replacement for displacement. "440" I would definately do what Lear4406 recommended and drive the car to get a feel for any other concerns a 35 year old car has.
Bob

 

Well I got some time to look at the car tonight a little closer in the firewall... WOW!. I am now leaning toward vacuum issue at this point. I don't suppose anyone could recommend a book that shows very detailed hose connections? Below are some details

1972 Dodge Challenger (orig 318 car... guessing 2bbl) with A/C
Engine is a 1975 360 (not sure from what vehicle) 2bbl Holly
A/C is all still in tact (not sure if it works)

There is a canister at the front of the car that has 4 hoses connected to it...
- Two large ones
- One connects to the carb
- The other apears to go to a fuel line headed to the back of the car
- Two smaller ones
- One connects to a valve of sorts next to the thermostat housing
- The other is broken off and connects to to nothing.

Other hoses connect from the distributer... the firewall... valve cover... intake manifold... & multiple locations on the carb

- On top of the block near the thermostat housing is a valve of sorts that has two coming out of it...
- one goes to the canister mentioned before
- the other goes to the other side of the eingine.. taking the long way around... and connects to nothing (just laying there)
- Hose from the distributer
- Connects to another hose and appears to go through the firewall beneath the heater motor
- Hoses on the carb
- they seem to connect from one location on the carb to another location on the carb
- there are also some on the carb that are just capped off.
- There is also the normal one connecting from the PCV valve in the valve cover to the base of the carb.

In addition to all this... there are others on the intake that are just capped off.

 

Hello Reefkeeper. The canister is a closed vapor canister. it is part of the ECS [Evaporation Control System]. It contains a replaceable charcoal filter. The cannister itself could be a source of a vacuum leak. The best source is a factory service manual. I have a Chiltons that also has the system described. I tried to download a diaghram but my scanner is on the fritz. Our local library has some of the older repair manuals. The purpose of this system is to pull gas vapors into the engine through the carb when running and also remove the gas vapors when the car is not being used. Most people remove this system because of the vacuum leak potential. The best way to test for vacuum leaks is to block off all the hoses coming from the carb and see if that makes a difference in how the engine runs. Do not drive the car with the power assisted vacuun booster disconnected. Do you have a vacuum gage? A vacuum gage can tell you a lot. The problem will be with the different than original motor. This makes trouble shooting a little bit more of a headache when comparing your hoses to a factory service manual.
Bob

 

Bob - Thanks for the info.

going to see if I can find a service manual. I ordered Challenger and Barracuda Restoration Guide, 1967-74 (Motorbooks Workshop). It sems to have a good amount of information as well. Not sure if it will have the vacuum diagram.

 

I agree w/ Bob's comments exactly. Once you get it running, then you can one by one re-connect the hoses per a reference guide.

Just two more cents on my part. You may want to consider just putting on a 4 brl intake & card instead of the 383 swap. A lot easier, and the 4brl will wake up the 360. Just a thought. I did this on a 76 Charger which was originally a 2brl 360 car and added dual exhaust too and it was a whole different car.

 

the 383 swap would be nice but keep the small block in there and change the intake and carb like dodgebrothers suggested. i took the 400 out of my 72 that the previous owner put in and put a built 318 in its place. just my thoughts