I saved a 74 RR from being parted out a couple of years ago.

Great paint, options codes except the damn 318.
Still has original 904 tranny and rear end, but a random 318 from a late 70s truck just to keep it drivable.


It was a stalled project that had had the side marker lights, antenna, and fender indicators shaved and in primer. I would have let it get parted out but I felt bad for it being a factory sun roof car. Came with original console, but Monaco front buckets (right frame anyways) and interior panels from a 73 satellite I cut to use 74 rear seat belt roller inserts with. No one makes the head liner for it.






I did a 200$ driveway paint job and stripe kit, spoiler, and dashcap, bigger rims and new shoes. Got all lights and wipers working, still working on horn. Seriously needs front end rebuilt/susp.



For the drivetrain I can:
LA 360 - probably cheapest
stroked LA 360
crate LA 360 drilled to also take magnum heads
360 Magnum- mounts, accessories, up goes the cost
salvage 5.7 Hemi/tranny complete- more cost, not sure if can sort out computer, electrics, gauges, etc.

When all is said and done,
for those of you just wanting a fun, reliable driver you saved and not a valuable, rare, etc. car/restoration-

what has been the easiest, best bang for the buck when you were in my shoes.

Thank you for your information.

Get a 5.2 or 5.9 magnum. They will accept stock type LA motor mounts. The only extra cost over a LA would be a carbed intake to fit the magnum heads and an electric fuel pump. However power will be better and you can find one that's not so bagged out like a 70's truck engine. For about the same cost as converting it to carb, you can retain the factory fuel injection system with junyard parts. I put a 99 dakota 318 into my jeep and run it off of a 95 OBD1 wiring harness. The wiring was not that hard and it runs great, turn key just like any other fuel injected engine.

Cool, if I got one with all accessories it would be neat to try with FI.

Did you keep an OD tranny on it,
or use a 905/727 and find a way to do the pressure linkage?

Mine's mated up to a stick shift, but you could use an overdrive trans. A RR of our generation can fit the overdrive trans without too much modification.

I ran a 99 engine off a 95 wiring harness. Reason for this is the 99 wiring is OBD-2, way more complex and I think I would have needed to drop a few hundred bucks having the computer reprogrammed to bypass the security, body computer and all the sensors and emissions stuff that I didn't end up using. I changed the throttle body sensors to ones off a 95 because the connectors are different. I put in a set of junkyard fuel injectors off a 95 as well because I read they flow less than the later ones and I didn't want an over-rich condition during full throttle and warm-up. I've heard they're calibrated on the rich side to begin with. The wiring wasn't a big deal to figure out, and once you remove everything not related to engine operation, there's really not all that much to it. If you do end up wanting to use the OD trans, get one to match the year of wiring you use. The OBD-1 era overdrives were hydraulic, the OBD-2 ones were electronically controlled.

I didn't have a/c on my jeep so I removed the compressor and put on a shorter belt. For a fuel pressure regulator/filter I used a GM LT1 corvette/camaro unit because they're made for a non-return style fuel rail like the later 90's magnum engines have, and they have the right fuel pressure spec to work. I lucked out and the power steering pump hose actually mated perfectly to my ps pump.