What's the easiest way to swap from 318 to 360. Leave the bell housing on the trans or motor?

Don't. Keep the 318.

318 is no good.

Make sure the 360 has a rear sump oil pan. The one from the 318 won't work. Also, 360 motor mounts are different than 318. Pretty sure the flywheel from the 318 is balanced differently than the 360.

Which are largely why I said keep the 318.
What's no good about it? Hole in the block? If not it's probably fixable

Huge has it covered. The flywheels have different balance between the 318 and the 360. You need the 360 balanced flywheel, torque converter, or flex plate with the 360 motor.

That said, you will need to separate the bell from the motor and you will have to remove the clutch to change the flywheel. If your dealing with an auto trans, you either need the 360 balanced torque converter, or a 360 balanced flex plate.

I've not experienced it myself (didn't want to take the chance), but I have heard that the 318 flywheels on a 360 give enough vibration the whole car/truck shakes at an idle. Just in case you considered using the 318 stuff.

I know about the balance. My question was is it easier to put the motor in with the bell on the motor or transmission. I am in a walking boot and trying to do this the easiest way.

It's gonna be a pain in the butt to get the input shaft of the trans to line up either way, if you plan to leave the trans in the truck during the swap. It's do-able, but will require some wrestling. That being said, and in reference to your other post about leaving the hood on, leave the bellhousing bolted to the trans. You know about the balance, so the only other slight obstacle will be the driver side motor mount bracket. The ears on the 360 block will be narrower than the 318, so just mount the bracket to the 360 the same way it was on the 318....and stack flat washers in the small gap between the ears and the mount. In my experience swapping motors in my old 84 D350, leave a motor mount bracket loose on one side so the stud on the bottom of the rubber mount will go thru the frame easier. If you tighten them both up to the block, one will go in and the other won't. Good luck with it....and don't hurt your sore foot!

Thanks. I have the correct motor mount bracket. 2 surgeries on my foot already and another scheduled for December 8.

To answer your question I would leave the bell on the motor when pulling.

Can you pay for someone to assist you. How about a neighborhood teenager? The easiest, but more timely way is to separate the trans from the motor and leave the bell housing attached to the motor. Unless you have a good cherry picker and an adjustable leveling bar pulling them both out the top is a pain.

Sorry, I'm old school. Pull the trans off the bell, and pull the bell off the motor. Drop the motor in the hole, then bolt on the bell, then put the trans in. I do that because having the bell bolted to the motor makes the motor install more difficult. The motor with the bell bolted on is a very tight fit on the under hood forward and rearward space.

The time lost fighting with both the motor and the trans, or the effort to line up the trans with the bell bolted on and trying to match the trans input shaft up with the clutch splines would take longer then just hanging the motor, bolting the motor mounts, then add the bell and then the trans. I've done 100s of these motor/manual trans swaps, separate parts bolted on has always been the fastest and easiest way to do them, for me.

So you have him dropping the tranny first? Probably a heavyass NP435. What if it is married to a transfer case? I too have done this a gazillion times over the decades. Myself I pull the tranny with the motors a lot of the time. I assemble as much as I can out of the vehicle.
If needing just the motor I would leave the clutch and bell on the motor and leave the tranny in place. Much easier for me to deal with 4 bolts under the vehicle and the clutch on the floor out of the vehicle. I have alinement studs that I use when reinstalling the motor and mating back onto the tranny. Easy peasy.
I laugh my a$$ off over the cars shows on TV. 4 or 5 guys to install a motor. I'm 60 something and half crippled and still R&R motors and trannys by myself. Always have. Just installed a 74 LS-7 454 and M-22 into a 67 Vette. Also a 469 BB with 833 into a 70 Bee.
On the Vette the tranny has to go in first then the motor with bell goes in and mates. Kind of a plan but not too bad.
On the Bee the motor with tranny went in all together. Much easier.
Everyone has their way of doing things.

Depending on what flywheel is on the engine, you need to remove the clutch and flywheel before getting the bellhousing off.


Cherry picker through the door to raise or lower the transmission.

I've never tried to R&R a clutch with the bellhousing on. Why would you do that? Don't think that you can get a 143T wheel out the bottom of the bellhousing can you?

Did the clutch in my 77W300 last year, pull trans back and r and r out the bottom of the bellhousing.. 11 inch clutch between a 360 and np445. Didn't count flywheel teeth.

Car stuff is different.

Truck SB/435 143T
Truck SB/833OD 130T
Car 66-69 BB 143T
Car 70-71 Hemi 70-74 BB 130T