68 Cuda Viper

[1966cuda]

Dose any Know of a simalier swap any Info will be of grate help. Have Gen 2 Viper GTS Engine would like to run 5 or 6 spd Automatic trans.

[gtmopar]

The guys at magnum force race cars in Campbell ca. Might be able to steer you in the right direction. I was there a few weeks ago and they have done several viper engine installs in mainly E bodies. You have to relocate the hell out of the firewall to position the engine far back enough to get the weight distribution correct. The have installed one further forward in the standard position and they said it was terrible and scary to drive due to the nose heavy condition. You would have to do some serious cutting to get that to fit but it would be bad ass! It looked shoehorned into that E body cuda so an A would be tight. As far as tranny I'm thinking one out of a 3/4 ton pickup should work being that the v-10 blocks are similar but I'm not sure if tiny thing else would need to be changed to facilitate the stick to auto change. Give those guys a call, they are super cool and like to talk about mopars.

[swisswill]

My fourth cylinder is just behind the firewall. I'm 6-8" behind. Number 1 cylinder is just behind the front axle centerline to help me get some weight distribution. I'm still going to be nose heavy I think but we'll see. Be ready to cut the crap out of your car...

[74DartSwinger360]

Hey swiswill can we see some more pics?

[swisswill]

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/...ad.php?t=85200

Could keep you busy a while. I have a bunch of stuff on order and some cool stuff planned when I'm back stateside in a few months; hopefully progress will be fast and furious but it always seems to be a bit slow when I'm fabbing brackets and junk.

[273]

1966Cuda get a transaxle and put it in the back. Viper Under Glass

[ocdart]

Originally Posted by 74DartSwinger360

Hey swiswill can we see some more pics?

Here's his build thread:
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/...ad.php?t=85200

[74DartSwinger360]

Originally Posted by swisswill

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/...ad.php?t=85200

Could keep you busy a while. I have a bunch of stuff on order and some cool stuff planned when I'm back stateside in a few months; hopefully progress will be fast and furious but it always seems to be a bit slow when I'm fabbing brackets and junk.

Originally Posted by ocdart

Here's his build thread:
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/...ad.php?t=85200

Thanks Guys

[1966cuda]

Thanks to all for contacts and info Iam wiating on Viper manuals for enginneering Specs gona try see if its possable to fit frontend & rearend to the 68 Barracuda !

[swisswill]

Originally Posted by 1966cuda

Thanks to all for contacts and info Iam wiating on Viper manuals for enginneering Specs gona try see if its possable to fit frontend & rearend to the 68 Barracuda !

See my PM, not possible without shortening wheelbase, driving from backseat and converting to wide-body.

[1966cuda]

Have a another Question Can any one tell me if a gen 3 Viper motor has the same Crank & Cam reference points as the 96 Gen 2 ? As I have asked Mopar Performance and other Mopar parts sellers about Viper Gen 3 crate motor racing ECU & wiring will it work on a Gen 2 M?P said dont Know others dont know or wont even reply. So Ive been told to find this out about reference point because if they are the same it will work.

[1966cuda]

Originally Posted by swisswill

See my PM, not possible without shortening wheelbase, driving from backseat and converting to wide-body.

Yes I know but this is not going to look stock or go like the originals. Remember the old school of pannel beating 4" flared guards to get wide deepdish wheels under the guards with out moving the inner fenders or frame rails.Thier are many ways to modify things and it all happens to come down to what you dicide to do with what you have and $$$$.

[swisswill]

Originally Posted by 1966cuda

Yes I know but this is not going to look stock or go like the originals. Remember the old school of pannel beating 4" flared guards to get wide deepdish wheels under the guards with out moving the inner fenders or frame rails.Thier are many ways to modify things and it all happens to come down to what you dicide to do with what you have and $$$$.

More or less what I was getting at. If you want to use stock Viper suspension, it can be done but not without adding quite a bit of width to your car. The stock control arms are VERY long and not usable when maintaining relatively stock track width, as seen in the pic I sent you. I opted not to go wide-body because I don't feel the Dart lines compliment the wide-body look and I still want it to look like a Dart, JMO though. I do think the Gen 2 Cuda is more complimentary to a wide-body conversion. I narrowed my frame rails about 2 inches from stock, plus the modified suspension & custom A-arms in order to get the 10" wheel on a 275 tire up front. My ride height also complicates things but that is what I wanted. As mentioned, the other issue you'll have is steering. The rack in a Viper is mounted VERY high, tie rod ends on top of the steering arm. Viper can do it because the engine is behind the rack. More difficult on an older car unless driving happens from the back seat, or almost the back seat.

Not trying to discourage, I'm all about do your own thing, make it the way you want, just sharing my experience so far. I've researched this a lot and played with a few different options trying to work the Gen 3 suspension and for MY build, and it wouldn't work. If it were a dedicated track car, no problem. But mine is a daily driver that will see occasional track time, so my priorities may be different.

[swisswill]

Originally Posted by 1966cuda

Have a another Question Can any one tell me if a gen 3 Viper motor has the same Crank & Cam reference points as the 96 Gen 2 ? As I have asked Mopar Performance and other Mopar parts sellers about Viper Gen 3 crate motor racing ECU & wiring will it work on a Gen 2 M?P said dont Know others dont know or wont even reply. So Ive been told to find this out about reference point because if they are the same it will work.

I can't speak on the crank & cam reference points but according to my research the ECU's do not interchange. In fact, many of the Gen 2 ECU's do not interchange (e.g. 96-99 I believe share the same, 00-1 year only, 01-1 year only, 02-1 year only). I had to be very specific sourcing my ECU. My information is from various Viper tuners, the Viper Wizard, and DC performance (who is now defunct but may be making a comeback in the near future).

Welcome to the world of Viper. For some reason it's VERY difficult to get quality information out of these guys. Really frustrating.

[1966cuda]

You ant kidding when you ask about info on vipers .

[swisswill]

Yup, they are a tough crowd for sure. There are a select few who are very helpful, but in general, not. I can't help but wonder if it's because most don't have a clue. Just because they can afford the car, doesn't mean they know crap about it...

[66plyValiant]

I"m going to watch this thread

[1966cuda]

Waiting for replys from a number of OE ECU programers to see if they can re program Viper gen3 ECU to Gen2 specs.. or even the Gen 3 crate ECU back to Gen 2 specs stay tuned

[swisswill]

I got a smoking deal on my ECU from Scharf. May be easier and more cost effective to order from them.

[1966cuda]

Thanks for the Info. I tryed to google but doesnt get me a good result so can you give me a web or email address.

[swisswill]

http://www.donscharfautomotive.net