Difference in minimum height with Headman shorty headers and TTIs

[It's all Dodge]

So I have a 70 Swinger 340 Dart I want to autocross.
I have .99" torsion bars, 2" drop spindles, 225/50 17s, and the Borgeson steering box.

Engine will possibly be a 340, or a 318 plus .060 over., since I have some Ross flat tops sitting around 327", right?

Anyway, I have TTIs, and Headman tight tubes, that happen to be on my 72 Sportsman RV, and I have new long tubes.

I just don'the know if the TTIs have enough clearance on something that might be 2 to 2.5 inches lowered.

The last I had headers on an A body, it was a 69 Dart with 195/60 14s, on rallies. 318 t-bars. The old Mopar Performance- Blackjack-ish headers that came down too low especially on the drivers side, unlike TTIs. I think there's at least a3 inch difference in how far are those headers will come down vs TTIs.

I know 340 manifolds are awesome, I sold my 3 sets when I needed money. The drivers side 340 is not great, while the passenger 340 is great, and the Jeep Cherokee manifolds are great for the right side, darn starter in the way, stops me from using the drivers side.

So tell me about your TTIs, or your Headman Tight tubes, and what kind of frame height, ride height, lowered or not, tire and wheel settup (taller tires will make a difference in header clearance). Tell me what diameter exhaust you run. I will probably do 2.25", as it will support plenty of power.

I just wonder how the long tubes can handle speed bumps (at a slow speed), and such.

Not many other A bodies around here in Northwest Arkansas.

As a plus, if I want lightning quick steering, the Borgeson quick steer and the longer pitman/idler arms would work on Tight Tubes, I think. But then, Tight Tubes aren'the known for a great seal to the head, like TTIs.

 

[AJ/FormS]

I heard TTI is making shorties. I noticed you skipped over the 360.

I have TTI long-tubes, 1.03 T-bars, and really old adjustable HD Munroes. My K has been as low as 5.5 off the deck. I have hammered that thing over speed bumps hard enough to bruise your kidneys.I have jumped it and buried the oilpan in the dirt hard enough to crack the welds and require repairs.But the TTIs survived with nary a scratch.

 

[It's all Dodge]

Thanks for the reply!

I did not know TTI was making shortys, but after looking them up, it appears those are for torsion bar-less cars.

360 s are good, not crazy about the big main journals. I do have one sitting in the garage that was built for an oval track project.

360 ares good for a lot of torque, and possibly even for autocrossing, possibly too much torque.

The one I happen to have is a rules required four valve relief pistons.

I like the 327 idea because the lightweight pistons can really rev up, they actually use a small block Chevy pin diameter, and if I'm going to keep something revved up, I wanted to be something really light.

 

[AJ/FormS]

I think KB107s are something like 584 grams. Mine revs nice even with a factory flywheel, and no internal balancing done.Put some compression in it, and it revs quick enough.Not like those factory 340 slugs. I get so .................(can't think of a word) of people bragging on 340s all the time. In their day, they were something, but ............For a streeter, it's hard to beat a well engineered 360. In suppose,if racing it, and you if you just have to rev it to the moon, the 340 will go a little further before running into piston speed problems. But with a typical street cam peaking around 5800, and a redline around 800 to 1000 later, piston speed isn't an issue.
I'm very happy with my 367. It has pulled 93 in the 1/8, in my 68 formula S clone,at 3650#,with no track tuning whatsoever. I know that autocrossing has different needs, but it seems to me if you gear it right, you're gonna be in just one gear for most, if not all, of the race. That calls for a wide power band, and a generous amount of torque to get it into that powerband.
I wonder if you don't just wanna beat Chebbies with a 327/350 chebby sized engine ! I suppose you are aware that there is available a 3.58 stroke crank with teener mains? With 3.94 bores, that makes a 349 cuber.

 

[It's all Dodge]

My Ross custom forged .060" over 318 are 561 gram.
KB are ok, not crazy obout them. Part of the weight you don't have in piston weight is made up in crank weight.

I don't really want to buy a crank. If I buy any engine parts, it would be SRP 340 pistons. You are right, 340 slugs are heavy. I have TRWs in a 340 that came out of a 69 Dart figure 8 car, that car had 3 championships on it, mostly running 340s.

It even won a few races with a 273. When I say figure 8, I don't mean the races around barrels at the local fairgrounds arena. Nope, 1/4 mile banked Spanaway Wa, 1/5 mile Monroe Wa, 3/8 mile banked Salt Lake City, 3/8 mile banked Colorado National Speedway.

The 273 won at Spanaway, Wa, where it may not have had as much passing power, but that makes it easier to drive.

The turns on an autocross course is usually tighter then the turns on all but the above 1/5 mile Monroe Evergreen. Meaning that, it's really easy to overpower it. If I wanted, I have access to a 4" stroke 318/340 journal crank. I don't need that much power.

Now a truck, that's different, no 340s for me. I would go 318 before using a 340 in a truck that will pull anything.

My kinda rpm is 2500 to 6800, 7,000 if need be.

I have a few cams lined up, one solid .540 lift, [email protected], 112 lobe center, aND a Crower Beast hyd, ..485 lift. 230 ish, 112 lobe sep.

Thing I dislike about a 360, darn flywheels aren't 318/340 interchangeable. I have a 10 pound or so aluminum one for a 10.5 clutch.