1966 Barracuda 273 build

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Glenn66

Glenn66

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Hello to all out there. I will thank you all now for any info and knowledge you can give me. I bought a 66 barracuda with a 273 2brl. Not the Commando. It did not run but all was intact. Soooo.. my nephew who is a mechanic said lets take out the motor, tear it down and mild build it. So having said that, the motor is out, torn down and here is what has been done:
Block tanked and cleaned, Cylinders bored 60 over, New Pistons purchased , new Mild RV cam purchased, Crank ground. I have the original cast heads and intake.
So here is where I get stuck. Right now my nephew has taken a back seat and im kinda stuck because he has not been around to lend a hand. What I would like to know is the following:
I want to convert the 2brl to a 4brl. Therefore is there an aftermarket intake that will fit 66 barracuda with a 273 ? Where can it be purchased and what type of carb? Also, are there any replacement/aftermarket heads that will fit this application to make this build work? This car is for my son so I'm trying to get this done quickly. Is there anything Summit Racing offers? If there is any more info that you may need to help get this moving. I have the specs when I purchased the cam. I also have pictures of most every part. Thank you, Glenn66
 
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Assuming you have '66 heads, any 318LA intake will fit and match the ports. A small Edelbrock carb will work great.
 
Welcome Glenn!! I have a soft spot for the 66 myself. :)

I changed over to an Edelbrock 500cfm carb on my Commando about 6 months ago and I'm satisfied with the response. Others with more experience will chime in on suggestions for an intake.
 
Glenn66 said:
Hello to all out there. I will thank you all now for any info and knowledge you can give me. I bought a 66 barracuda with a 273 2brl. Not the Commando. It did not run but all was intact. Soooo.. my nephew who is a mechanic said lets take out the motor, tear it down and mild build it. So having said that, the motor is out, torn down and here is what has been done:
Block tanked and cleaned, Cylinders bored 60 over, New Pistons purchased , new Mild RV cam purchased, Crank ground. I have the original cast heads and intake.
So here is where I get stuck. Right now my nephew has taken a back seat and im kinda stuck because he has not been around to lend a hand. What I would like to know is the following:
I want to convert the 2brl to a 4brl. Therefore is there an aftermarket intake that will fit 66 barracuda with a 273 ? Where can it be purchased and what type of carb? Also, are there any replacement/aftermarket heads that will fit this application to make this build work? This car is for my son so I'm trying to get this done quickly. Is there anything Summit Racing offers? If there is any more info that you may need to help get this moving. I have the specs when I purchased the cam. I also have pictures of most every part. Thank you, Glenn66
Click to expand...


First off, Welcome to FABO! :welcome:

Now as far as heads go:

The 64 - 65 273 heads had a unique intake bolt angle and smaller 5/16" bolts, so you want to stay away from those, as intake manifolds are harder to find...

The 66 and later small blocks had the larger 3/8" intake bolts at the "standard" angle...

The 66 - 67 273/318 heads had the smaller closed chamber heads, which are the smallest (and therefore higher compression)...

If you swap 68 and later heads on it, you may loose some compression... I have a set of 67 273/318 heads ending in casting number 920 and I measured them at 63 cc which the book lists is supposed to be 57 cc's. Chrysler ran the heads "Fat" with a little extra meat, so the book numbers for combustion chamber volume will not match...

My favorite intake for the 273/318 heads is the obsolete Edelbrock LD4B intake. It's a dual plane 4 bbl intake and is great for street/strip performance. However you need to relocate the coil as there are not any bosses on the intake to put it in the factory position.

Next I would recommend the Wiand stealth intake which is currently available.

Weiand 8022WND Weiand Stealth™ Intake - Chrysler Small Block V8 - Holley Performance Products

Which will go perfect with this Holley 80457 carb, which is a 600 CFM square bore carb that matches the wiand stealth intake and calibrated for a late 60's v-8 and comes with electric choke:

Holley 4160 Aluminum Street Carburetor

And I like this carb gasket as it has the center divider to match the dual plane intake and also comes with mounting studs....

Edelbrock Heat Insulator Gasket

You need to be careful if you try to put larger valves in the heads, as the bore on the 273 is pretty small and can restrict/shroud the flow, or you may have to "Notch" the bores for better valve clearance.

That will be a good start.
 
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when I bought my 'Cuda 2 years ago it had an Edelbrock 318 intake and 600 cfm 4bbl on it. Had it rebuilt this year, kept the intake and put a new Edelbrock 600 cfm on it (among other things) and it runs beautiful hard and fast now.
 
Thank you both Jim and 66fyssh. I will continue to look at any responses for knowledge and info. Again of there are aftermarket intake and heads that I can apply to this build please let me know. As for the 66 original cast heads, yes.. I do have them but what needs to be done to them since I had the cylinders bored and purchased new pistons to match? You are all awesome. Thank you!
 
krazykuda said:
First off, Welcome to FABO! :welcome:

Now as far as heads go:

The 64 - 65 273 heads had a unique intake bolt angle and smaller 5/16" bolts, so you want to stay away from those, as intake manifolds are harder to find...

The 66 and later small blocks had the larger 3/8" intake bolts at the "standard" angle...

The 66 - 67 273/318 heads had the smaller closed chamber heads, which are the smallest (and therefore higher compression)...

If you swap 68 and later heads on it, you may loose some compression... I have a set of 67 273/318 heads ending in casting number 920 and I measured them at 63 cc which the book lists is supposed to be 57 cc's. Chrysler ran the heads "Fat" with a little extra meat, so the book numbers for combustion chamber volume will not match...

My favorite intake for the 273/318 heads is the obsolete Edelbrock LD4B intake. It's a dual plane 4 bbl intake and is great for street/strip performance. However you need to relocate the coil as there are not any bosses on the intake to put it in the factory position.

Next I would recommend the Wiand stealth intake which is currently available.

Weiand 8022WND Weiand Stealth™ Intake - Chrysler Small Block V8 - Holley Performance Products

Which will go perfect with this Holley 80457 carb, which is a 600 CFM square bore carb that matches the wiand stealth intake and calibrated for a late 60's v-8 and comes with electric choke:

Holley 4160 Aluminum Street Carburetor

And I like this carb gasket as it has the center divider to match the dual plane intake and also comes with mounting studs....

Edelbrock Heat Insulator Gasket

You need to be careful if you try to put larger valves in the heads, as the bore on the 273 is pretty small and can restrict/shroud the flow to the valve, or you may have to "Notch" the bores for better valve clearance.

That will be a good start.
Click to expand...
Thank you Krazykuda!!!
 
Jim Lusk said:
Assuming you have '66 heads, any 318LA intake will fit and match the ports. A small Edelbrock carb will work great.
Click to expand...
Jim yes I do have the original cast iron heads. What needs to be done to them in order to make the build work with the info I supplied in my initial statement? Or what heads can be used to as a replacement?
 
I used the original heads when I rebuilt mine. I had a local shop polish the chambers and do a little porting. You could also search for a set of #302 casting heads that came on mid 80's 318's with the lean burn system. They have nice ports, hardened seats and a 273 sized combustion chamber that is very efficient. I have a HP version of the engine so I already had the 4 barrel intake but A Stealth or LD4b would work better. I used domed pistons I purchased from Egge Machine and ended up with a pump gas friendly 9.6/1 compression ratio. I used a Isky E-4 cam which is a popular replacement cam for the stock stick. The link to my build is just below. Welcome to FABO. toolmanmike
 
Here's a few pics:
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041900951350[01].jpg
View attachment 1714973366
engine 296.jpg


041600951719[00].jpg
 
toolmanmike said:
I used the original heads when I rebuilt mine. I had a local shop polish the chambers and do a little porting. You could also search for a set of #302 casting heads that came on mid 80's 318's with the lean burn system. They have nice ports, hardened seats and a 273 sized combustion chamber that is very efficient. I have a HP version of the engine so I already had the 4 barrel intake but A Stealth or LD4b would work better. I used domed pistons I purchased from Egge Machine and ended up with a pump gas friendly 9.6/1 compression ratio. I used a Isky E-4 cam which is a popular replacement cam for the stock stick. The link to my build is just below. Welcome to FABO. toolmanmike
Click to expand...
So the 302 casting heads will match up on the 273 block?
 
Glenn66 said:
So toolmanmike, then is it safe to say to use the original cast irons, take them to a machine to rebuild, then I can get an after market intake and carb that will match up/fit?
Click to expand...
Yes, as long as the intake is made for a 273/318 just because of the port size. A 340/360 manifold will fit but there is a mismatch in the port size that doesn't do you any favors.
 
Glenn66 said:
Thank you both Jim and 66fyssh. I will continue to look at any responses for knowledge and info. Again of there are aftermarket intake and heads that I can apply to this build please let me know. As for the 66 original cast heads, yes.. I do have them but what needs to be done to them since I had the cylinders bored and purchased new pistons to match? You are all awesome. Thank you!
Click to expand...

Have them cleaned up and put hardened seats in the exhaust valve side...
 
The #302's are out there. You just need to be patient. The stock heads will work fine if you can't find any others.
 
toolmanmike said:
Agreed!
Click to expand...
You are ALL fricken AWESOME. I have been frustrated on figuring out what to do. This project took a back seat for my son and I because his mother, my wife was diagnosed with Cancer last yr in Feb. And $ has all gone to medical bills. She is now in remission and we are trying to move forward and make good on our promise to get this car running. Once again I thank all of you and may still have more questions. I just don't want to spend money on doing something that may not run or work properly. I just want to get the right parts that will do the job. Again its just a mild build I guess you would say but just want to get it right.
 
If you don't have much money to spend, just freshen up what you have (if you need to overhaul it) and you can always add a 4 barrel and intake later if that's what you want in the end.
 
Glenn66 said:
So toolmanmike, then is it safe to say to use the original cast irons, take them to a machine to rebuild, then I can get an after market intake and carb that will match up/fit?
Click to expand...

Yes, that would be a good plan... :thumbsup:
 
also browse around the Mancini Racing site and Summit Racing...

Mancini leans more to Mopars and has some good deals...

Mancini Racing Mopar Performance Parts - Yahoo Top Service Award Winner!

Small block section:

A - Engine Parts

Here's some good deals on rings, bearings, and gasket kit for $200. You have to call them for 273 stuff as it's not as popular...

Sealed Power Engine Kit - "A"

Engine Rebuild Kits


Also, I forgot to mention that you definitely want to upgrade the timing chain from stock. I like this true roller double roller chain from Edelbrock, it's stronger than the stock 340 double roller chain, and I've run them over 100 k with minimal stretch.... This is a great chain...

Edelbrock



Here's a link to the Summit Racing main page:

https://www.summitracing.com/?gclid=CLrCp__rq88CFYSBaQodWa4GnQ
 
Lots of great info posted. Dad n I did his 273 but not to the extent ToolManMike did. We used factory 4bl intake but recently swapped to LD4B and I did my own diy port/smooth job on heads. Eddy 600 cfm.
Comp Cams cam lifter timing kit with springs and upgraded to dbl roller timing chain. Was the last car and engine Dad n I worked on.
Prayers for your family.
 
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