swapping a 440 into a a body

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contact mancini racing they make an install kit and headers for your car, the fit is tight as you can expect and sometimes you need to use factory exhaust manifolds. My factory 69 cuda 440 car is a tight fit and it was factory built so call mancini and speak with Mike he can help you get the kit to install that beast in your barracuda. Goodluck

www.manciniracing.com
 
schumaker mounts tti long tube headers electric water pump hood scoop manual steering box patience shoe horn electric fan lokar or equivilant kickdown cable and throttle cable mopar mini starter lots of cuss words lol got mine in earlier this year it looks awesome runs great cant wait to actually drive it lol buy the right stuff and make it easy on yourself it is not the cheapest but it is worth it to have everything fit right good luck man
 
I bought a 440/727 from a friend awhile back and have been kinda kicking around the idea of putting it into my 75 duster. Does a big block 727 and a small block 727 trans mount in the same spot? Can I just reuse the crossmember, trans mount and driveshaft?
 
it does mount in the same spot. I have that combo in a 76 Duster. make sure you use the Schumacher motor mounts. It will not bolt up right if you do not. I have fought this problem for 14 years now and just found out about it and have to pull it out and change them. driveshaft may have to be adjusted depending on what you have now but the x member will be the same. tranny mount will be the same if you use the schumacker mounts. If you do not it will be about 1/2" off.
 
trudysduster said:
it does mount in the same spot. I have that combo in a 76 Duster. make sure you use the Schumacher motor mounts. It will not bolt up right if you do not. I have fought this problem for 14 years now and just found out about it and have to pull it out and change them. driveshaft may have to be adjusted depending on what you have now but the x member will be the same. tranny mount will be the same if you use the schumacker mounts. If you do not it will be about 1/2" off.
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DON`T use raised port heads !
 
67barracudafastback said:
please tell me for your own experience everything i need to know about swapping a 440 into an a body that has a small block k frame
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Built 2...

To get the engine in you'll need Schumacher mounts and set of Schumacher or TTI headers.

You'll need a Dakota 318 starter too.

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There are other things you should do.

Frame conectors, 8.75 or dana rear.

offset shackles or mini tub.

Upgrade fuel and cooling system.
 
67barracudafastback said:
please tell me for your own experience everything i need to know about swapping a 440 into an a body that has a small block k frame
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Just buy the Schumacher mounts. Its easy to do. Do a little trimming on the driverside motor mount on the K-frame for oil pump clearance and drop it in. I would recommend get the shims for it. On some car you need to shim the motor up a little for oil filter clearance. You will have to watch water pump clearances. You will have around 3 1/4" to 3 1/2" clearance between the pump and radiator. You will also need the right oil pan
 

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This one uses elephant ears I made to clear stock alternator and fuel pump and stock tranny mount. I cut away the mounts on the K- member so access to drain plugs, starter etc was very simple.
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68dodge said:
Just buy the Schumacher mounts. Its easy to do. Do a little trimming on the driverside motor mount on the K-frame for oil pump clearance and drop it in. I would recommend get the shims for it. On some car you need to shim the motor up a little for oil filter clearance. You will have to watch water pump clearances. You will have around 3 1/4" to 3 1/2" clearance between the pump and radiator. You will also need the right oil pan
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A little trimming? Well.. with the biscuit mount, there isn't much left when you are done which is why they tell you to run the torque strap. If you go with the Schumacher mounts I'd get a spool mount K.

+1 on the shims. They also help with header fitment.
 
67barracudafastback said:
please tell me for your own experience everything i need to know about swapping a 440 into an a body that has a small block k frame
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the info is all over the place on the swap. many different ways of going about it.

best place to start is here: http://www.bigblockdart.com/techpages/techindex.shtml

the headers seem to still be the biggest decision. its nice that there are so many choices these days.

there is nothing like a big block in an abody. yea i know you can stroke a small block to large numbers now but you can ho bigger with a big block..:)



i used schumacher mounts on a 6 cyl. k-frame on my demon years ago..

Demonmotor.jpg
 
Brake improvement such as a disc brake swap is a must to have in a Big Block A-Body. You could either get the disc brake setup from a newer 73+ A-Body or from the aftermarket (Wilwood, MP Brakes, Scarebird).
 
Josecuda said:
Brake improvement such as a disc brake swap is a must to have in a Big Block A-Body. You could either get the disc brake setup from a newer 73+ A-Body or from the aftermarket (Wilwood, MP Brakes, Scarebird).
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Smart but not a must. I drove mine for 12 years with 4 wheel manual drums. It stopped. I now upgraded to wilwood's through RMS.
 
buy the mounts thru trans dapt waay cheaper than shumacher
small block trans mount in same spot as bigblock if they are both 727s
headers your kinda stuck with 2-3 sets all way overpriced look for a used set somewhere
possibly need valve covers with a notch at the back pass side to clear the heater core
possibly need to lenthen a few wires to the coil and distributor as the big blocks are at the front opposed to small block being at the rear
 
Guys I went another route. I bought a DC spool type K. I have TTI 1 3/4" headers but all I see are automatics in threads. I am building a 4spd car. I found a 372 bell to fit my tranny to a BB but am unsure of why some people can use a TTI z-bar and why others seem to have clearance issues. Any 4spd guys able to chime in on 4spd swaps?
 
I didn't want to go that route. Had them in another car and always had tire rubbing issues. Would be fine for a drag car but not for a street car. At least my opinion.
 
if you got an extra 3k get the hemidenny kit. gives you way more room, more options for engines (small block, big block B, big block RB, gen 3 hemis, gen 2 hemi), tighter steering, coil overs, very sturdy kit... also it replaces all your front end parts in one swoop. and drop about 50 pounds too.

if not, do the schumacher mods talked about above. less money.

schumy headers fit very well either way you go. TTI's will work & give about 20 more horsepower on the top end, but sometimes you have to clearance the tubes a bit to massage them so they fit. so dont get the fancy coated ones until you get them fit, then get them jet hotted or something after.

watch out for certain intakes (like performer rpm ) which will require you to put on a hood scoop most likely. the holley street dominator people have better luck with hood clearance.

also with a 440 you will need to unhook the J hook inside the heater box door and unbolt the heater box from the firewall and drop it back until you get the engine in, as the 440 valve cover will be 1/2" away or so from the blower motor. so you cant have it in the way when inserting the engine.

also with 440 you may need to offset the master brake cylinder toward the fender (doctordiff.com cass has a kit on there, and the adjustable pushrod)

probably some other stuff we are forgetting.

it's definitely a cool project. good luck with your build Abodies fly with a big block lol.
 
moparman111 said:
MoparLover that's funny. I live in Martinsburg:)
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have you met Bucky?

google: bucky hess

National Dragster Weekly – Oct. 30, 2009
“In a stark contrast to many of the racers who participate in the NHRA Mopar Hemi Challenge events, Bucky Hess does actually enjoy the bracket racing aspects of Super Stock, and he isn’t shy about hot-lapping his 150-mph Hemi Barracuda through a long day of eliminations. Hess fulfilled a longtime goal at the NHRA Virginia Nationals when he defeated Grant Lewis for the Super Stock title…”
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