1963 Dodge Dart 440 727 install.

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IronMistress

IronMistress

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I'm in the process of gathering parts to install a 440 and automatic in my 63 Dart. I'm wondering if anyone has done this and if so, does the trans tunnel need to be enlarged to fit the automatic? The car is currently straight six with three on the tree. Thank you for any information you can provide.
 
IronMistress said:
I'm in the process of gathering parts to install a 440 and automatic in my 63 Dart. I'm wondering if anyone has done this and if so, does the trans tunnel need to be enlarged to fit the automatic? The car is currently straight six with three on the tree. Thank you for any information you can provide.
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My brother put a 440 in a 64 Dart, I don't believe the tunnel needed enlarged, but don't quote me. I do remember he had to use Hooker fenderwell headers.
 
IronMistress said:
I'm in the process of gathering parts to install a 440 and automatic in my 63 Dart. I'm wondering if anyone has done this and if so, does the trans tunnel need to be enlarged to fit the automatic? The car is currently straight six with three on the tree. Thank you for any information you can provide.
Click to expand...
Anything you want to do, you can do.
Have a vision and go for it.
I'm not very familiar with early A bodies so I don't know if the transmission mount is in the same spot as the later A bodies, but if it is, I would go about it from that spot, then use a front plate to mount the engine. I myself am not afraid to cut a car up and make stuff work.
There is a guy on here and maybe he'd chime in
@66Valiant528 I assume by his username he might know something about it.
 
Most times the 727 for the big block will fit. My understanding is that if anything all that needs to be done "sometimes" is the pinch weld pounded flat.
 
i've done a 64 using a motor plate and had to hammer the pinch weld flat along with some "massaging" on various bits for clearance. the hump in the firewall needed a love letter from the BFH that read: pound to fit, paint to match. it was a manual brake car without a heater, so other than that bit it wasn't too awful.

fenderwell headers, obviously, but it was still a tight fit.
 
Were it my car, I'd run a manual transmission. You'll need a 4 speed transmission hump of course, but overall, it's a better fit. More fun, too.
 
I used a set of Shumacher mounts on a bare 440 block and an empty 727 to set up my motorplate and used a factory trans mount to help set up. I don't recall having to do anything to the pinched but the car had had a 360/727 drivetrain at one point and I believe the pinch welds were hammered back then. An RB fits. The passenger side exhaust ports are awful tight to the shock tower. I moved the upper shock mount out about an inch. Custom headers were fabbed. It was not cheap and plug access is tough. I don't think I'd bother trying to find a manifold that fits.

20240323_074422.jpg
 
66Valiant528 said:
I used a set of Shumacher mounts on a bare 440 block and an empty 727 to set up my motorplate and used a factory trans mount to help set up. I don't recall having to do anything to the pinched but the car had had a 360/727 drivetrain at one point and I believe the pinch welds were hammered back then. An RB fits. The passenger side exhaust ports are awful tight to the shock tower. I moved the upper shock mount out about an inch. Custom headers were fabbed. It was not cheap and plug access is tough. I don't think I'd bother trying to find a manifold that fits.

View attachment 1716225601
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How much better do you think a B block would fit?
 
The other issue is k frame probably needs to be notched for your oil pan and figuring out your steering linkage. A V8 dropped centerlink helps. If I had to do it over I'd run a dry sump system. I've got a custom pan with a window for the linkage but it's close enough to the rear of the block that you can probably avoid a pan window .
 
66Valiant528 said:
I'm guessing here that the exhaust ports would be lower on the shock tower with a B engine and that would be worse.
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Yeah but they would also be closer to the center line of the engine, which would give you more room to the shock tower, right?
 
Is this a street car? If so there isn't a lot of room for a radiator. The small radiator support opening doesn't help either.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Yeah but they would also be closer to the center line of the engine, which would give you more room to the shock tower, right?
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The issue is that a fabricator needs to be able to come off that port and take a 90. A 2 inch primary needs at least 2 inches to turn. There isn't 2 inches. But I don't know about a B engine. Hey drop one in and see.
 
66Valiant528 said:
The issue is that a fabricator needs to be able to come off that port and take a 90. A 2 inch primary needs at least 2 inches to turn. There isn't 2 inches. But I don't know about a B engine. Hey drop one in and see.
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Don't tempt me. lol
 
Just go ahead and cut out the inner fenders, put some front bars in the car, and tie them to the fire wall, or the roll bar / cage you are eventually going to want in the car. Might as well stiffen up the car, and make room now.
 
I think abodyjoe may know which manifolds fit in these cars if it's a streeter.
 
i did a 440/727 swap into a s/six 65 dart. i bolted the box to the stock trans mount to determine where the motor would sit. the k member needed a big notch to clear the sump and i made fenderwell headers from scratch. a notch was cut and boxed in the k member to clear the oil pump and i made motor mounts from scratch. the steering link cleared the sump so i must've been lucky with the used sump i bought. i used a 69 d100 radiator as it's what i had and it fitted with a flex fan no worries. the column shifter was cable not solid linkage so i made up brackets for the 727 end of the cable. probably bits i forgot but that's most of it.
neil.
edit... i also flattened the pinch weld around the tunnel to bulkhead area.
 
Last edited:
IronMistress said:
I'm in the process of gathering parts to install a 440 and automatic in my 63 Dart. I'm wondering if anyone has done this and if so, does the trans tunnel need to be enlarged to fit the automatic? The car is currently straight six with three on the tree. Thank you for any information you can provide.
Click to expand...
All of these cars are slightly different so what makes a 727 fit on one may not apply to another. However, on my '66 Dart, I was able to fit a 400/727 combo with just flattening the pinchweld at the bottom of the firewall. I did end up raising it an inch to allow for a transmission blanket.
 
mopowers said:
All of these cars are slightly different so what makes a 727 fit on one may not apply to another. However, on my '66 Dart, I was able to fit a 400/727 combo with just flattening the pinchweld at the bottom of the firewall. I did end up raising it an inch to allow for a transmission blanket.
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
mygasser said:
i did a 440/727 swap into a s/six 65 dart. i bolted the box to the stock trans mount to determine where the motor would sit. the k member needed a big notch to clear the sump and i made fenderwell headers from scratch. a notch was cut and boxed in the k member to clear the oil pump and i made motor mounts from scratch. the steering link cleared the sump so i must've been lucky with the used sump i bought. i used a 69 d100 radiator as it's what i had and it fitted with a flex fan no worries. the column shifter was cable not solid linkage so i made up brackets for the 727 end of the cable. probably bits i forgot but that's most of it.
neil.
edit... i also flattened the pinch weld around the tunnel to bulkhead area.
Click to expand...
Thank you, did you happen to take photos along the way?
 
MOPARMAGA said:
Anything you want to do, you can do.
Have a vision and go for it.
I'm not very familiar with early A bodies so I don't know if the transmission mount is in the same spot as the later A bodies, but if it is, I would go about it from that spot, then use a front plate to mount the engine. I myself am not afraid to cut a car up and make stuff work.
There is a guy on here and maybe he'd chime in
@66Valiant528 I assume by his username he might know something about it.
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
junkyardhero said:
i've done a 64 using a motor plate and had to hammer the pinch weld flat along with some "massaging" on various bits for clearance. the hump in the firewall needed a love letter from the BFH that read: pound to fit, paint to match. it was a manual brake car without a heater, so other than that bit it wasn't too awful.

fenderwell headers, obviously, but it was still a tight fit.
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
66Valiant528 said:
I used a set of Shumacher mounts on a bare 440 block and an empty 727 to set up my motorplate and used a factory trans mount to help set up. I don't recall having to do anything to the pinched but the car had had a 360/727 drivetrain at one point and I believe the pinch welds were hammered back then. An RB fits. The passenger side exhaust ports are awful tight to the shock tower. I moved the upper shock mount out about an inch. Custom headers were fabbed. It was not cheap and plug access is tough. I don't think I'd bother trying to find a manifold that fits.

View attachment 1716225601
Click to expand...
Thank you, I used the Schumacher mounts in my 69 Barracuda for my RB as well. I was told that the tunnel needed to be cut out for the 727, hence my coming here for the inside track.
 
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