Good mention
273, or 318?
- Thread starter DartGuy67
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mygasser
Well-Known Member
i know what you mean, i've looked at cars before that were listed as 'never been welded'. the fact that every panel needed at least some welding seemed unimportant to the seller
neil.
Make up a parts/machining list for both 273 and 318. You will be surprised how pricey the 318 can get.
I was looking to do the same thing for our 67 cuda. With varying piston weights you could be into a "rebalance". Up here that's approx $600.
Is the 273 2 or 4 barrel?
Egge and is it Canton/Kanter make the Commando pistons.
There was a member on here about 4/5 years ago that did a drive by here that mentioned he bought some Commando pistons, but no reviews from him.
Good luck
I was looking to do the same thing for our 67 cuda. With varying piston weights you could be into a "rebalance". Up here that's approx $600.
Is the 273 2 or 4 barrel?
Egge and is it Canton/Kanter make the Commando pistons.
There was a member on here about 4/5 years ago that did a drive by here that mentioned he bought some Commando pistons, but no reviews from him.
Good luck
This entire proposition is a little vague. First, are we talking about a 273-4bbl (somewhat rare, high compression, special cam), or a 273-2bbl (common, anemic)? If you are thinking of building a performance motor out of a 273-2, you would be better off starting with a 318 — no substitute for cubic inches, everything else is similar, and the 273-2 adds no value. But if you have an original 273-4, you will have to put some work into a 318 just to match it, and the question of originality enters into the equation. Right now we are unclear about your starting point.
Dan the man
Well-Known Member
I hear you. I don't know if it's common practice, but I always have engine balanced when it's rebuilt.
I put the 4 barrel Egge's in my 273 builwere perfect! perfect!
Do you remember the guy that posted about commando pistons?
I don't remember. Kanter I believe. They had green Teflon on the skirts.
Here it is
273 Commando Piston Dome Volume
273 Commando Piston Dome Volume
It’s a’67 4barrel
Have you verified Commando pistons? Orig a 4bl?
Like @rumblefish360. said @Professor Fate brought up a great point. The crankshaft pocket is smaller on the 67. Machine shop should be able to handle it though.
I would keep the 273 since it's numbers matching. I had a 273 Commando in my Barracuda and swapped in a 5.9.
I miss the 273 winding up and pulling hard starting around 4500. It was fun!! The 5.9 pulls hard from about 1500 rpm, lol. Just a different kind of fun!
I would keep the 273 since it's numbers matching. I had a 273 Commando in my Barracuda and swapped in a 5.9.
I miss the 273 winding up and pulling hard starting around 4500. It was fun!! The 5.9 pulls hard from about 1500 rpm, lol. Just a different kind of fun!
Put a LS in it.
Naaaaa, not me, that is all the Professor Fates catch.
I should have gotten that one dead cold since the wife’s Cúda is a ’67 and when it came time for a converter, they wouldn’t budge until I personally called and told them it had the newer larger back side of the crank …. with the bigger register.
The converter is the OEM to the car and it is a ‘67 904 trans with a big register and the early 18 spline count.
No one makes a performance converter like this.
I had ProTorque custom work on this one and a big thanks to the owner of ProTorque who personally handled it.
I should have gotten that one dead cold since the wife’s Cúda is a ’67 and when it came time for a converter, they wouldn’t budge until I personally called and told them it had the newer larger back side of the crank …. with the bigger register.
The converter is the OEM to the car and it is a ‘67 904 trans with a big register and the early 18 spline count.
No one makes a performance converter like this.
I had ProTorque custom work on this one and a big thanks to the owner of ProTorque who personally handled it.
cudamark
Well-Known Member
You claim it's not going to be "just a drag car" which indicates to me that it might see a bit of track time though. If you have access to an inexpensive 318 block, I'd use it and keep the original 273 block in cosmolene stored away for any potential future restoration. I'd then reuse all the other 273 parts in building the 318 so you can keep the original look. As Professor Fate mentioned, you'll need to do something about the mismatch of a A500 converter to your small register 273 forged crank. Either machine out the end of the crank, or, if possible, I'd get a custom converter built instead. Another option would be to use the 318 crank, which they made in both cast and forged. Either one will handle the horsepower you'll likely end up with.
67 Dart, Charger 273 is a pretty sweet combination. Keep the hp 904 and just run 3.23 gears.
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Dartswinger70
Well-Known Member
These cars are 50 plus years old now... ya had to buy them in the 1990s when they were half as old to get a good one. I don't mean to sound negative but you aren't going to find a pristine car for cheap now even a nice 4 door 70s Dart or Valiant is 7 to 10 grand.
Fixed
That’s a great little motor. But you can’t beet the cubic inches. Old 318’s should be a dime a dozen. A 60 over 318 makes 331 and with flat tops it would be a scremer. Or you could leave the 273 in. Just saying the money you spend will be the same. I had a beautiful 66 dart 273 hipo when I was 16 I put a 340 in it and never regretted it for one second. But that’s me.
Dan the man
Well-Known Member
10k will buy you a project car in Missouri. I'm sure that I can get a nice car for 25k, not perfect but nice
Pretty funny, I kept the 273 Commando bottom end and added the 340 top end. 340 is still on the engine stand. Never regretted that either.
Didn’t you lose a lot of compression?
Build a 340 or 360 and throw a 273 badge on the air cleaner. Tuck the original engine away so it can stay with the car if someone wanted to go back original.
Not at all, I milled the J heads .040" so the chambers were at 64.7 cc and I started with 10.5 TRW forged pistons. Does not really matter since the better heads are where it's at. Before the 340 top end, I could run with a 383 Road Runner. After the 340 top end it went to another level of power.
Why bother.
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