360 swap 1965 Barracuda

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JRT

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What do i need to do to replace my slant six with a crate 360 (400plus)hp, will a a833 tranny hold up? i would like a keisler 5spd, but thats a little more money than i want to spend and do i need to replace my 81/4 with a 83/4

I was originally going to build up a 318 Hopefully 300plus hp with a A833 and keep the 81/4 rear, i think it would get much better mileage. Any thoughts?
 
Do you already have things like motor mounts, radiator, and stuff like that? What spline is the a833? If it is the 23 spline, should be fine....actually now that I think about it, I think they only made 18 and 23....anyone else? As far as the 8 1/4, I think it would probably be close to breaking with 400plus hp. Do you already have either the 318 or the 360? The 400hp 360 would definately be more fun, but the I am sure the 318 would get better mileage, probably not much better. If you don't have either, I would probably go with the 360 for the fun factor.
 
I think the 833 and the 8 1/4 will hold up just fine with the 360. You will need the mounts for the conversion from Schumuckers (sp). Is it already set up for a 4 speed, if not you will need a 4 speed hump and the pedels, bell crank and all the rods plus the bal that goes on the frame.
 
having recently done that swap on a dart I can say one thing you need is patience!!LOL Also, headers & exhaust. I used Doug's headers, Summit carries them for about $800. Yeah, I know, $800!!! tti also makes them, but they aren't much cheaper. I used a cheap ebay mini starter and it fit right in. There are also Spitfire headers which are much less money. I used tti's x-pipe exhaust and ended it in front of the rear axle. But I should have just bought an x pipe kit from summit, would have been cheaper.
These are just a couple of the things that are part of the swap, but it isn't bad at all.
 
also if useing a 360,,make sure the crank is drilled for a pilot bearing,,
and if it is a older 360 you will need the proper fly wheel,,, i do not know if the new crate 360 motors require the balanced fly wheel..the older production 360;s do,, kool project,,,,
 
Are you sure you have an 8 1/4 rear? If the car came with a /6 it probably came with a 7 1/4 rear in it. The 7 1/4 won't take much abuse. After I put wide tires on my car with a stock 273 2 bbl. I made a hard shift into 2nd & broke the teeth off of the spider gears.
 
Thanks for all your input, and to answer your questions, yes it is a 71/4 rear, and no i do not have any parts yet. The one good thing about having a retired father is he can comb through all the junk yards, and the old abandoned mopars in his area (yes there are alot of abandoned mopars in the backwoods of Arkansas) of course i'm in Jersey so i guess he will have to drive them up to me. What else does he have to do? I just read the article on the 415hp 318 build in engine masters, very interesting. I am leaning to the 318, and since i have to change the rear anyway i should probably get the 83/4 just to save any changes in the future, if i decide to go with a larger engine, or do somthing different with the car. I just received the tunnel hump in the mail today along with the floor pans. The only tunnel hump i could find was for a 1966, any suggestions on how much i need to trim to make a good clean fit.
 
I might be wrong, but IMO the driveability and amount of cost of a crate 360 is going to be much better than building a 400+ 318. Before making any big engine decisions, I would price and plan everything out and pay particular attention to 1) how much compression you are dealing with and 2) how radical the cam is. Then make some hard decisions on exactly what you want to do with the car and how driveable and fuel efficient you want it to be.

When looking for a 8 3/4, there are lots of different options and other choices such as final wheel bolt circle diameters (4 vs. 4.5).

Also, with a 833, it is the clutch you have to worry about not holding up, not the tranny. Make sure to research this before you make any final decisions - it will also affect header choice.
 
JRT, this is what I'm doing, I have the crate 360 already, and I'm using the cars original 833. I upgraded to the larger bell housing already, and have a 8 3/4 to replace the original 7 1/4. My car was a 273 4 bbl, 4sp car original, but when I got it the 273 was windowed, and the guy had a 340 ready to go in. I ran the car with the 340 for a while, but now I'm going with the crate 360.

engine20.JPG
 
Thanks for the info guys. As far as crate engines, does anyone here have advice about where to order from and where to stay away from, and whom has the best deals. I would prefer to spend less than 3500.00 on the engine alone. also what 8 3/4 rear will fit in my 1965 a-body Barracuda. and someone correct me if i'm wrong but when i look for the 4speed i need the one with the short tail shaft correct?
 
I'm planning on dropping a '68 340 with X heads into my '65 Dart soon along with an 833 4-speed conversion from auto. Converted to an 8-3/4 large bolt pattern 3:55 rear and autocross suspension as well as Wilwood front discs. I bought all my 4-speed conversion stuff, with the exception of the 833 itself from Brewer's Performance:

http://www.brewersperformance.com/history.htm

They have a fiberglass hump for '64-'65 A bodies and are very knowledgeable and helpful as there are some modifications needed for the linkage when changing from 273s to 340/360s. Had I to do it over again, I'd have gone with the Keisler 5-speed.... after adding the cost of all the parts I've had to buy, it wouldn't have been that much more for the Keisler package and I'd have overdrive... live, buy and learn.



"My car was a 273 4 bbl, 4sp car original, but when I got it the 273 was windowed, and the guy had a 340 ready to go in. I ran the car with the 340 for a while, but now I'm going with the crate 360."

Keith Mopar, I'm curious why you decided to go from the 340 to the 360. I've always liked the shorter stroke and faster reving 340 over the 360, but maybe I'm missing something.
 
crashcaptn said:
Keith - You don't happen to have the 4 speed for that 273, do you?
Click to expand...
Yup I do, but I'm reusing it for the build. I rebuilt it using a rebuild kit from Brewers.
 
65ChargerDart said:
Keith Mopar, I'm curious why you decided to go from the 340 to the 360. I've always liked the shorter stroke and faster reving 340 over the 360, but maybe I'm missing something.
Click to expand...

THe old 340 aways ran strong but had a vibration in it and was getting worse, so when I pulled it apart, I found 6, 10.5:1 pistons in it, and 2, 9:1 pistons in holes 5 & 6, with a huge gouge in the bore, of no. 5. I took the block to the machine shop and they said that cyl would have to be sleaved, then one of my buddys kids that works a Chrysler dearler ship said someone put a grand deposite on a crate motor, and walked away from it, and any one that worked there could have it for dealer cost, less the $1000 bucks, so I jumped on it, the kid got me the deal, and I slipped him a few bucks
 
I got my 8 3/4 housing off ebay. The guy selling them cuts them down to what width you want. I told him i wanted it to be stock A body width. I also had him order me some Moser axles to fit. Took him awhile to get it to me, but the housing looks good. I havent gotten a third member yet, but im thinking with the TKO 5 speed i want im gonna use 3:55s. At first i was looking to make this car a monster, but now im thinking more of a long hauler. when my cars done i want to drive the wheels off it. The HOT Rod Power Tour is at the top of my list and i cant wait to take my convertible for day long trips down two lane black top roads.
I have some close up pics of the housing if your interested in how his welds look. Seems to have a good amount of postive feedback. He will even call you to make sure he understands what you want.
 
360 crate motor,,less then 1000 bucks,,man what a steel,,,you should of went out and bought a lottery ticket tha day also,, it was your lucky day,,,,
 
fstfish66 said:
360 crate motor,,less then 1000 bucks,,man what a steel,,,you should of went out and bought a lottery ticket tha day also,, it was your lucky day,,,,
Click to expand...

I still paid $3247.00 (can) with the 250 shipping and taxes. I couldn't afford a lotttery ticket any more.
 
If you are working with a limited budget I would highly recommend that you make a list of everything you will need and shop around. When I did my conversion from a /6 to a 318 it was all of the "Litte" things that really added up. Last I looked crate engines were $4000 plus.......... That is why I went with a long block engine, it worked out great for me and I have a 3-Year warranty.

I have attached my list that I kept for my conversion. I HOPE IT OPENS CORRECTLY !!! Of course my list is different because I used a 318 and automatic but it gives an idea of why a list is nice to break out some of the little costs that really add up.

I was pushing $6000 by the time I was done. If I had went with the crate engine it woud have been closer to $7500. I wasn't after horsepower, just a nice, reliable daily driver so it was not worth the extra $1500 to me, which I didn't have anyway. From my research, beleive it or not, some of the parts for a 360 are more expensive than for a 318. Balancers, torque convertors, oil pans, etc......... \

Anyhow, just thought I would offer this information. MAKE A LIST before you start buying parts.
 

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  • Engine Conversion List.txt
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Thanks for the list and info. I printed it out as a reference.
 
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