64 Dart GT (273) Vert--Let the Bolt-ons Begin!

[Frank Miller]

OK . . . now I have confused myself with too many questions.

In the meantime . . . the original 2bbl carb has gone wacky . . . so . . . I am going to back up and punt . . .

I will leave it all stock for now and rebuild the 2bbl carb to make sure it is running good again with that . . . I have been futzing with the carb the two weeks I have had the car.

When I get it running right . . . then I will find the right 4 bbl intake and the right 4bbl carb . . . neither of which I need to rebuild . . . just want to do "plug and play" on the intake and 4bbl carb.

Been offered the right 65 intake--but needs work . . . I am no CNC guy. Have been offered two 65 4bbl carbs in non-working condition that I could canabalize and rebuild into one working one . . . no.

So, I am rebuilding the 2bbl original for now (having trouble finding a simple rebuild kit) to get the thing running sweet at the stock 180hp. Just so I can drive the car for now. Spring is disappearing and the car just sits there.

Then, hopefully, while I am driving the 180hp vert . . . I will run across the right ready to "bolt on and drive" intake and carb to jump up the original 273 to the Commando output of 235hp.

Baby steps . . . baby steps . . .

If anyone knows of a place to get the 2bbl carb rebuild kit; and then of a ready to bolt on intake and 4bbl carb, [lease let me know.

Thanks everyone for your patience with me.

Baby steps . . . baby steps . . .

I just read all of the reply threads and no one (even mine) gave you what I sense you should know.
I got a '65 GT last summer and knew it could and would be a cool car if I went ahead and did it right. It had the same engine as you, the 273 2 bbl. and I knew it was high miles and tired and did the research to find that it would be really cool to have the engine machined up to the 4 bbl. commando specs and have the trans completely rebuilt by a professional machine shop. Although this was going to cost me about $3,000., it was the best decision by far. (forget that I did do the rotor changeover first). My good fortune was that I joined the local Mopar Alley club in my area and got great help with the decisions your begging for.
Firstly, I found out that the heads and 273 block could be completely rebuilt bored, new everything, valves, higher compression cam, etc. all to match the factory specs with the same heads for about $2 grand. Expensive maybe but realistically I love having a brand new engine. It was made clear that the Edelbrock ld4b was perfect dimension wise for those years 273/318 except that the angle of the bolt holes were a couple degrees different then the factory heads. Everyone makes it sound like they have to be perfectly machined on a mill to center up the exact drill holes to angle into the head threads but several Mopar gurus convinced me that an experienced machine builder could literally pencil grind the Edelbrock intake bolt hole in the correct corner on top and a little off the bottom and they bolt up just fine. You do have to get a certain perfect gasket to cover over something but the ports all line up perfectly and then I enjoyed getting the newer 600 cfm edelbrock carb to complete the package. It came out perfect and I felt no shame in scouting up the prized Commando chrome air cleaner and wrinkle finish valve covers to create the totally legitimate 235 h.p.'65 GT Commando, no fake, no replica, a jewel of a hot runner. That my friend is how you do the engine!

 

[dart4forte]

Welcome to the early A group Rhetor. Sounds like you're excited about your Dart and for good reason. It looks like a great car. Some parts are a bit hard to find but that's the fun of it right? Just like stopping your car with 4 wheel drum brakes. Sometimes a little dicey but part of the excitement. LOL You will be pleased with the performance of a 4 barrel and intake. The Offy looks like a good intake (although expensive)http://www.summitracing.com/parts/OFY-5613/ and a 600 Edelbrock carb would be a good combo. You could hold out for a LD4 and they do pop up for sale every now and then.
Most cam manufacturers have mild cams for the small block and you can use a hydraulic or solid cam with your adjustable rocker arms but you will probably need different pushrods depending on which combo you go with. I got a Isky E-4 cam for mine which is a bit more than the stock HP-273 cam specs. I haven't heard it run yet but I'm getting closer. Keep us posted on your progress.

toolmanmike

You will like the E4. My vert scoots right along, has a nice idle and it's dependable

 

[R3dplanet]

When I first bought my '65 Barracuda with a 273, it ran poorly thanks to the lousy carburetor and numerous other issues (like a screwdriver lodged in the exhaust port). I replaced the intake with an old Edelbrock D4B that I had power coated, bolted on a shiny new Edelbrock 550 cfm carb, and installed an electronic ignition unit. The Edelbrock was almost completely plug and play and needed only easy adjustments. I tuned it by ear and drove it to a shop where we hooked up an exhaust gas analyzer and tuned it to perfection. Took ten minutes.

A few years later when the motor blew up on I-90 somewhere in the middle of the night, I decided to rebuild it as a Commando - sort of. We found high compression pistons, got a hotter (yet still smooth) cam, swapped out mechanical lifters and cam with hydraulic ones, and expanded the valve sizes a bit. Combined with a .030 over bore, the engine runs amazingly well. Night and day over when I bought it and plenty fast for a street car.

Later I ended up rebuilding and installing a 360 along the same lines because I got my hands on a cheap rebuilt bottom end. Others may disagree, but I really like the 273 much better. Everything fits, there's much less to modify, and I enjoy the "numbers matching" feel to the car. All told, my 273 cost $2500 for all that I did to it. The 360 uses much more common parts and is theoretically cheaper to find and rebuild. But by the time I was in for a larger bell housing, flywheel, clutch, brackets for everything, radiator, exhaust nightmare, water pump, oil pan, distributor, carb, wiring, etc., I was in way over $2500. The 360 is a great motor, but there's really something nice about having an increasingly rare 273 under the hood. Plus, I get almost double the mileage with the 273. My plan is to leave in the 360 until next year when we go in for a color change and then drop the 273 back into it. Someone will buy a pret-a-porter 360 without much effort on my part thanks to Craig's List.

As for the brakes, I did a power disc conversion and I'll never look back. With respect to those who think 45 year old 9" non-power drums are safe, being used to lousy brakes and confusing that for acceptable brakes is a serious, serious mistake. I feel that its the most obvious safety issue you can readily take responsibility for on our cars. You might also think about a collapsible steering shaft.

Often gear-minded guys just jump right into the engine when they first buy a car - the glory part of the machine. For me, I think that is a super white-trash enterprise if the rest of the car is falling apart. Growing up on my block in the 1970s, everyone had a mullet and a Camaro. Rusted to hell of course, but with a hopped up motor complete with chrome accents. What's the term my mechanic uses? Ah yes, "you can't polish a turd." If you want to bolt on some fun onto the engine, then go for it by all means. I know you'll respect the safety issues based on your statements. Just don't make your friends worry about you.

-m.