A833 on a 90's 360 magnum engine

[65TTCuda]

Will a 60's or 70's small block A833 bell housing fit on a 90's 360 magnum engine. If so what kind of clutch assembly setup would I need. This is going into a 65 barracuda, and the A833 is from a 65 B body (coronet). I have everything but the bell housing and clutch assembly. I'm using a hydraulic clutch setup so no need for Z bars rods and springs. Stout 360 build and an 8.75 posi 3.55 out back.

 

[Professor Fate]

Okay- first off, the "Search" function in the Magnum Swaps section is your friend...
But in a nutshell, here's the deal:
The bellhousing bolt pattern is identical between the Magnums and the LAs, so the bellhousing is a bolt-on.
You cannot use a neutral balance or 360LA flywheel on a 5.9 Magnum, the balance is totally different. Factory 5.9 flywheels use a 11" clutch and will not fit the 833 bellhousing. You need an aftermarket 130t flywheel such as this one from American Powertrain: SCIENCE FRICTION Billet Steel Flywheel, SFI Quality, 130t/10.5", 360 Magnum, 6-bolt - American Powertrain . It is compatible with the factory crank sensor in case you're retaining the EFI. If you're going carb, MP and other companies also have compatible flywheels.
Your crank most likely isn't drilled for a pilot bushing. This means you will have to have the crank drilled for one, or use the later roller pilot that seats in the torque convertor hub register, and shorten your trans input shaft.
The bellhousing you use needs to have the same diameter bearing retainer hole that your trans uses.
A B body trans is longer than an A body trans and mounts the shifter in the wrong place for an A body. Not at all easy to adapt. Plus the fact that a '65 trans uses a ball & trunion output shaft, which is difficult to find service parts for, more desireable is the '66 and later trans with a slip yoke output. It'll probably just be easier to find an A body trans with the matching bellhousing.

 

[67Dart273]

The problem is two fold. The early cars used a small bell and very small clutch, what, 9 1/2? or something?

You don't have much "tunnel" room although I've been told you can beat the "pinch weld" to death

The second issue is engine balance. 5.9s are weighted different than a 360LA and use a different flywheel weighting to achieve balance. There ARE NO "car" flywheels (OEM) for a 5.9 with proper weighting, so you either have to create one or look around aftermarket.

Also, I was going to "go stick" in a 360 Dodge ram. THE CRANK was NOT DRILLED AT ALL for a pilot. I would have had to pull the crank, or else "rough drill" the crank for pilot shaft clearance and then use the 'large bore' pilot which fits the converter bore, which is very viable if not a bit "red neck"

EDIT ^^Both typing same time LOL^^

 

[65 Cuda 340]

Pretty much agree with both the responses above. I would just add that although 65 Barracudas originally were equipped with a 9.5 inch clutch and small cast iron bellhousing, a 10.5 inch aluminum small block bellhousing fits no problem. Although you're planning to use a hydraulic clutch linkage, Brewers has mechanical clutch linkage parts that are a direct fit for 65 Barracudas with 10.5 inch clutch. I have them in my 65.

A friend of mine put a B body 4 speed in a 68 Barracuda and made it work, but I agree with the above that it would be much easier to start with an A body 4-speed.

 

[65TTCuda]

Thanks Guys, I have a templet I found on the net that shows how to fabricate an adapter plate that positions the shifter in the proper location. I bought the B body Trans because it was inexpensive and in good operating order. These A833's aren't cheap and I'm on a budget. As for the fitting of the bell housing I'm making quite a few modifications to this car, its not going to be an original. So If I have to do some floor mods that's no big deal.

 

[65TTCuda]

I know it has been a while since I posted, but I have a flywheel question. I have found a lot of clutch kits that specify Hp ratings, but no flywheels with Hp ratings. they do however have SFI ratings SFI 1.1. So if it is SFI rated does that mean it will take a thrashing from a high Hp motor without issues, or is what the material it is made from matter what kind of torque and Hp it will handle. I'm designing an engine that will hopefully produce 500+ Hp, and 500+ ft/lbs of torque. What are your thoughts, suggestions, experiences.

 

[AJ/FormS]

I'm designing an engine that will hopefully produce 500+ Hp, and 500+ ft/lbs of torque. What are your thoughts, suggestions, experiences.

A normally aspirated SBM?
That would be a tall order to start with, and not at all 3.55 friendly. And I guess you are gonna tub the 65 then, and at least back-half it?

 

[65TTCuda]

A normally aspirated SBM?
That would be a tall order to start with, and not at all 3.55 friendly. And I guess you are gonna tub the 65 then, and at least back-half it?

I am designing it as a 60's style gasser, so I plan to radius the wheel wells. It has a 3.73 spool in the rear, SS springs and ladder bars. I'm only going to run 275/60-15's on the rear, so they may stick out a little. Back in the day they got a lot of Hp out of those engines, without the benefit of aluminum heads with 190cc runners out of the box.