Am I missing something else for my 1965 Dodge Dart?

[AlxPachinox]

Hello guys, I am new to the boards and pretty new to cars, but luckily I have some friends that are relatively knowledgeable about them. With that said, I have a 1965 Dodge Dart 270 (4-Door) that I am able to toy around with and I was looking for the most effective ways to boost performance out of it without doing anything too dramatic. My engine is a 4.5L V8 LA Naturally Aspirated one. It is 273 cubic inches.
As far as I know, everything else is stock. So, the major things that I have complied together, with the help of my friends, is to do the following:

1.) Install new headers.
2.) Install a 4-barrel carburetor in place of the old 2-barrel one.
3.) Install a new true dual exhaust system.
4.) Purchase an ECU module. (This is where I am unsure about this all. I didn't know my car had one but apparently on Ebay they have 2 for sale for my car and trim.)
5.) Mill the engine to get the compression ratio up to 10.5-11.0:1
6.) And to get a more aggressive camshaft.

That is pretty much all I know what to do. I mean, if this was a more recent car, I could install a turbo and cold air intake, etc, but it isn't. Can I have some input from you more experienced car people? What else should I consider doing, in complementary terms with the other upgrades?

 

[Rockerdude]

Welcome to the family! Theres alot of stuff here that you can learn just by surfing around.

 

[cudavert]

Depends how much money you have. Some of the things you listed are a bit spendy.....you could just do a nitrous setup. Which leads me into a question of my own. Since 273's use the same lower end bearings/steel crank as a 340, I would think you could feed it a fair amount of nitrous. As long as the pistons and rods are up to the task.

 

[Rockerdude]

And as long as you know exactly what your doing (timing, Air/fuel) when it comes to tuning so it doesn't detonate and destroy the motor.

 

[RedFish]

For intake and carb, just the stock cast iron dual plane 2 brl from a later model is a vast improvement over your OEM single plane. That and ignition upgrading is cheap and worth every cent.
Milling the engine to increase compression is drastic in my opinion. Over 10:1 wont like pump gas either.

 

[AlxPachinox]

See, I am not too sure about doing nitrous. Wouldn't that dramatically decrease the life and integrity of the engine?

So maybe not milling it to that compression ratio then? Is there a "sweet" number for my specific car and trim that would be a good reference number? I'm not too sure about changing the shape of the pistons because that seems much more complicated, IMO. And when you say that upgrading the ignition, do you mean something along the lines of this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ignitor-II-Electronic-Ignition-Mopar-V8-62-75-Chrysler-/390489526042?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A1965|Make%3ADodge|Model%3ADart&hash=item5aeafd4f1a&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ignitor-II-...:Dodge|Model:Dart&hash=item5aeafd4f1a&vxp=mtr I think I am going to let a mechanic do the actual tuning aspect of the engine itself. Same for the exhaust. Everything else I am positive I can do.

 

[RedFish]

There are several differnt ways to install electronic ignition. Any of them will be better than the worn out points distributer you have today.
I like factory stuff that can be found in any part store when needed. Only difference, I tell the guy its a 75 Dodge 318 while he sees 67 Plymouth out the window. LOL

 

[discharger1332]

if its the original motor, be carefull shopping for an intake. they changed the bolt hole angle and size in 66, so 64 and 65 have unique intake. also headers for your car are vary expensive, so that sux also. or look into getting a set of later heads, 273 4bbl motors came with different heads that have a partial closed chamber to up compression. then you can run almost any intake as well.
just running true duals from the factory exhaust will wake the motor up.

 

[AlxPachinox]

Okay, so I will add the electric ignition to the list. That seems to be a common thing for people restoring cars similar to mind, plus I get a bit of a performance boost anyway.

Is there anything else I am missing that is an obvious boost to performance?

 

[WildCat]

Let's see,you want more power,

Get a 360 and start with it. The 273 was a great little engine, physically the same outside as a 360

And the old sayingTHERE IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR DISPLACEMENT

you will get more bang for you buck with a good 360

You DO NOT WANT more than 10:1 to run pump gas unless you have aluminum heads. Mine likes a little race gas to be happy with stock compression 1971 340 iron heads and mild cam. Last I bought was $7.50 a gallon

My 2 cents

 

[AlxPachinox]

While I agree that a larger engine would be a game changer, I don't think I'm ready to spend 5000+ dollars just yet on one component. I am going to college in Houston this fall so I need a car to drive and I plan on driving this after I get everything fixed up hopefully by the end of the summer.

 

[65valiantsignet]

The earlier comment about getting the right year intake is correct. I bought my and discovered when I went to install it that the bolt hole angle was off. However, I did manage to use the old Dremel tool and fixed that problem. It worked 100% after.

 

[RedFish]

Okay, so I will add the electric ignition to the list. That seems to be a common thing for people restoring cars similar to mind, plus I get a bit of a performance boost anyway.

Is there anything else I am missing that is an obvious boost to performance?

My 67 273 with 904 and 276 gears was truely disapointing initially. If I really floored it off a corner uphill she might squeal a tire.
Main reason why... Factory tune specs with todays puppy pee they call fuel.
Secondly, worn out points distributer.
I will never fight headers in the a-body , lifes too short. If I changed to 4 brl. headers, etc.. in this high milage engine I can expect the bottom end to die sooner anyway.
What I did, dual plane 2 brl intake and rebuilt carb from a 73 318 along with the thick carb base gasket listed for 75 model.
Factory electronic ignition from the 73 ( reman'd distributor and new ECU ).
I should mention here that any electronic ignition will require more system voltage that the early system maintains. Fatory 60 amp isolated field alt and solid state voltage regulator, again from the 73 model, solves that.
Base idle set at 16 before top dead ( factory spec was 10 btc ). Vacuum advance disconnected. End result, all smiles for many miles. No I'm not winning races or even cooking the tires. I am getting consistantly easy start up when hot or cold, and great throttle responce.
I should also mention this.. My minimal upgrades weren't budget related. Most of a brand new 273 Commando engine is here if I ever need it, along with 8.25 rear, disc brakes, most everything to build a completely different ride. So long as the current balance of power, breaking, dependability, etc.. keeps me happy, those new parts will stay new.

 

[AlxPachinox]

Thanks for the info man. I'm starting to think otherwise now though. Do you guys think it is a good idea for me to build this car up? Would it be worthwhile?

 

[pettybludart]

Yes I think it,s worth while.You can find 360,s in many cars/trucks at the Junkyards still in running condition for under $500.I would also start looking for an a-body 8 1/4(73up)or an 8 3/4(up to72)these are a direct bolt in,with a minor change to driveshaft length.JMO.

 

[RedFish]

Thanks for the info man. I'm starting to think otherwise now though. Do you guys think it is a good idea for me to build this car up? Would it be worthwhile?

You should put a lot of thought into that " build this car up".
Building a car up puts brakes at high priority. Then there is suspension/handling that is not so high in priority but practical to address at the same time as brakes.
You cant just toss a 360 in a 65 anyway. Torque converter and a few other differences prevent that.

 

[Rockerdude]

Also the oil pan from your 273 wont fit a 360 (different main journal/rear main size) so that would be a deal too.

 

[Rockerdude]

I would just keep it with the 273. Put a performer 318/360 intake (edelbrock aluminum) with a 600cfm or smaller 4 barrel carb, and a nice dual exhaust with some cool sounding mufflers on it. Then just drive the crap out of it.