'64 Cuda
Well-Known Member
This might be a bit long winded, but here goes...
Another persons post about the 69 timing cover has got me thinking about how I should do things.
I have a 360 roller cam LA engine (complete with all brackets & pulleys) that I'm leaning towards building into a 408 with Edelbrock heads to use in my early Barracuda. I have a used 65 V8 radiator (Don't know the condition of it, would probably have it re-cored), shroud, & core support to fit the car. I also have a complete, disassembled, unmolested but rusty, 69 340 with the one year only timing chain cover (without the original heads) that I can use for brackets & pulleys.
When I build my 408, should I use the 69 timing cover along with the early style cast iron water pump? If I do, I can use all of the brackets, etc that I have (but I think my 69 crank pulley is a 3 groove, which I might want to replace) along with the radiator I have. Will the early brackets work OK with the Eddy heads? I plan to use the original style alternator.
If I switch to the later style water pump, I'll have to move the outlet on my radiator (but I'm likely going to have work done on the radiator anyway). I'll have the advantage of using an aluminum water pump, large selection of available harmonic balancers (is a good balancer even available with the early timing marks?), & lots of available repop brackets & pulleys for alternator & AC compressor (if I decide to run AC someday, car will not have power steering).
I'm interested in comments about what to do. Anybody who's switched to the later stuff in an early A & wishes they hadn't? Anybody who didn't switch to the later stuff & wishes they had? Any horror stories I should know about? :read2:
Another persons post about the 69 timing cover has got me thinking about how I should do things.
I have a 360 roller cam LA engine (complete with all brackets & pulleys) that I'm leaning towards building into a 408 with Edelbrock heads to use in my early Barracuda. I have a used 65 V8 radiator (Don't know the condition of it, would probably have it re-cored), shroud, & core support to fit the car. I also have a complete, disassembled, unmolested but rusty, 69 340 with the one year only timing chain cover (without the original heads) that I can use for brackets & pulleys.
When I build my 408, should I use the 69 timing cover along with the early style cast iron water pump? If I do, I can use all of the brackets, etc that I have (but I think my 69 crank pulley is a 3 groove, which I might want to replace) along with the radiator I have. Will the early brackets work OK with the Eddy heads? I plan to use the original style alternator.
If I switch to the later style water pump, I'll have to move the outlet on my radiator (but I'm likely going to have work done on the radiator anyway). I'll have the advantage of using an aluminum water pump, large selection of available harmonic balancers (is a good balancer even available with the early timing marks?), & lots of available repop brackets & pulleys for alternator & AC compressor (if I decide to run AC someday, car will not have power steering).
I'm interested in comments about what to do. Anybody who's switched to the later stuff in an early A & wishes they hadn't? Anybody who didn't switch to the later stuff & wishes they had? Any horror stories I should know about? :read2:
