Who's put a hellcat in an A-body ??

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Does anyone have any experience with the Holley gen 3 hemi kit? Just wondering how it worked out and if there was any loose ends that had to be dealt with. I have a hell crate on the shelf just teasing me to drop it into my scamp
 
Does anyone have any experience with the Holley gen 3 hemi kit? Just wondering how it worked out and if there was any loose ends that had to be dealt with. I have a hell crate on the shelf just teasing me to drop it into my scamp

Here is my ongoing swap:

Finally get to pretend I am one of the cool kids - Holley kit swap

Trick is what transmission. I am doing a T56 magnum so I built my own crossmember because they don't support those. Holley has mounts and parts for other trans, TKX, 727/904 and even 8HP (I think), maybe others, but I don't have any experience with those.

I haven't messed with the steering coupler yet, but as I understand it the stock pot coupler won't fit. And it is Borgeson or manual only, the OEM PS is a no-go.

The motor is forward about 1.75" and (I think) up some (maybe 3/4"?) so any mounts for a stock transmission or connections (4 speed z-bar, etc.) will need to be re-worked if you plan to run something like that.

I don't have a radiator in mine yet, but I suspect that with a really thick aftermarket one with an electric fan it might get tight. At the same time, pretty sure a stock HC radiator and fan will fit fine provided you don't run the Holley FEAD kit. Those make the motor even longer and put the belt even closer to the radiator.

There is one on a FB group using the same kit but with an OEM TR6060 and had to come up with a custom starter setup to clear the idler since the stock bell puts the starter on the PS. There is another guy on there who has done the swap and is driving it. And Tony Angelo (Stay Tuned on YT) is doing a Dart with a 6.4 on his channel but hasn't driven it as far as I know.

The DS header seems to be hit and miss as to if it needs to be tweaked. Mine is really close to the inner fender, but I am going to leave it alone. The guy driving his also was able to leave his alone. The guy with the TR6060 flattened his to clear the inner fender and Tony Angelo flattened his.

That's all I can think of right now. If I think of anything else, I will add it later.
 
Oh, and to be clear, the Holley swap mounts are '73+ V8 k-frame only. Aftermarket k-frames and biscuit mount k-frames don't work. Not sure what year car you are working on but if you miss that fact it could trip you up.
 
If I had the money to put a Hemi in my 69 Cuda, I'd find a 426 Hemi. It does fit. There was an article in a Mopar Muscle about 20 ago where a man installed a 426 in an A Body. He did it such that the hood closed.
Can you imagine taking a 69 Barracuda to a car show and popping the hood to expose a dual carb 426 Hemi?
 
It takes about HALF the money to build a turbo 400 to hold up to the same power that will break a race prepped 727.......much less a 904. Sure, I guess one could be built to "last". Buckey Hess ran a 904 in his Hemi 68 Barracuda. But the money it takes in comparison to a turbo 400.....plus they are much stronger. And yeah, it's a pretty popular swap in the high horse power ranges.
don't know how old this posts is , but their running 8 :30`s and 40`s now...
 
If I had the money to put a Hemi in my 69 Cuda, I'd find a 426 Hemi. It does fit. There was an article in a Mopar Muscle about 20 ago where a man installed a 426 in an A Body. He did it such that the hood closed.
Can you imagine taking a 69 Barracuda to a car show and popping the hood to expose a dual carb 426 Hemi?

I bet it was a green Duster, wasn’t it. Our fellow member here @HemiDenny built just such a car and made it look like the factory had offered the Hemi in a road going A-Body (i.e. not a race car). Really cool build.

https://www.hotrod.com/features/time-warp-hemi-duster-982-1647-72-1/
 
don't know how old this posts is , but their running 8 :30`s and 40`s now...
It was an old one. Well sure they CAN, but at what cost? You can build a turbo 400 for less than half what a 904 would cost to hold up to the same power......and it'd still break.
 
I don't remember from that article, but did you have to hand make motor mounts and get a custom oil pen?
I love that engine bay. It looks like a jewelry box
On the green one....yes, including the first set of headers I built.
On the silver one, I used off the shelf TTi headers, HDK Hemi engine mounts and a Milodon center sump Pro-Touring 7 qt oil pan. The silver car also has OEM A/C (except the compressor) and after last year, now sports a power rack and pinion? Fits like a glove (O.J. Simpson)





20220523_142039 (1).jpg


Hemi Duster Indy 96.jpg
 
SRT went to allot of work matching tuning the Hellcat and 8 spd. Why castrate your Kitty with a 3 spd?
 
That’s a solid answer. Thanks for the info. Looks like I have some more thinking to do before I open that can of worms lol.
Mine is a 76scamp.

Been thinking on this some and had some thoughts. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say I did some daydreaming about what I would do if I was in your shoes. :D

If it was me, the Holley parts make sense. It would allow the 6.2 to bolt in without cutting the firewall and would allow for the stock AC compressor to bolt up. The oil filter would probably have to change but there is a TRX adapter that keeps the oil cooler function. But other than that, it should pretty much just drop into the car. There are other kits that fit stock k-frames but they won't fit the SC intercooler connections without notching the firewall, no AC compressor with an aftermarket FEAD and the oil filter adapter won't fit. Note that Holley's FEAD kit doesn't work on an HC so that path isn't an option in this case.

If you didn't want to cut the floor and a 727 was ok, I would grab the Holley crossmember and adapter mount and bolt it in. The only trick there is the kickdown, only options I know of is a kit from Bouchillon, build your own similar to that or run a full manual valve body. You could add a GV overdrive to that, but if it was me I would bite the bullet and do the 8HP or T56. It will make for so much of a nicer car in my mind. Yes, it's a ton of work, but worth it IMO.

I would use the stock FEAD as I think it is probably the cheapest, and will fit the best (IMO). Add a stock HC radiator and fan (works for the factory, should cool the motor fine) and the cooling is done minus the intercooler (no idea on that, sorry).

Fuel is the next question. There is Tanks Inc, or roll your own. Holley has a retrofit pump setup but it's only good up to 550 HP. I recessed a Gen5 Camaro pump into the top of a new tank but I don't have it in the car and I haven't seen anyone else do it like that. So the Tank Inc route is probably the best plan. Make sure to plan for fuel hose as well because the stock 5/16" fuel line in your car isn't going to cut it.

Electronics are a whole can of worms. Don't know if your motor comes with a PCM, etc. or not.

Don't forget about brakes and suspension. I am sure an 8.75" would be fine unless you lean on it, and the car should get bigger brakes. Beyond that it's up to you.

Best I've got.

Note that there are a bunch of ways to do this. HDK (HemiDenny above) has a nice coil over front suspension that should get the motor mounted and an 8HP in the car without cutting the floor. But it adds cost upfront. There are many debates about the pluses and minuses about the COC vs torsion bars, not going there. Only pointing it out as an option in case you weren't aware. I will say I don't think a COC and rack and pinion is the only path, but I can't argue that there are advantages, one being that you very well could get the 8HP without the work of building a floor.

In the end it really comes down to what you want and what you are willing to invest to get there. Not everyone wants the same thing and you need to be clear about what you want going into it. Otherwise it can turn into a black hole that sucks you dry.
 
Note that there are a bunch of ways to do this. HDK (HemiDenny above) has a nice coil over front suspension that should get the motor mounted and an 8HP in the car without cutting the floor. But it adds cost upfront. There are many debates about the pluses and minuses about the COC vs torsion bars, not going there. Only pointing it out as an option in case you weren't aware. I will say I don't think a COC and rack and pinion is the only path, but I can't argue that there are advantages, one being that you very well could get the 8HP without the work of building a floor.

In the end it really comes down to what you want and what you are willing to invest to get there. Not everyone wants the same thing and you need to be clear about what you want going into it. Otherwise it can turn into a black hole that sucks you dry.


Well said....

I want to point out, the HDK 6.4 / 8HP/70 fits like a glove. I have not yet tried an install with the Hellcat (1-1/2" longer) 8HP/90. My recommendation with the larger Hellcat transmission is tie the frames and add a separate transmission cross bar mount of the "universal" design to the frame connectors. I would still highly recommend tying the OEM transmission crossmember back together after removing the OEM center section.
 
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