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

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.