1968 '340' Barracuda vs 1968 '383' Road Runner

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69 Cuda 440 said:
But the 383 A-Body cars did not outrun the 340 A-Body, not in Stock or Super Stock
from 1968 thru the 1970's.
Click to expand...

i'm not embarrassed... & i dont think you checked your data too well.

the 383 A bodies i'm pretty sure ran 13.9's
the 440 A bodies ran around 13.3's
the hemi A bodies ran at least 10.5's i'm not sure about the 10.3 but i think that was reported. maybe someone cheated lol.

the 340's best time stock in an A body was in the 14's
 
KosmicKuda said:
Really enjoying this debate.
I always said, IN MY OPINION, my 2 fastest A-bodY PREDICTIONS right off the showroom floor with break-in miles only:
1868 Barracuda notch back, 340 4 speed, 3.91 gear. (light weight and hotter stick cam 1968 only)
1971 Duster, same drive train. (BIG Thermoquad, 340's seem to love bigger than normal carbs, still high compression)

My buddy Rick ordered a new 1972 340 Duster, Sherwood Green, bench seat, low compression 340, 4 speed, 3.23 Sure grip. As soon as the weather turned warm in the Spring of 72 we took it to Dragway 42 (it was still a 4 lane drag strip back then) Everything was stock except he had put G70-14 Polyglas tires on the rear Rallyes and it now had 4000 miles.
Right off the street, he made a pass and it ran 14.51. (I don't remember the MPH but remember the ET like it was yesterday) Then I screwed up...I wanted to tweak it a little and had brought some lighter advance springs for the distributor. It took longer than I thought and we missed out on any more runs before class call so it only made the single pass, ever.
Click to expand...

My wife had a 1972 340 auto / 3.23 gear Duster when we got married in 1980.
This was a well optioned car, buckets, console, a/c, disc brakes.
It sounded healty, but wasn't as quick as I though it should be.
The only non-stock item was the aftermarket Carter 800 T/Quad.
It ran in the 15.50 range.
By comparision, I bought a 1974 360 Duster with 90K. It was equiped the same as her 1972, but with a 3.21 gear.
With 9" slicks, it ran 14.90.
Also at this same time, I had a 1972 RoadRunner with 80K. 400 / auto & 3.23 gear. The only option it had was a/c. It was a bench seat, manual steer & brake car.
It was quicker than the 1972 Duster, it ran in the 15.30 range.
Thats as close a 340 Duster vs 400 Road Runner match up for 1972 that I have.
By the way, neither of the 72's would spin a tire at the track.
Both did have good mid-range to top end power.
 
moparlover said:
i'm not embarrassed... & i dont think you checked your data too well.

the 383 A bodies i'm pretty sure ran 13.9's
the 440 A bodies ran around 13.3's
the hemi A bodies ran at least 10.5's i'm not sure about the 10.3 but i think that was reported. maybe someone cheated lol.

the 340's best time stock in an A body was in the 14's
Click to expand...


This is the proper comparison if you are trying to make a point about the motors. Comparing one car to another is a simple lesson in physics not a comparison of motors. The OP seems to want to judge the 383 based on its performance in a bigger car and the 340 based on the lighter car. They put the 340 in the roadrunner in 71 so how was a 71 383 compared to a 71 340 roadrunner. Or how did the 68 383 barracuda run compared to the 340? Both with similar gearing and transmissions. That is a wayyy better judge of the motors.
 
All contributors bring out proper arguments.

But I was trying to compare 1968 Mopars, that were classed in E/S or E/SA for
NHRA in 1968.

Weight-to-Horsepower range { 10.00 to 10.49 Wt/Hp }

The 68 Barracuda 340-S {Fastback}............ #3110 lbs ~ 310 HP = 10.03 Wt/HP
The 68 '383' Road Runner {Pillared Coupe}.... #3424 lbs. ~ 335 HP = 10.22Wt/Hp

This was after the NHRA re-factored the 340 from 275 HP to 310 HP in December 1967, before the 1968 Season.

These 'two' Mopars qualified for the same NHRA Class.
 
Good Article

Hi Performance Cars {August 1968}

mPR1SKg5Ql7UkFOqlITUcwA.jpg
 
71 340 was the highest hp 340 NHRA uped the 71 back then. And even today. The intake and big t-quad made the engine breath a lot better. Super Stock Horsepower Changes
Make CID OEM HP NHRA HP New HP Years Affected
Buick, Olds, Pont 350 155-165 245 230 1975-79 All Bodies, SS Only
Chev 454 215 365 320 1975-76 All Bodies, SS Only (w/ 236 head ONLY)
Chev 454 215 370 325 1975-76 All Bodies, GT Only (w/ 236 head ONLY)
Chev 364 400 405 400 2005 Corvette, SS Only
Ford 352 250 250 244 1964 All Bodies, SS Only
Ford 390 320,335 315 308 1966-67 All Bodies, SS Only
Ford 429 375 380 371 1971 Mustang, SS Only
Mopar 360 160-230 273 269 1974-80 All Bodies, SS Only
Mopar 340 275 288 281 1968-70 All Bodies, SS Only
Mopar 340 275 290 283 1971 All Bodies, SS Only
Mopar 426 365 320 316 1964-65 All Bodies, SS Only
Olds 455 190-250 315 308 1973-76 All Bodies, SS Only
Olds 455 320-350 320 312 1971 All Exc Toronado, SS Only
Olds 455 210-300 320 312 1972-74 All Bodies, SS Only
Olds 455 225,250 305 298 1972 All Bodies, SS Only
Olds 307 155 220 223 1980-82 Cutlass, SS Only
Olds 350 160 295 290 1978 Omega, SS Only
Pont 400 200 290 285 1977 All Bodies, SS Only
Super Stock Horsepower No Changes
Make CID OEM HP NHRA HP Years Affected
Chevy 350 190 290 1973 Corvette, SS
Chevy 327 275 299 1966-68 Chev II, SS
Ford 427 410-425 400-430 1966-67 All, SS
Ford 351 266-280 305 1971-72 Mustang, SS
Mopar 340 240 270 1972-73 All, SS
Mopar 426 425 507 1968 SS/AH cars

E-mail this article Print this article
 
cudavert said:
3110 lbs?!.....geez, that's so light it's hard to believe!
Click to expand...

And that #3110 lbs. in 1968 was for the 340 'Fastback'.

On a 'lighter note', our 67' Barracuda 273/235 HP Commando 'Fastback' weighed in at #2940 lbs. (Shipping Weight)

Once you put Super/Stock Leaf Springs and a Sox & Martin Adjustable Pinion Snubber on those cars, they launched like no other.
 
moparlover said:
i'm not embarrassed... & i dont think you checked your data too well.

the 383 A bodies i'm pretty sure ran 13.9's
the 440 A bodies ran around 13.3's
the hemi A bodies ran at least 10.5's i'm not sure about the 10.3 but i think that was reported. maybe someone cheated lol.

the 340's best time stock in an A body was in the 14's
Click to expand...
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The 383 A-Body had '3' different versions.

* 1967 383/280 HP
* 1968 383/300 HP
* 1969 383/330 HP

Where are you getting your misinformation from. Those are not 'factory'
related accelerated performance test results.

Also, the 1968 Hemi A-Bombs were 'not' factory production cars. And when they left the factory,
were not 'track ready' and 'not' capable of running 10.50's.

Do your homework.
 
John,

The weight different between the A-Body Barracuda and B-Body Road Runner
of {+ 314 lbs.} did make a significant difference down the Track.

The #3110 lb. 340 Barracuda was much quicker off-the-line, than the #3424 lb.
383 Road Runner 'Pillared-Coupe'.

Once the Road Runner started to breathe (mid-track) it would come on strong.

I would say, that if the 68' 383 Road Runner came through with a Holley 735 CFM
(same Holley as the Ford 428 Cobra-Jets) or a 780 CFM Holley {vacuum secondary}
and an Edelbrock Aluminum Dual-Plane High Rise Intake it probably would catch
the 340 Barracuda at the 'traps'.

The Intake and Carburetor would have been worth an easy 3/10's.
 
69 Cuda 440 said:
John,

The weight different between the A-Body Barracuda and B-Body Road Runner
of {+ 314 lbs.} did make a significant difference down the Track.

The #3110 lb. 340 Barracuda was much quicker off-the-line, than the #3424 lb.
383 Road Runner 'Pillared-Coupe'.

Once the Road Runner started to breathe (mid-track) it would come on strong.

I would say, that if the 68' 383 Road Runner came through with a Holley 735 CFM
(same Holley as the Ford 428 Cobra-Jets) or a 780 CFM Holley {vacuum secondary}
and an Edelbrock Aluminum Dual-Plane High Rise Intake it probably would catch
the 340 Barracuda at the 'traps'.

The Intake and Carburetor would have been worth an easy 3/10's.
Click to expand...
it did catch it at the traps see the times published by Motor trend. then there is the hot rod time of 14.74 but i didn't include it. the RR was a faster car off the dealer lot, nobody now a days cares what NHRA times were every one goes off the prominent magazine test runs.
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
1968 Plymouth Barracuda 340-S (MT)​
340ci/275hp, 4spd, 3.23, 0-60 - 8.1, 1/4 mile - 15.2 @ 92mph​
383ci/335hp, 4spd, 3.23, 0-60 - 6.8, 1/4 mile - 15.0 @ 93mph

0 to 60 is much quicker also,
​
[/FONT]
 
..i remember the stock 383 road runners as being a little lazy.
..that fat piston with such a short stoke needed a gear to let it rev.
..with 3.91 or 4.10 they ran very well.
 
Though I posted the Magazine Test Results,

I go by what I saw at the tarck 'in person' in 1968.

Like I said earlier, most of the 'stock' 383 Road Runners were running in the 14.80 range.

And the 'stock' 340 A-Body cars were running in the 14.55 Range.

Another buddy ran a 383 Road Runner, Automatic with Headers and 7" Slicks with
3.55 Gears, and was running 14.50's in E/SA.

We eventually did some 'tricks' on it later on, and got it down into the 13.90's. But
it couldn't win in its Class in 1968.
 
69 Cuda 440 said:
I ran both models, in 'pure stock' form, and many of my friends ran both cars as well.

Since my father had a machine shop "Valley Motor & Machine' in Jefferson Valley, New York
- we saw many of these Stock Mopars run at Dover Drag Strip.

A friend of our's named Dominic, bought a new a 1968 '383' Road Runner (Pillared Coupe) with
an Automatic and 3.23 Gears in March of 1968 from Meadowland Chrysler-Plymouth in Carmel, New York.

In stock trim, and classed in E/SA, it ran 14.85's @ around 95 MPH.

After wrecking the car soon thereafter, he bought another new 1968 '383' Road Runner but a (Hardtop)
with an Automatic, and with the 3.55 Performance Gear option.

In 'stock trim' with 7" Cheater-Slicks and Headers, he got into the high 14.50's.

Those numbers are fairly accurate for a Stock 1968 '383' Road Runner with an Automatic.

Decent performance, but in no way a 'Dominant Street Car'.
Click to expand...

OK Joe,
 
Chick,

The popular 'Stock Cheater Upgrades', for the 1968 '383' Road Runner,

Was to get the;
* '284' Hydraulic Camshaft (.484 Lift / 284* Duration}
* Chrylser #3412004 (Matched Lifters)
* Set of Adjustable 'Push Rods'

If you wanted to push it, Engle Cams had a {Double #98} which had a .498 Lift / 298* Duration.
The 'rough idle'.......would risk getting picked up by the Track Tech's.

Then pop on the Carter #4428 AVS 750 CFM Carburertor from the 1968 440/375 HP 'Super Commando'

The Carter #4428 was a 1 11/16" Primary x 1 11/16" Secondary 'square bore'
Carburetor that bolted directly on to the 383 Intake, which was already bored-out
to those specifications.

Other Recommendations
* 4.56 or 4.88 Gears
* Pinion Snubber
* Headers {1 3/4" Tubes x 42" Length with 3" Collector}
* 7" Slicks on 15" x 6" Rims
* Stewart-Warner Electric Fuel Pump
* Hurst Shifter
* Leaf-Spring Clamps (Front)
* Rear 50/50 Drag-Shocks

Of course Cylinder Head 'blueprinted units'
 
69 Cuda 440 said:
Though I posted the Magazine Test Results,

I go by what I saw at the tarck 'in person' in 1968.

Like I said earlier, most of the 'stock' 383 Road Runners were running in the 14.80 range.

And the 'stock' 340 A-Body cars were running in the 14.55 Range.

Another buddy ran a 383 Road Runner, Automatic with Headers and 7" Slicks with
3.55 Gears, and was running 14.50's in E/SA.

We eventually did some 'tricks' on it later on, and got it down into the 13.90's. But
it couldn't win in its Class in 1968.
Click to expand...
you go by what you saw 45 years ago, i'll go buy the published results from the magazines at the time that did the testing. 383 RR was the faster car off the showroom period.

1968 Plymouth Barracuda 340-S (MT)​
340ci/275hp, 4spd, 3.23, 0-60 - 8.1, 1/4 mile - 15.2 @ 92mph​
383ci/335hp, 4spd, 3.23, 0-60 - 6.8, 1/4 mile - 15.0 @ 93mph

0 to 60 is much quicker also,​
 
the 340 was a great motor, but it is no match for the 383 , even in a roadrunner.
 
Fishermen,

Sorry My Big-Block Mopar Brother,,,,,,,

But in 1968, the 340 Barracuda 'Riddler' of Pop 'Smokey Joe' Coletti held the E/SA National Record
by mid-year with a 12.79 @ 109.75 MPH.

Absolutely 'no' 1968 383 Road Runner was running anywhere near that in Stock Class.

The 'best' Factory or Dealer backed 68' 383 Road Runners were running 13.20's in E/SA....

More Fun to Come.........
 
This photo is from 1969, when the Coletti's 68' Barracuda 340 'Formula S' was classed in F/SA.

Pop 'Smokey Joe' Coletti ran the car in 1968, and won many Division Points Meets classed in E/SA.

Was the 'Stock Eliminator Champion' at the 1969 NHRA Winternationals, classed in F/SA with 17 year-old
Mark Coletti behind the wheel.

Ate up 383 Road Runners.

'Hand-feeding or touching a Barracuda in general, is to be avoided.'

5053412804_46a73fdf89_b.jpg
 
Back in about '72, my ex brother in law had a '69 RR. 383 4 speed. It was fast, bad fast. Faster than the SS Chevelle's, GTO's, and 390 Fairlane's that wanted to run him. Not faster than the 340 Dart, and 340 Demon that gave everybody fits though.
 
The mid-high 14 second times of these performance cars is interesting. Some while back, I put together a 383 1972 Valiant 4 door. I used only the finest in used junk, a 60,000 mile 1965 383 2 bbl. engine, no internal mods at all beyond lapping in the valves. It was a good thing I pulled the heads to verify internal condition, as 1 exhaust valve had a nice "V" burnt into it. A used valve from another head fixed that.

This engine was rated at 9.2/1 compression, and 270 HP. I added a factory cast iron intake, and an untouched Holley 600 cfm vacuum secondary carb. Exhaust was 2", (not a typo), pipes to cheap mufflers off of the stock C body log manifolds. The trans was a 727 from a Newport with a stock converter, a home brewed shift kit, and 120,000 miles on it. An 8-3/4 Sure Grip rear with cruiser 2.76 gears rounded out the drive train. With worn out M/T 14" S/S tires out back, it ran 14.80's with no tuning, using only first and second gear. The car weighed 3,240#, and I'm over 200. Why a performance car didn't fare any better I don't know.
 
BB Cuda,

I know, I thought they would be quicker too, just like everyone else who bought them.

My friend, who had a brand new 1968 Road Runner Automatic, which was 'Nice and Fresh',
was stuck in the 14.55 @ 96 MPH range.

And that's with Cyclone Headers, 7" Slicks and 3.55 Gears w/Sure-Grip.

Though the Automatic Transmission was stock, the 383 Road Runner A-727
Automatic had a decent Torque Converter 'stall rate'.

The Timing was 'advanced' for racing, but the Single-Point unit did not have a
Performance Curve when he first ran it.

I'll have to say one thing in favor of the 383 Road Runners, the stock 383/335 HP engines were as
durable as hell, and they could run all day long and not break.
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EL5Demon 340,

You 'stubborn man'.

Super Stockers in Action Magazine tested a 1968 Barracuda 340-S, 4-Speed, w/3.23 Gears w/Sure-Grip
and pulled down a best of 14.73 @ 96.7 MPH.


Motor Trend is only one 'Performance Test'.
 
My 1970 340 duster ran 14.90's bone stock NEVER lost to a RR on the street or strip. All this being said the best engine EVER built :prayer: 426 HEMI!!!!!!
 
69 Cuda 440 said:
BB Cuda,

I know, I thought they would be quicker too, just like everyone else who bought them.

My friend, who had a brand new 1968 Road Runner Automatic, which was 'Nice and Fresh',
was stuck in the 14.55 @ 96 MPH range.

And that's with Cyclone Headers, 7" Slicks and 3.55 Gears w/Sure-Grip.

Though the Automatic Transmission was stock, the 383 Road Runner A-727
Automatic had a decent Torque Converter 'stall rate'.

The Timing was 'advanced' for racing, but the Single-Point unit did not have a
Performance Curve when he first ran it.

I'll have to say one thing in favor of the 383 Road Runners, the stock 383/335 HP engines were as
durable as hell, and they could run all day long and not break.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EL5Demon 340,

You 'stubborn man'.

Super Stockers in Action Magazine tested a 1968 Barracuda 340-S, 4-Speed, w/3.23 Gears w/Sure-Grip
and pulled down a best of 14.73 @ 96.7 MPH.


Motor Trend is only one 'Performance Test'.
Click to expand...
thanks for calling stubborn . Action magazine didn't test a RR ? Hot rod did. The RR along with the charger were the hottest mopars out in 68, RR car of the year in 69!! I'm done with this post I'm going to actually drive my 68 RR. LOL !
 
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