273 dartcharger engine torque ??

[stroker402]

I have a 1965 273 dartcharger , engine All bone stock and a 4 speed , question is >>> engine runs real strong in first gear with a 2.93 gear , frys the tires thru first gear at a roll , but as soon as I grab second gear , it just seems to peter out ... could this be the issure with the 273 having to torque or is it air fuel issues .. better intake and carb?
273 is all bone stock ! and it does not miss a beat.
what are your opinions ?
Thanks !
john

 

[jimjimjimmy]

the 2.93 gear dont help matters much. but really we need much more info or a video to give you an uneducated guess

 

[OwdKasd]

Well, If it has hooked up and accelerates like mad then that's cool but if it falls on its' face then maybe it's time for different gears or more power. My opinion is that it's more HP related than Torque related. It's HP that'll keep that momentum going. A hotter cam will definitely change things. Better breathing heads also. Bigger exhaust to let it breath. It's all going to help. Then of course it would only make sense to freshen up the bottom end. How's the budget?

 

[Bulldozer]

the gears are not helping and nobody knows hows you have this thing timed, or even remotely what the carb is doing or how it is tuned. 8 times out of 10 , it is what the surgeon is doing to the patient.

 

[toolmanmike]

I have a 1965 273 dartcharger , engine All bone stock and a 4 speed , question is >>> engine runs real strong in first gear with a 2.93 gear , frys the tires thru first gear at a roll , but as soon as I grab second gear , it just seems to peter out ... could this be the issure with the 273 having to torque or is it air fuel issues .. better intake and carb?
273 is all bone stock ! and it does not miss a beat.
what are your opinions ?
Thanks !
john

13" tires? I have 3:23's and a 4 speed in my 66 Dart with a fresh HP engine and can't "fry the tires" in first gear. You've got more under the hood than you think or I built a total pooch. tmm

 

[stroker402]

13" tires? I have 3:23's and a 4 speed in my 66 Dart with a fresh HP engine and can't "fry the tires" in first gear. You've got more under the hood than you think or I built a total pooch. tmm

yes toolmanmike ........ I have a 2.93 open rear end it the dart ,,, when i get on it I see that both wheels are pulling and cleaning the payment.. AND I can here the drv. side wheel squealing ...... that is at a roll and not side stepping the clutch..700x13 tires ........ I had open rear end mopars which laid down posi tracks for 50 feet with other mopars . sometimes they hook posi ............sometimes they don't. must be a mopar thing LOL.yeh . anyway .I have been told my the registry that my 65 dartcharger is the most original dartchager out there... engine runs very strong > 82K on it .
the whole car is mostly original......
sorry . got carried away there for a second...........anyway ........back to the issue I have with the torque .

 

[stroker402]

Well, If it has hooked up and accelerates like mad then that's cool but if it falls on its' face then maybe it's time for different gears or more power. My opinion is that it's more HP related than Torque related. It's HP that'll keep that momentum going. A hotter cam will definitely change things. Better breathing heads also. Bigger exhaust to let it breath. It's all going to help. Then of course it would only make sense to freshen up the bottom end. How's the budget?

I agree with you ..... This 273 does not miss a beat ... I haven't checked the timing yet but everything is all Good and ALL in stock form. dual point dist. 10.5:1 compression , stock solid cam and adj. rockers , stock intake with stock carb. engine has never been opened up . from what I read up here on the site quite a lot of people knock this little engine down , I had quite a few 340 darts & cudas over the years and this lilttle 273 charger would hold its ground to a 340 I think .. I just have to figure out why it does not have the top end power.. I'm thinking it just needs a better dual plane like d4b and a little larger carb..we'll see .. but with a 2.93 gear in it right now It Flies !!! just amagine some bigger gears ...yyyheeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaa.

If I could fine a 8.75 drum to drum ,I'd put it in there with some 3.91 gears. anyone have one close to milwaukee WI.???

 

[OwdKasd]

I agree with you ..... This 273 does not miss a beat ... I haven't checked the timing yet but everything is all Good and ALL in stock form. dual point dist. 10.5:1 compression , stock solid cam and adj. rockers , stock intake with stock carb. engine has never been opened up . from what I read up here on the site quite a lot of people knock this little engine down , I had quite a few 340 darts & cudas over the years and this lilttle 273 charger would hold its ground to a 340 I think .. I just have to figure out why it does not have the top end power.. I'm thinking it just needs a better dual plane like d4b and a little larger carb..we'll see .. but with a 2.93 gear in it right now It Flies !!! just amagine some bigger gears ...yyyheeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaa.

If I could fine a 8.75 drum to drum ,I'd put it in there with some 3.91 gears. anyone have one close to milwaukee WI.???

You can find one but they're usually $1,000 & up. All these Mopar small blocks have great potential. My 318 is fast as heck. I don't even know what the PO did or didn't do to it but It's plenty fast enough for me. I too have a 7.25 Suregrip. Maybe you can find an 8.25 for a lot less than an 8.75. Then you could "save" the 7.25 for originality purposes and save a bunch of cash. I'm Sure the right cam could give you 20 more Hp or so. Head work & high flow exhaust would go a long way also.
BTW, Talk to older folks who remember the 273 and they'll assure you of it's potential. I know a guy who used to blow away every Ford & Chevy around with his stock 273. He's no BullS%^$R. Especially certain years were Stout as Hell.

 

[toolmanmike]

yes toolmanmike ........ I have a 2.93 open rear end it the dart ,,, when i get on it I see that both wheels are pulling and cleaning the payment.. AND I can here the drv. side wheel squealing ...... that is at a roll and not side stepping the clutch..700x13 tires ........ I had open rear end mopars which laid down posi tracks for 50 feet with other mopars . sometimes they hook posi ............sometimes they don't. must be a mopar thing LOL.yeh . anyway .I have been told my the registry that my 65 dartcharger is the most original dartchager out there... engine runs very strong > 82K on it .
the whole car is mostly original......
sorry . got carried away there for a second...........anyway ........back to the issue I have with the torque .

My first car was a 65 Dart post car with a HP273. Back in 1970 it would boil the right tire hundreds of feet too. Those 13" bias tires lacked bite for sure. It's not so much horsepower and torque. It's more a lack of traction. tmm

 

[OwdKasd]

My first car was a 65 Dart post car with a HP273. Back in 1970 it would boil the right tire hundreds of feet too. Those 13" bias tires lacked bite for sure. It's not so much horsepower and torque. It's more a lack of traction. tmm

Did you ever get it to hook up & see what it could do? Hey, Just thought of something. Maybe that's why 7.25's used to hold up better.

 

[pbiggs]

13" tires? I have 3:23's and a 4 speed in my 66 Dart with a fresh HP engine and can't "fry the tires" in first gear. You've got more under the hood than you think or I built a total pooch. tmm

And perhaps this fact explains why the 65 can "fry the tires" and the 66 can't.
The transmission gear ratios are quite different between the 65 and 66 4 speeds. The ratios for 65 trans: 1st-3.09 2nd-1.92 3rd-1.40 and 4th-1.00
The ratios for 66 trans: 1st-2.66 2nd-1.91 3rd-1.39 and 4th-1.00
1st gear in a 65 trans is almost a "granny gear" compared to the 66. This allows the high winding 273 engine to use rpm in place of torque to spin the wheels
If a 65 and 66 car started a race in 2nd gear, they should be about the same at the finish line.

 

[stroker402]

And perhaps this fact explains why the 65 can "fry the tires" and the 66 can't.
The transmission gear ratios are quite different between the 65 and 66 4 speeds. The ratios for 65 trans: 1st-3.09 2nd-1.92 3rd-1.40 and 4th-1.00
The ratios for 66 trans: 1st-2.66 2nd-1.91 3rd-1.39 and 4th-1.00
1st gear in a 65 trans is almost a "granny gear" compared to the 66. This allows the high winding 273 engine to use rpm in place of torque to spin the wheels
If a 65 and 66 car started a race in 2nd gear, they should be about the same at the finish line.

You are very correct !! That low first gear really helps it come out of the gate . If anyone out there has a d4b intake especially for the 64-65 273 for sale , I'd like to buy it .email me ....... [email protected]
Thanks !

 

[toolmanmike]

And perhaps this fact explains why the 65 can "fry the tires" and the 66 can't.
The transmission gear ratios are quite different between the 65 and 66 4 speeds. The ratios for 65 trans: 1st-3.09 2nd-1.92 3rd-1.40 and 4th-1.00
The ratios for 66 trans: 1st-2.66 2nd-1.91 3rd-1.39 and 4th-1.00
1st gear in a 65 trans is almost a "granny gear" compared to the 66. This allows the high winding 273 engine to use rpm in place of torque to spin the wheels
If a 65 and 66 car started a race in 2nd gear, they should be about the same at the finish line.

I learn something new every day. The higher first gear combined with Sure Grip and larger radial tires makes the difference. Thanks for the info. tmm