273 to 383 swap

-
G

Gerry Holmes

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2012
Messages
92
Reaction score
6
Location
langley, b.c., canada
i've done many B body swaps from 273 to 383 or 440, now i'm going to do a 67 Barracuda 273 to 383. the previous swaps were to pull the 273 with stock mounts out, then put the 440 with stock mounts in (no modifications). now i know that the 383 with stock mounts will bolt to the k frame that i've just pulled the 273 out of (aside from various clearance issues such as headers, p.s, etc.). so what i need to know is what do the various motor mount kits do (Schumacher, Transadapt, etc) if the original mounts already bolt-up? do they shift the motor one way or another to allow p.s., or are they just new stock mounts? thanks for your help Gerry
 
No stock B engine mounts will bolt up to the small block biscuit k-member. The closest to bolting up is the 73-76 spool small block k-member with stock big block spool mounts, but the engine will be too far forward.
 
i've done (5) 273-318 to 440 swaps in b bodies by pulling the original 273 with its mounts and biscuits out of the existing k frame and installed the 440 with its mounts and biscuits into the same k frame on the same day! it bolts right in. i do it with the transmission still attached, all i have to do is shorten the drive shaft to make up for the 904-727 length difference. i realize doing it in an A body will entail p.s, manifold problems, but the 383 or 440 biscuits will line up with the k frame holes as they have in my b body swap because the biscuits on either motor don't change from car to car as they are bolted to the same 273 and 440 used in all chrysler cars
 
You can do adaptor mounts like the Schumachers, DC type k member, elephant ears, or make it yourself.
 
The a-body biscuit mounts are completely different than b-body mounts... There is no horizontal bolt through the mount and k-member mount saddle. There IS a single stud on the bottom of the mount...
 
the last swap i did was a 440 from a 1969 Chrysler that came with biscuits with a single bolt, into a 1966 Satellite that had a 273 that came with biscuits with a single bolt, straight bolt in! that means that the single bolt on both sets of biscuits have to have the same measurements between them to fit, and therefore would fit the same in any k frame that had either a 273, 318, 383, or 440 single bolt biscuit, aside from inner compartment size restrictions. this brings me back to my original question, the 1967 barracuda didn't have p.s because of manifold clearance problems, so i'd like to know if Schumacher mounts shift the motor slightly from the p.s. to allow the drivers manifold to clear, or are they just new stock mounts, and they sell you headers to get around the clearance issue!
 
Gerry, you aren't paying attention. THE A-BODY MOUNTS ARE NOT THE SAME AS THE OTHER BODY STYLES.............................
 
Jim i was paying attention, but i needed to know why they wouldn't work. anyway i went to sleep last night with two facts in my head, 1. yours that the A mounts are different, and 2. mine that i had an A body k frame on the floor that the 383 would definately bolt to. well at 2:30 in the morning the light came on, i was thinking that the mounts that Chrysler, and then Schumacher made were to get manifold-p.s clearances, then it dawned on me that this was the first time that a 727 had gone into an A body, prior it was always a 904. so obviously the A body 383 mounts set the 383 ahead, lower or both to allow the room for the 727 or larger bell housing in the transmission tunnel. i now know that the Schumacher or Transadapt mounts do this, which was my original question, and therefore i must thank you Jim for kicking my brain back into gear. Thanks Gerry
 
Nope, the mounts did nothing to change the location of the transmission
(a-bodies use the same trans mount no matter which engine or transmission). The trans tunnel was enlarged at the beginning of the 1967 model year to make room for the big block and 727 (and likely they already knew the 340 was coming in 1968 ). The reason for the huge change to the location of the driver side mount was to use the 1965 C-body mount which mounts to the front of the block and the forward boss on the side of the motor.
 
66-72 B body, C body, and 70-74 E body mounts aren't considered biscuit mounts. With those, you just use stock mounts and brackets for a swap. See 1st pic.

A bodies 72 and earlier use a biscuit style mount, see pic 2. You can't use a stock big block mount bracket with that.

To fabricate your own mounts or motor plate, lower the engine/trans in the car and bolt the trans to the mount. Then, with the exhaust in place, move the engine left to right to get the best fit.
 

Attachments

  • FFFFF.jpg
    25.3 KB · Views: 428
  • 100_32781.jpg
    56.6 KB · Views: 341
Thanks for all the info guys, and Jim, i also found one of your previous replys to another person doing a 318 to b-rb block swap were you tell him to pull the column and master cylinder prior to installation, as well as the info that a 383 fits easier than a 440, and finally that transdapt mounts work just as well as Schumacher at half the price. needless to say i'll follow all your wise words. all the previous swap that i've done have been B body. thanks again Jim. Gerry
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top