Just wondering has anyone put a 67 barracuda summit exhaust system on a 65? The summit system is way cheaper than a TTI. I have access to a pipe bender, so wondering will the summit system work with small modifications? And yes I modified the trans brace. I could do a custom exhaust but I'm not that good a bending pipe.
65 barracuda exhaust
- Thread starter Don K
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I would do it. You may have to shorten one of the pipes per side because of the shorter 65 wheelbase. Gotta clear the fuel tank so I'd work from the bend over the axle and work forward adjusting as needed.
Give it a shot. You might be onto something.
I think the wheel base is the same. Or the drive train is in the same relationship as 2nd gen Barracudas and Dusters. I ran the driveshaft from a 71 340 Duster in my 64 Barracuda, it fit perfectly.
Yes, and Early A's are narrower, not sure how or if they would fit...
63-66 Valiants and Barracudas have a two inch shorter wheelbase than 67-later Barracudas and Valiants. (Excluding Dart bodied Scamps, which have a Dart 111 inch wheelbase.) The increase is all ahead of the trans crossmember, so engine to rear end distances are the same, early or late. Like 66fs, I have a 71 Duster 340 driveshaft in my early (65) Barracuda.
The early A engine compartment is narrower, so while the 67-up exhaust will fit without modification from the trans crossmember back, inside the engine compartment is another matter. However, early on, I ran a 72 right (passenger) side 340 exhaust manifold, and a stock 71-later Duster 340 exhaust pipe fit perfectly after I cut the pipe after the first turn off the manifold - where it turns to the rear then levels off before turning back down again - and welded in a 2-inch or so extension. Later, when I switched to 68-70 hi-po passenger side manifold, I had to just make a new pipe between the manifold and the trans crossmember.
On the driver's side, pretty much nothing other than the manifold flange was usable. I cut the pipe a couple inches below the manifold outlet, ran a 2.25 inch pipe down between the torsion bar and the frame and then back, to join a 71-later 340 left side exhaust pipe somewhere ahead of the trans crossmember.
From the trans crossmember back, the Walker replacement Duster 340 exhaust pipes, mufflers and tail pipes fit perfectly, except I used 69 Barracuda chrome tips instead of the long Duster tips. I did have to cut an opening in the right side of the valence to match the factory 273 hi-po opening on the left side.
So, I would think that most of the Summit 67 Barracuda system would work, but you'll have to modify the engine compartment portion of it.
By the way, I never even cut the trans crossmember until I put TTI headers on it a couple of years ago. Just ran the right side pipe under it. Here's what it looked like pre-header exhaust with the pipe running under the uncut trans crossmember.:
The early A engine compartment is narrower, so while the 67-up exhaust will fit without modification from the trans crossmember back, inside the engine compartment is another matter. However, early on, I ran a 72 right (passenger) side 340 exhaust manifold, and a stock 71-later Duster 340 exhaust pipe fit perfectly after I cut the pipe after the first turn off the manifold - where it turns to the rear then levels off before turning back down again - and welded in a 2-inch or so extension. Later, when I switched to 68-70 hi-po passenger side manifold, I had to just make a new pipe between the manifold and the trans crossmember.
On the driver's side, pretty much nothing other than the manifold flange was usable. I cut the pipe a couple inches below the manifold outlet, ran a 2.25 inch pipe down between the torsion bar and the frame and then back, to join a 71-later 340 left side exhaust pipe somewhere ahead of the trans crossmember.
From the trans crossmember back, the Walker replacement Duster 340 exhaust pipes, mufflers and tail pipes fit perfectly, except I used 69 Barracuda chrome tips instead of the long Duster tips. I did have to cut an opening in the right side of the valence to match the factory 273 hi-po opening on the left side.
So, I would think that most of the Summit 67 Barracuda system would work, but you'll have to modify the engine compartment portion of it.
By the way, I never even cut the trans crossmember until I put TTI headers on it a couple of years ago. Just ran the right side pipe under it. Here's what it looked like pre-header exhaust with the pipe running under the uncut trans crossmember.:
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69 Barracuda tips on Walker replacement A body 340 tailpipes (pipes NLA).
65barracudaLA
Well-Known Member
I'm about to swap a 318 in my '65 Barracuda that currently has a slant 6. The guy I bought the engine from offered me the dual exhaust from his '68 Dart convertible for cheap as well. I thought it had to be modified too much, but if you are saying that at least from the trans cross member back it fits, then that might make sense for me to just take it to an exhaust shop and get new pipes from the stock '65 manifolds to the cross member.
OK, but remember the Dart has a 3 inch longer wheelbase than the Duster whose exhaust pipes I used. I would guess that you could simply trim three inches from the Dart exhaust pipes and they would work, but I have not tried that, so cannot guarantee it. The 68 Dart tailpipes should be fine as is.
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C130 Chief
Mechanical Genius
I would suspect the aftermarket pipe sets are cut and bent for the longer wheelbase and can be shortened as needed. As others have mentioned, the earlier cars have a slightly narrower engine compartment, but the engines themselves are the same width. 67-up exhaust will bolt right up to 67-up manifolds. The narrower engine bay comes into play because the steering column is about an inch closer to the manifolds in the earlier cars, and may cause interference issues especially with power steering. The trans crossmember either needs to be modified for clearance or the right side pipe will have to ride a bit lower than the left. Later cars had a more centered gas tank which made duals an easier fit so avoid 70-later systems. The main reason 64-66 systems are different is the fact that they had an oddball left side manifold outlet and were never dual from the factory.
Pretty much agree but would add that in addition to the narrower width, the early A body steering linkage is two inches further rearward compared to 67-up, and if you're running a late 340 center dump passenger side manifold, a stock 67-up pipe will hit the steering linkage. On mine, back when I was running 72 340 exhaust manifolds, I just added a short (1 inch or so) section of pipe just after it curved back below the manifold outlet, and before it went back down. Then a factory 71 Duster 340 right side pipe fit perfectly. On the driver's side, no part of the first 2-3 feet of a factory 340 pipe was usable, but it was not much of a problem to create a 2.25 inch pipe from the manifold to tie into a factory 340 pipe, which was fine as it was from somewhere around the trans crossmember back to the muffler.
65barracudaLA
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the input! But now I'm confused, haha. If they are the same from the trans cross member back, where does the longer wheelbase com from? The torsion bars are attached to the same frame as the trans crossmember. Do Darts and '67 up Valiants etc have longer torsion bars?
Length is between the front and rear seats. Torsion bars are all the same engine and trans mounts are the same. The differential mount locations changed.
Well, I mean that the 108 inch wheelbase Plymouth A bodies are the same from the trans crossmember back as early Plymouth A bodies. Dodge Darts are almost all 111 inch wheelbase - even the early 63-66 models. To confuse things a bit, some seventies Valiant 2dr hardtops are basically Dodge Darts and have the longer wheelbase, while the Dart Demons and Dart Sports are basically Dusters and have the 108 inch wheelbase. The extra length of the 111 inch wheelbase models is aft of the trans crossmember. So, the long wheelbase models aren't the same as early Barracudas from the trans crossmember back.
A body torsion bars are interchangeable 63-76, regardless of wheelbase. So are rear springs.
I have a TTI 2.5 inch exhaust system on my 65 Barracuda. The exhaust pipes needed to be shortened, I assume because they are designed for both Dodge and Plymouth early A bodies, so have extra length for the Darts and need to be trimmed for Barracudas and Valiants. Anyway, I had to cut a few inches off my pipes and then they fit my Barracuda.
Prior to that, I basically ran a Walker replacement dual exhaust for a Duster 340, with mods to the front section of the 340 pipes as described above. I also am running a stock, uncut Duster 340 driveshaft, as well as a Duster 340 8 3/4 rear and Duster 340 rear springs. Basically all bolt in except for the park brake cables and they can be swapped. I'm running the later A body style park cable setup, but the 65 setup will fit a later A body rear.
I should point out that early A bodies have a side-to-side gas tank strap. So do 67 A bodies. Later A's used a pair of fore-and-aft straps. Still later may have moved the tank, not sure. But the Duster 340 tailpipes cleared the gas tank strap on my 65, although it was a closer fit than the fore-and-aft straps would have been.
I've owned by Barracuda since August of 1968, and have many tried different exhaust combinations over the years - 273 exhaust manifolds, early and late 340 exhaust manifolds, fenderwell headers and now TTI headers (have replaced the inner fenders that I had cut for the fenderwell headers), stock single exhaust, muffler shop dual exhaust, Walker replacement Duster 340 exhaust, and TTI 2.5 inch mandrel bent exhaust. I'm not familiar with every A body permutation, I'm sure, but I'm pretty familiar with my own Barracuda.
BTW, those are 69 Barracuda tips (Duster tips are too long), hooked to maybe two feet of the Walker 340 tailpipes, which are slid into the TTI 2.5 inch tailpipes. Was the only way I could get the tips to come out at the correct angle.
65barracudaLA
Well-Known Member
Well, some cutting and welding is inevitable I guess. Unfortunately I can't weld. Thanks for the info!
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