65 CUDA HELP.. COMPLETLY new

[moper]

well i do want to keep it original as possible but i want to change the exhaust , the suspension, tweak the engine to push more horse, and also change to disc.

Just on this post:

Exhaust - manifolding is terrible on then 273 early A. Later HP manifolds fit, btu the trans crossmember is not designed for dual exhaust. So you have to run under it, squich the pipe, modify the crossmember, or run single down the driver's side like the factory does. Headers have limited options and costs go up fast.
Disc brakes - the factory discs are harder to find and expensive to get functional. All easilly swapped parts from later A bodies styles will work, but then the front brakes will be 4.5" pattern, rear will still be 4". You can have axles redrilled on the 7 1/4 rear, or replace the rear with a bolt-in 8 3/4, but any bolt in rear will have the 4" circle too - so you also need either redilled 8 3/4 axles, or new axles with the bigger pattern.

As i said - Early A are their own beasties and you should read a lot before you buy anything...

 

[salinasjoel]

Just on this post: Exhaust - manifolding is terrible on then 273 early A. Later HP manifolds fit, btu the trans crossmember is not designed for dual exhaust.

what hp manifolds fit? I've wanted to do this to my dart but I've only heard its a lost cause

 

[moper]

I've run the 68-71 340 manifolds in an Early A before. I've also read that some magnum manifolds will fit but never tried myself. Is it Treblig that offers them all done up?

 

[salinasjoel]

Only for manual steering I believe right?

 

[rapom65]

Geezzz... I almost didn't reply because your digging into a can of worms here without a true vision of what you want to end up with. My #1 recommendation is to decide what the end use will be and tailor your mods accordingly. You can go broke and end up with an unsatisfying project without a well thought out plan. This will take A LOT of research. You are doing the right thing asking questions first. FABO is the best source of info on the web and the members here will jump through hoops to help but advice will be all over the map without an end goal.

There are literally books written on parts interchange for different end usage, and I can recommend several, if you want that level of knowledge.

A lot can be accomplished with stock parts from the A body line up but there are ins and outs to every change. As stated before there are early A's and later A's. Some parts interchange throughout the line and others don't. Realistically one part changed will require something else to be changed which leads to something else and on and on it goes.

Lets start with basics first: Early A's are narrower in the engine compartment and shorter in wheel base. The break point is '67 chassis wise. Front/rear bumpers, sheet metal, grills, tail lights ect. began changing in '66 so for those type items your limited to '64 & '65. Any LA series block (273, 318, 340, 360, LA or Magnum) will bolt into the engine compartment but the narrower bay compounds the issue of exhaust fitment which is the biggest hurdle in any power enhancement. Besides the physically narrower compartment you have the oil filter and torsion bar on the passenger side and the torsion bar, steering shaft/column/box and linkages to contend with on the drivers side. It's a tight squeeze even with aftermarket headers.

So you contended with all the issues and just increased the power output by X. Now your going to start finding out where the weak links are in the drive train chain. Here is an example of what you can expect. Your car sounds like it's stock. As such it should have SB pattern 14" rims front and back (I believe I read you had some aftermarket rims you wanted to use). The rear axle will be a 7 1/4 and probably will be the first thing to explode when you can't resist the urge to unleash all those new ponies. Other BOLT IN options (as long as the donating vehicle is an A body) are the 8 1/4 and 8 3/4 but it's not that easy. The 8 3/4 is the strongest, therefore most desired = expensive to obtain. It was built in SB pattern only, IIRC, but the axles can be redrilled to BB pattern if you wish to step up to 15" rims. The 8 1/4 is BB pattern and I suppose could be redrilled to SB pattern. Here's the kicker, the 7 1/4 is wider than the 8 1/4 by about 1.5" so an axle swap will most likely require a rim change. The 8 3/4 will require drive shaft mods as the housing depth is different than a 7 1/4. No free lunch.

Forget the SS springs, 727 or anything else until you know what you want to do with the car. It is so easy to waste money, time and effort in this hobby without a guiding hand or two. I've been modifying A bodies for 20 years and I feel I have a pretty good knowledge base to work from. PM me if you would like any help deciding.

 

[lou3500]

I hope this helps this is my 66 it has a 273 with a year correct Formula S 4 barrel manifold 500 cfm eddy and Pertronix electronic ignition conversion in the stock distributor the 904 auto is stock, i rebuilt all the suspension used poly/graphite bushings [except on the lower control arms i used TRW rubber] i converted the front to disk used SSBC kit [the rotors are drilled for either big or small bolt pattern] you must have 10 inch drum brakes on the front for this kit. My suspension is lowered 2 1/2 in the front and 3 1/2 rear i run 245/60/14s on 14x7 rallys and 204/70/14 front on 14x6 rallys,exhaust is true duals [no crossover] 1 7/8 head pipes [to bottom of firewall] 2 1/4 duals bumped to 2 1/2 for the magnaflow magna packs back to 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 tips [it's ungodly loud] In the future we will be installing QAI tubular upper and lower control arms an 8 3/4 rear and going with big bolt pattern wheels. These are fun and unique cars and as was stated before do your research and READ up on these so your well informed have fun with it i know i do!!!!!

 

[rapom65]

Didn't mean to sound so negative in my post yesterday. I was trying to show you an example or two of what I mean by ins and outs. You started out with SS springs, a 360 swap and 727 trans which made me throw my hands up and say "WHOO slow down there fella". There is a lot that can be done with the car as built by the factory but without an end goal you can ricochet from mod to mod like a bullet in a cement box. Mismatched goals and parts can burn up a ton of money fast and ultimately turn you off from the project. On the car above he's kept the stock motor and trans and has made some nice upgrades in places that count more than pure power. That will come but you have to prepare the car properly first. After more than a few builds I've settled on this as a guide.
#1 Breaks: tire smoking power is fun but if you can't stop as fast as the car goes your an accident waiting to happen (the stock breaks on these cars are at best weak compared to mom's mini van).
#2 Suspension: whether it's drag racing, autocross, street ect. you need the suspension matched to the program.
#3 Drive train: May need nothing or a complete upgrade depending on the engine pushing it.
#4 Tire/wheel package: matched to goal.
#5 Engine: rebuild, mod or replace to meet goal. Of course there is a bunch in between that will have to be addressed like cooling, fuel delivery, interior (the stock seats SUCK), safety equip ect. ect.

I've seen quite a few guys build their cars in the exact opposite order than I listed. First they stuff the engine compartment with the biggest motor the can afford and then pop for the bling rims and phat tires. Just as the bank account hits 0 is when you start seeing drive train parts bouncing down the road behind you in the rear view mirror. I would love to save just one guy that heart ache before I depart the living.

Rant over...

 

[R0K3_B3aRd]

I posted pics guys

 

[moparmat2000]

so i should stick with 904? on what I've been reading 727 is better than the 904. me personally i love the 3 speed. Definetly thanks for the welcome guys i have a lot to learn about mopars. Yea your right i think I'm the only one with 65 cuda in sacramento and get complements already and the car has been untouched.

The 904 can be built to handle a decent amount of HP, plus its lighter and has less clutches than the 727. The lighter weight, and the less clutches allow more HP to get to the ground. Plus A body transmissions are shorter in length than the transmissions used in B, E, C, and D model mopars. The short length A body transmission can also be found in the F body volare / aspen too.

I agree dont be too hasty to change out so much so quickly. Especially on what looks to be an unmolested 50 year old barracuda. I think id do the brake master cylinder upgrade, disc brake upgrade, electronic ignition upgrade w GM module, and slowly make improvements that enhance what you have.

 

[cosgig]

First thing I would do is sit down with a pad of paper, a beer, and some good tunes on the box and just stare at the car! Look at it good and long, when you see something in your mind, write it down! What color just jumps out of your mind? What rims? Interior? Try to get a vision of what YOUR car will look like! I highly doubt it looks anything like it does now!

Now, if it runs and drives right now, start cleaning up that car! Give it a bath, check the air in the tires, do a tune up....get to know it a little! Take the tires off, roll the ones you want to put on it in place and look at it! While cleaning it up, make a list on that handy pad you started above! If you change the air filter, write down when, and more importantly, the part number and brand! What plug gap?? Write it down!! Heat range?? Write it down! Start a parts needed page and when you're working on it, if you see something it needs write it down! Does it need carpet?? What color did you envision the interior?? Research carpet vendors later when the kids are in bed and write down the results!!

Try to do things in assemblies if you can, and stick to one assembly at a time! It'll be a lot easier to focus on something and learn about it than if you're trying to do 10 different areas at once! You got the idea from above that just the brake upgrade can come in many different flavors, and is all tied into your vision ! Take your rims for example... If you're dead set on using them, then you will have to change entire car over to the 4.5" bolt pattern, which would require different axles in the rear, different brakes on the front, each of which can be done several different ways!

Take your time and get a clear vision of what you want your car to be, then go for it one step at a time!! Welcome to fabo, the answers to every one of your questions is here....somewhere!!! Geof