Why is my post #13 a head scratcher? Pretty self explanatory. The 440 in the limited built 68 Dart was an RB motor as was the 440 in the '69 M codes
First 1967 383 installed in a Barracuda
- Thread starter ChrycoGuy
- Start date
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Post # 10 got me thinking about the B/ RB blocks and since they mentioned the older built 383 required I was wondering why? Putting a B block 383 in a Barracuda couldn't be more taxing than the taller RB 440.
Also from Paul Ceasrine
Those first 383 installations into the 1967 Barracuda were done by
engine crane.
Until someone on the production line figured out that they could
mount them on the 'K' frames, and do the installation from under-neath.
They never told Mr. Norm that,,,,,,,,,,
Those first 383 installations into the 1967 Barracuda were done by
engine crane.
Until someone on the production line figured out that they could
mount them on the 'K' frames, and do the installation from under-neath.
They never told Mr. Norm that,,,,,,,,,,
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The way the first questionable post reads is that for some reason "they" had to use "older" 383 blocks.
The way the second questionable post reads is all about 440 A body cars in a 383 A body car thread, seemingly suggesting "they" had to use a 383 because it was "different" than a 440.
The way the second questionable post reads is all about 440 A body cars in a 383 A body car thread, seemingly suggesting "they" had to use a 383 because it was "different" than a 440.
Huh..... the Mod agrees with me.
I'll take that as a win.
...and for the record, I'm just trying to help others wade through.
Those two posts are really confusing since neither really has any bearing on the thread.
I'll take that as a win.
...and for the record, I'm just trying to help others wade through.
Those two posts are really confusing since neither really has any bearing on the thread.
383 blocks are not all the same. In the Barracuda (and assume Dart) the motor mount uses the forward mount position on the driver's side to clear the steering box. Not all 383 blocks have the needed forward bolt locations cast or threaded into it. I have seen these castings on earlier '60's engines. When installed in a 'A' body, then the rear most "standard" motor mount ear is cut off. Hence a 383 in an 'A' body uses only the forward motor mount ear and bolt holes in the front of the block. The exhaust manifolds are not 'inferior' but rather necessary to wrap around the steering column but causing a power loss. The factory is not obligated to provide header clearance.
matthon
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matthon
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Looking for understand.
Who is Paul?
Wasn't under-neath installation common practice, wouldn't they start there?
I don't recall the exact steps I took to remove my original engine, but I believe I couldn't pull it up and out with the exhaust manifolds on it.
It doesn't seem practical to engineer a car that requires manual install of the engine from above, and it just so happens that same thought process allows an easy install from the bottom.
I believe your first sentence is the answer. I copied this from a discussion that was held some time ago.
No 440s in 68 Darts - 69 only
They offered 383s in 68 and 69 along with the 440 in 69
They offered 383s in 68 and 69 along with the 440 in 69
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
I mentioned that. So far as I know this amounts to a "c" body block The manifolds WERE inferior. The engine was de-rated in power because of them
Chrysler pulled fifty cars from the assembly line and sent them to Hurst-Campbell for conversion as they had done with the Hemi Darts. Each was serialized with an “M” code in the VIN, equipped with the 440 and an A727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission, and then shipped to Grand Spaulding. When the issue of badging arose, Mr. Norm came up with an elegant and interesting two-part solution. First he substituted the “T” in the cars’ “GTS” designation with another “S”, signifying the GSS (Grand Spaulding Special) model. And while the “383” badges were no longer accurate, there was no version of a “440” marker that would fit in their place, so they were left on all the cars. Misleading? Not in the legal sense, since the 440 GSS Dart was advertised as such. But out on the street, more than one victim was left in the dust of what he presumed to be a lesser car.
The fifty GSS 440 Darts sold by Mr. Norm in 1968 were the only 1968 440 Darts made that year and must not be confused with the 1969 M-code versions subsequently built by the factory. The Hurst-built 1968 GSS 440 Darts were individually converted by hand and are among the lowest-production Mopars ever.
The 440 Dart GSS offered here is believed to be the very one raced by the Service Director at Grand Spaulding Dodge to promote the GSS sales program. The car is exceedingly rare, one of only 12 of the original fifty cars known to exist today, and one of only two painted in special-order Buffed Silver. It has been rotisserie restored to the finest detail, even to the correct colors used in factory hand-markings. Under the hood next to the 375-horse 440, an inscription reads, “To one of the best GSS Darts, Mr. Norm ‘05”.
skep419
5.9 Magnum 4 speed afficionado
8:43
Powerflite
Well-Known Member
I think the reason for the #10 post was he was trying to convey this: "oddball C barge block with the special "wrap around" engine mount". But that engine was still in use in 1967.
Years ago I got a '67 FB Formula S 383 'Cuda that was MM Copper. The build sheet is attached. The sequence number is 306138, so it is probably a late build. Friends and I restored the car in Benecia, CA in the late 1980's and I had it painted B7 dark blue. It was sold to Bill Barbee in 1993 when my new house CCR's forbade parking a car in the driveway. I had my '68 Cuda that was my first car and my '66 Hemi Belvedere, so I couldn't keep them all. Sold the '67 FB, which I regret. Barbee sold the car some years later to one Rodney Steven in Mississippi, and I lost track of it. I would love to know what happened to that car if anyone has seen it. Probably around the Mississippi area now, but who knows.
Asking for a friend...
My dad had a 67 fastback 383 4 speed car...
Someone cut him off when it was about 6 months old and he had to put it in the ditch to avoid hitting him and ended up totaling his car with only 6500 miles on it..
Luckily he was always a seat belt wearer and walked away from the accident with only bruises around his waist from the seat belt holding him back from going through the windshield... That reinforced him to always wear a seat belt, even before it became mandatory and they passed the law in the 80's...
Dad ended up replacing the Barracuda with a 68 Charger 383 2 bbl car...
Someone cut him off when it was about 6 months old and he had to put it in the ditch to avoid hitting him and ended up totaling his car with only 6500 miles on it..
Luckily he was always a seat belt wearer and walked away from the accident with only bruises around his waist from the seat belt holding him back from going through the windshield... That reinforced him to always wear a seat belt, even before it became mandatory and they passed the law in the 80's...
Dad ended up replacing the Barracuda with a 68 Charger 383 2 bbl car...
All pre production cars are crushed...
If any of the modifications that they make when making the prototype test cars cause a structural weakness and the public buys one of those and gets in an accident, the manufacturer can be held responsible and sued... So ALL prototype pre production cars are scrapped after they are done with their testing...
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