Bryan added these comments in the current discussion du jour ...
>> > Interesting info & story, Jerry. My old (c 1975) Direct
>> > Connection manual states that in '66, there was a special
>> > version of the 273 that was installed in Darts and dubbed
>> > the "D-Dart". It had a Holley 4V carb, steel tube-headers,
>> > and a solid lifter camshaft. It made 275hp (1hp/ci). Not
>> > too shabby! Was yours a D-Dart? Bryan
>> >
>> D-Darts were very, very rare. I don't know if you could get
>> one from the factory or had to build it from Mopar Parts.
>> Mine was the standard optional 273 V-8 with small Carter AFB
>> and a single exhaust, 4-speed, and 3.23 gears, and was rated
>> 235 bhp, but my pariticular car was much quicker than the
>> numbers would indicate. I didn't say so before, but another
>> H.S, friend had a 1966 Barracuda Formula S equpped exactly
>> the same way, and I could easily whip his ass. I never did
>> anything special, as I said, my engine's tolerances were
>> probably all towards the side of the scale that contributes
>> to good performance, while my two friend's cars were the
>> opposite.
>>
> Thanks. I've never seen a D-Dart... only read about 'em. I
> have high regard for the 273 hi-po engines! For my first car,
> I nearly bought a '66 Barracuda with the early 318 in it. A
> knowledgeable friend (who had a '69 Swinger 340) steered me
> away from it. I wound-up buying a '68 340-S, which is now
> setup for bracket racing (best: 11.34 at 118.6mph). Even when
> it was as-it-came-to-me (99% stock w/ 3.23:1 cogs), it was no
> slouch. Bryan
>
Bryan, I don't think I ever saw one, either. I'm same as you,
just read about them. I was in engineering school when I bought
my 1966 and was dirt poor, that's the most "muscle" I could
muscle out of my father. And, I didn't get to Chrysler where I
could actually see recent and current production model cars,
drive them, and get peeks of the new model prototypes.
In the early 1960s, Chrysler had several special programs to add
oomph to the little engines of the day, e.g., in 1961, there was
a set of parts comprising what was known as Hyper-Pak for the 170
CID Slant Six that had a small Carter AFB on it, very long intake
runners to simulate the effect of a Long Ram engine, and later
that year, they added Hyper-Pak to the 225. When the latter was
coupled with the aluminum block engine - very short lived because
it weeped oil through the ****ous block metal, it was a pretty
potent engine compared to a Corvair or Falcon. And, prior to the
rise of engines such as the so-called 426 Street Wedge in 1964-
only, which was a punched out 413 engine with a single 4-barrel
but dual exhausts, a cam, higher compression, etc., then in 1966
the Street Hemi. You know the rest after that.
Chrysler was kinda putting just their toe in the water to see how
cold it was early-on and didn't want to spend a lot of money.
But, once the success of the GTO, then 4-4-2, then the rare SS-
396 in 1964, Chrysler needed to do something and fast! Again,
before my time at Chrysler, but I was an avid car fan and tried
to learn as much as I could. Besides the 426 Street Wedge, we
didn't have anything for the street prior to the 1966 426 Street
Hemi, the 1967 440 Magnum, and the 1969 1/2 440 Six Pack, so we
made do with what we had.
As to an "early" 318 in a 1966 Barracuda, I never saw one of
those and don't think it was a production option from the
factory. Gunnell's Standard Catalog of V-8 Engines says there was
the big six, 273-2 and 273-4 engines, that's all until 1967 when
the 340 came in. I'm scratching my head as to when the 383 went
into the A-Body cars like the Dart, may have been 1968. This much
I am sure of: instead of a dual-plane intake manifold, it had a
less efficient single plane manifold for hood clearance. And,
because the engine box was smaller than a B-Body, they had to
sweep up and scrunch the exhaust manifolds. The combination
resulted in just 280 or 285 bhp vs. the standard 335 bhp for a
normal 383 4-barrel. As I recall, not that many people bought the
383 option because it weighed almost 150 pounds more, all on the
front wheels, and barely produced any more power than a 340's
275.
--
HP, aka Jerry
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