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1967 Barracuda Go Big Swap Big Block - TechSwapping A Big-Block Into Your Slant Six A-Body From the November, 2008 issue of Mopar Muscle By Dave Young Photography by Dave Young
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After removing the tired Slant... After removing the tired Slant Six from our '67 Barracuda, we decided to go large and install a big-block. Luckily, a kit from Schumacher Creative Services makes this an easy swap. There's no doubt that Chrysler's Slant Six engine is an engineering masterpiece and works very well when used for its intended purpose. Reliable, efficient, and powerful for its size, the Slant Six had one of the longest production runs in automotive history, finding its way into virtually every body style Mopar, including trucks. Though there were various performance versions of this engine over the years, the Slant Six was designed more for efficiency and longevity than power. So if you enjoy performance driving like we do, there are better options for your car than the Slant Six. Knowing that building a Slant Six to the power of even a mild V-8 would compromise reliability and cost a significant amount of money, we decided it just made sense to swap a V-8 into our A-Body. There is one problem with this swap, however, and that has to do with the K-member. Cars equipped with a Slant Six had a different K-member than V-8 cars, so there's no combination that will directly bolt in. Several years ago, attempting this swap would have required the K-member to be changed, a motor plate utilized, or some heavy engine mount and exhaust fabrication. Fortunately, today there are kits available from Schumacher Creative Services that make swapping your Six for a small- or big-block V-8 virtually painless. Using the diagram included... Using the diagram included with the instructions, we decided to test fit everything to see how much clearance we'd have. The engine mounts simply bolt right where the original mounts did and are clearly marked left and right. Since Schumacher has conversion kits available for the LA, B, and RB engines, and none require changing the K-member, our options were wide open. Being cheap and wanting to get the most bang for the buck, we decided a big-block made sense for this car. Since we already had a good 383 just sitting on the floor of the shop waiting for an overhaul, we decided to simply make our Barracuda into a Formula S big-block clone. The 383 makes great power, is super reliable, and responds well to modifications. In an A-Body like ours, it will be fun to drive, and as a small displacement big-block, it shouldn't kill us on fuel economy. A swap like this used to require expensive and restrictive exhaust manifolds, cutting the inner fenders for fenderwell exit headers, or tightly fitting chassis headers, so we called Schumacher to see what our options were. They quickly informed us that they had all the parts to make our swap easy, including their own headers designed specifically for our application. While their "tri-y" design is not as free-flowing as large-tube race headers, the Schumacher headers work great on a mild big-block and offer plenty of room around the steering column, the spark plugs, and the starter. This option sounded like it would suit our needs, so we ordered a complete engine swap kit that included the engine mounts, an adjustable torque strap, and the big-block headers. The Schumacher engine swap... The Schumacher engine swap kit has everything you need to perform the task, even the hardware. It can be ordered with or without headers, and there is an optional torque strap that we added to our kit. When our kit arrived, we were impressed with the quality of all the parts. Schumacher thought of everything and even includes the hardware with their kits. All of the parts were individually marked, and the instructions were clear and concise. Our swap required a minor amount of grinding on the driver-side K-member engine mount provision for oil pump clearance, and the instructions even contained a template to mark the engine mount pad with. All told, it took about half a day to bolt the mounts and headers on the engine, grind the engine mount pad for clearance, and install the engine and torque strap. We were impressed by the fit and finish of all the parts, and when complete, the engine looks like it could be a factory installation to all but the well-trained eye. During our installation, we grew to appreciate Schumacher for making what was once difficult a lot easier. Follow along, and we'll show you how an A-Body big-block swap is made easy with the Schumacher kit.  Since the big-block Mopar's...  Since the big-block Mopar's oil pump is on the forward, driver side of the block, the engine isolator mount is shaped for clearance. It's also engineered to bolt right to the Slant Six K-member while properly locating the engine.  On the right, the mount is...  On the right, the mount is offset and bolts directly to the Slant Six K-member.  While bolting on the driver-side...  While bolting on the driver-side engine mount bracket, we installed the top portion of the torque strap since it utilizes the same mounting provision.  The Schumacher headers are...  The Schumacher headers are a "tri-y" design, meaning the four exhaust ports dump into four individual pipes, which dump into two pipes, which dump to the collector. This design really helps flow and is a big improvement over exhaust manifolds. These headers are quality pieces with thick tubing and flanges.  The driver side is where things...  The driver side is where things get tight on an A-Body with a big-block, but these headers give plenty of clearance for the starter, changing spark plugs, and the steering column.  The instructions warned that...  The instructions warned that certain blocks have an unused boss that might need to be ground for clearance. Ours happened to be one of those blocks, so we marked the area with a Sharpie and used a carbide bit in our pneumatic grinder.  With all our parts bolted...  With all our parts bolted to the engine, we moved on to the K-member modifications. Using the provided template, we scribed a mark on the driver-side mount pad where it will have to be modified to clear the oil pump pressure relief valve.  Using a drill, we drilled...  Using a drill, we drilled the corners of the marked area so they'll have a smooth radius. This will prevent the part from cracking in the future.  Using a die-grinder with a...  Using a die-grinder with a cut-off wheel, we made the necessary cuts to the engine mount provision on the K-member.  Using a carbide bit, we radiused...  Using a carbide bit, we radiused and cleaned up the edges of our cut, then painted the area to prevent it from corroding.  Here's the piece we cut out....  Here's the piece we cut out. We resisted the urge to cut the notch a little bigger, wanting to test the template. It worked perfectly and provided plenty of clearance when the engine was bolted in place.  Since it's easier to do without...  Since it's easier to do without the engine installed, we marked and drilled the K-member for our torque strap mounting bracket.  Since a significant amount...  Since a significant amount of material is removed from the engine mount provision, we highly recommend installing a torque strap when performing this swap. While our mild 383 probably won't have enough torque to do damage, we may put a more potent engine in this car in the future and want to be ready.  With our modifications complete,...  With our modifications complete, we were ready to drop the engine in place. Prior experience has taught us this may have to be repeated if things don't fit properly, but not this time. The engine dropped in place the first time without any trouble. Thanks, Schumacher.  On the passenger side, there's...  On the passenger side, there's plenty of room between the header and the inner-fender, and the spark plugs shouldn't be too difficult to change.  On the driver side, the header...  On the driver side, the header is designed to clear either a manual or power steering column. Again, the spark plugs are easy to reach and there's plenty of room between the header and inner fender.  Below, there's not only starter...  Below, there's not only starter clearance, but room to change the starter without removing the header.  The oil pump is tight, but...  The oil pump is tight, but fits nicely in the notch we cut using the template. Our high-volume pump is a little deeper than a stock unit, but either way you won't be changing the oil pump without disconnecting the engine mounts and jacking the engine.  A nice thing about the Slant-Six/big-block...  A nice thing about the Slant-Six/big-block swap is that the wiring harnesses are identical. That's right, nothing has to be cut or spliced, and all the factory wires will connect just fine.  Once installed, the engine...  Once installed, the engine looks like it could have come in our A-Body from the factory. The Schumacher kit not only made the installation easy, but gave us an engine that will be easy to maintain as well. This engine swap kit is a great example of some of the finely engineered parts available for Mopars these days. It sure is a good time to enjoy our hobby.
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