67 cuda convertible 273 commando
 

Hey guys. i have a huge number of questions. i have been overseas in iraq for a long time and i am back in the states now. i picked up a 67 barracuda convertible with the 273 commando 4 speed before i left. I'm not sure what rear end is in itthough. havent torn it apart yet. What can i do to make the fish swim faster. I know the 318, 360 and the 273 have some interchangeable parts. i want to keep the 273 in the car though. i was wondering if the 700 cfm carb from edelbroch would help out. thank you to whoever helps me.

I'd stay away from the 700 for now, It's WAY to big for a stock 273, I can totally understand wanting to keep the original engine, but the 273 is pretty tiny by today's standards, You could swap in a 318/340/360 & keep the 273 if you decide to return it to stock, If you're set on the 273, start out with headers & dual exhaust, Id keep the pipes after the collectors on the small size 2" or 2-1/4" so you don't lose exhaust gas velocity. Also a good pair of mufflers, (I like Dynomax & Flowmaster) Depending on what gears you have now, a set of 3.55's is a pretty good compromise between performance & drivability, 3.91's will make it quicker, but a lot of freeway driving will get on your nerves. If the car already has a four barrel, I wouldn't go larger than a 500 cfm. carb. for a 273 anyway. Thanks for your service, Everyone appreciates it whether they say so or not. Glad you made it home !

Thank you very much for your support. it feels good to be back home. i would like to keep it a little stock to keep the value up.

if the back piece is welded on the rear end, it is a 8 3/4

thank you for the feed back. so if the third member is welded, it is an 8 3/4. but if it is just bolted up there it is a 9 1/4

When you look at the rear end, from the back of the car, If the center section is smooth & round, it's an 8 3/4, if it looks like a stop sign it's either a 7 1/4 or an 8 1/4. The 8 1/4 is fairly strong & will hold up to a mild small block, the 7 1/4 wont last long with any power up front. As far as I know, Chrysler never put a 9 1/4 axle in an A-body.

is it most likely a 8 1/4 like hypermite said
a pic would help

9 1/4 were not put in A bodies. If there are 10 bolts its an 8 1/4 and I think there are 9 bolts on the 7 1/4.

welcome home and thank you so much for your service, we appreciate it more than words can say.
I totally agree with keeping it #s matching, hang around here long enough and you will see that I say that a lot :D Everyone on here has good advice and the all know their stuff really well. All the suggestions these fellas have said are good places to start, just let us know what we can help you with

+1000 on the welcome home and thank you for your service. Here are a couple pictures of the rear ends being talked about. The 8.75 is like the ford 9" with the removable center section from the front. The 8.25 is common with later model cars with the 318. If your Barracuda came with the 273 4bbl carb, it might have the 8.75. If that is the case, it can take almost anything a small block can throw at it. The second pic is the 8.25, and can also take quite a pounding. If you have the 7.25, I would look for a replacement rear end to go with your motor.

As to the motor, bumping up to a 360, while still looking fairly stock, would give you a tremendous increase in power potential. If you keep the 273, go with a good build, 9.5 comp, 272ish durration .420-.450 lift, and Edelbrock performer intake, and a 500 CFM carb, small tube headers with 2"-2.25" pipe and Flomasters or Dynomax mufflers, or even some Flomaster knock offs will work on a budget. A good clutch and n A833. For street duty, I would stay in the 3.23 to 3.55 rear end ratio. Much more than that gets challenging for street use.

Hope this helps

j

all i can say is thank you all very much. I finally got my YEAR1 catalog and have started my little wish list. I didnt know all the different things i could do. I'v been dealing with hummers for the last few years.lol

Good catalog. Year one has been able to compile alot of stuff, from many sources into 1 place. But it comes at a price...namely the price! Once you find what is available out there, you can search, and usually find it cheaper elsewhere. Everyone has the right to make a buck, but nothing wrong with shopping around.

Here is another qeston; shoudi convert to an elctonic fue pump and how without flooding the carb and should i get an electronic ignition an if s which one?

Re; fuel pump. No need to for your application. You will not need that much fuel with your combo, save your money.

i was wondering. How much would a complete engine rebuild cost and should i build my cylinder heads formyself and what do the numbers mean for the lift, dur, and comp?? i have rea abut the 273 with over 450 horse power and 500 torque. thats what iwant how should i decid what to put in my car and what does the cylinder diameter have to do with compression if there is only a dfferencefrom3.655 to 3.665 and 3.645

all right. bad news. I have rust inside of my valves somehow. I pulled the heads and there it was. I was wondering why it didnt turn over and nothing. I am soaking the valves right now with marvel mystery just hoping to break up the rust. and oh yea, i have an 8 3/4 rear end.

68barracuda273
 

i got a 68 barracuda fast back as my first car and my first car project from my friends dad because my friend and i helped his dad get his 66 charger with its new 440 running and he gave my frind a 66 formula s barracuda to fix up, so he wanted to get me a car to fix up and it was almost a 68 notchback cuda but couldn't so he gave me his parts car for his 67 formula s cuda and gave me a 273 commando and i was doing some research along time ago and found out that a stock 273 commando will out perform a stock 360 so stay with the 273 commando. if you want more power find a stroker kit for it or at least cam it and get some high performance edelbrok heads for it and have the crank shaft balanced, a high rise intake with a 600 cfm carb, put some hooker headers super comps with cutoffs right behind the headers and flowmasters at the back. that would be an awesome set up.:D

Well the motor is out now and on they way to get built the propper wayi have a guy in vegas who is doing the work. I wish i could learn the trade. Ive got a low pro intake and some cams so far and an msd. pretty excited.

oh so true..my girl has a 66 mustang that was her moms and she wants to rebuild and make it look nice. well stripping the paint i found the whole driver side rear quater was re-shaped with body filler. from tail lights to door. i logged on to year1 and found skins for $59.00 blew me away. but they wanted $209.00 to ship them. i found another web site that wanted a little bit more. (of the same guage) but bought and shipped for a total of $99.99. so spend an hour or so surfing the web. a little time can save hundreds of $$

Well I have been away from this for a while and have made some pretty amazing progress. The motor has been completely re-built from the bottom up and has 370 horse. I am starting work on the body and finding out how much this poor car has been through. hopefully I will be able to post some more pics. and another question I have is where to buy a straight gate or v gate shifter for a borg warner t-10

67 cuda convertible 273 commando
 

The best thing to do is take a picture the back of the rear housing.My car was a 67 273 hipo and it had a 7 1/4 rearI din't think they had 8 1/4 rears in 67.8 1/4 was 1972 and later.I was racing a mustang and you know what happend to the 7 1/4 rear. Mark

How did you arrive at 370 HP ?? Stock 273 was a DOG. My 66 Coronnet came with a 273 trashed it for a 361 B motor, this would have been back in mid 70's. Also had a 65 barracuda with a 273 auto