1968 Showdown 68' Barracuda 340-S vs. 68' 383 Road Runner

[Paul Ceasrine]

A battle of 1968 Mopar 'Musclecars'

The Plymouth Barracuda 340-S, also known as the 'Mini-Hercules'

Listed at 340/275 HP, the #3110 lb. Fastback was one the quickest Pony-style Musclecars.

Underrated at 275 HP, the NHRA re-factored the 340 to 310 Horsepower before the 1968
season got underway.

Which put the Barracuda in the {10.00 to 10.49 Wt/Hp) break of E/S or E/SA, with a factor of 10.03 Wt/Hp.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 'new' and heavily marketed 383 Road Runner, featuring some improvements to the steady and durable
383 engine, was now rated at 335 HP.

The Road Runner was a 'bare boned and trimmed down' Belvedere, with performance upgrades which included;
A) Windage Tray
B) Camshaft and Valve Springs from the 440 High Performance
C) Exhaust Manifolds from the 440
D) Secondary Exhaust Pipes from the 440
E) 7-Blade Fan, and Viscous Drive Fan-Clutch

The 'Pillared Coupe' weighed in at a relatively light #3424 lbs for a B-Body, and the Road Runner factored in at
10.22 Wt/Hp, which also put the Bird in the NHRA E/S or E/SA Class.

[jims5600]

Paul I would bet that not many people forgot or didn't know how quick
those 340 's where. A very strong running engine.

[Skypower]

I'll take 340 in this deal. I have had many 340
Cudas and they run like scalded dogs.

[Paul Ceasrine]

On paper, it liked looked like the 383 Big-Block Road Runner should have handled the 'Mini-Hercules' 340.

But wiser heads knew, the 'High-Reving' 340 was quicker in the 1/4 Mile.

Unfortunately, Mopar only offered each car with a 'one-size-fits-all'
340/275 HP and 383/335 HP as the only engine packages.

For Gear-Ratios,
* Standard Gears = 3.23
* Optional Performance Axle = 3.55

If you were lucky enough to know someone in Performance Sales at the
Regional Zone Office, they could finagle the factory to install a set 3.91
Gears w/Sure-Grip for you. Of course for an additional $144 for any 'so-called' connected Dealer only.

Next Up,,,,,,,,,Head-to-Head

[Jeff Lee]

I've had many 340 cars, A body and E body. I'll take the 340 A body over the 383 B body any day!
My favorite line from potential opponents on the street "Yea, I've got a 454" To which I would say "yea, this 340 is going to put you to shame!" And it always did...

[mopar68]

Presuming you're talking about cars in Pure Stock trim, I say it all depends on who's tuning and driving it. If it's Sox & Martin-prepared with Ronnie Sox behind the wheel vs. some lesser entity preparing and driving the 340 Barracuda, especially if they're both 4-speed cars, my money's on the Road Runner.

M68

[Paul Ceasrine]

Pistol Pete,,,,,,,,,,,, My Mopar Brother

We ran several of them, off the Meadowland Chrysler-Plymouth Dealership lot, and the Barracuda 340-S was quicker, in every way.

The below results were from Jerry Gross, Chrysler Technician who tested many Factory Cars.

Tested Average

1968 Barracuda 340-S

* 4-Speed w/3.23 Gears ............. 14.73 @ 96.7 MPH
* Automatic w/3.23 Gears.............14.89 @ 95.1 MPH

* 4-Speed w/3.55 Gears............... 14.44 @ 97.4 MPH
* Automatic w/3.55 Gears............. 14.66 @ 96.8 MPH

1968 383 Road Runner

* 4-Speed w/3.23 Gears............... 15.01 @ 94.2 MPH
* Automatic w/3.23 Gears............. 15.12 @ 93.1 MPH

* 4-Speed w/3.55 Gears............... 14.74 @ 98.0 MPH
* Automatic w/3.55 Gears............. 14.86 @ 95.2 MPH

Remember too, the Barracuda had E70 x 14" Tires, and the Road Runner was equipped with F70 x 14" Tires.

More To Come,,,,,,,,,,,,