1967 Dart GTS 383 / Barracuda 383 Formula S

[Paul Ceasrine]

R/T,

Magazine Articles;
Hot Rod Magazine, December 1966
1967 Barracuda 383 Test

Popular Hot Rodding, December 1966
First Test for a 1967 383 Barracuda

Motor Trend, December 1966
1967 Barracuda 383

Super Stock & Drag Illustrated, April 1967
1967 Barracuda 383 Test

Road Test Magazine, June 1967
1967 Barracuda 383 Test
Car ran a best of 14.70 @ 100.60 MPH
383, 4-speed, with 3.23 Sure-Grip
Included a performance tune-up, and colder spark plugs.
Tested at Milan Dragway, Michigan
Herb Mcandless was the driver.

Test overview:
At 3000 RPM, the car would bog coming out of the hole, due to restrictive exhaust and
inadequate carburation.
If you came off the line at more than 4000 RPM, the D-70 x 14" (6.21" wide) tires
would break loose,
3500 RPM was the right RPM take-off number.

The Inland 4-speed shifter was complete garbage. The only positive thing about it was the 'reverse lock-out'.

Once you hit 2nd gear, the car would then pull properly, and accelerate strong in
mid-range.
The long shift throw between 2nd and 3rd gear would seem to take forever, costing you 2/10's.

The car pulled smoothly through 3rd gear, but the valves started to
float a little at 5500 RPM (end of the 3rd gear).

You should hit 4th gear (final drive) at the 1150 foot mark, giving you about 170 feet in 4th gear.

The ET time of 14.70 with 3.23 gears is impressive.
But more suprising is the 100.60 MPH.
The higher MPH indicates that much is lost on the bottom-end.

A better 4-speed shift unit (ie; Hurst), and 3.91 gears would be a
pleasant addition to the drive-train.
Add 7" slicks for proper traction, and 13.90's would be an easy mark
for this 'B' engine in an A-body.

[Paul Ceasrine]

R/T,

On the 1967 Dodge Dart 383 GTS / 1967 Barracuda 383 Formula 'S'
controversy with Mr. Norm's.

Chrysler had made a sales and marketing decision to put the 383 in the 67' Barracuda, long before Mr. Norm did his 383 Dart build.

With Ford promoting the 67' Mustang GT with a 390, Chrysler felt that
a 67' 383 Barracuda would compare more favorably with the Mustang than a 67' Dart, with the younger sports car market.

Plymouth had scheduled to introduce the 67' Barracuda in
September 1966, but re-tooiling issues developed on the production line, pushing the release date to November 16, 1966.

According to VIN #'s, several 67' Barracuda 383 Formula 'S' cars were
built in the November production at Plymouth.

Mr. Norm's 383 build project didn't take place until December 1966,
several weeks after the 383 Barracuda was out on the market.

pc

[blkjack]

Mr. Norm actually beat the factory to the B block swap?

[Hemi Moose]

Here's the article that was printed in the Car Craft February 1967 issue on Mr. Norm's 383 Dart. There have been many discussions over the years about who installed the first big-block into an A-body.

[Hemi Moose]

[Hemi Moose]

[Hemi Moose]

[Hemi Moose]

[Paul Ceasrine]

General Information:

The first under-chassis headers designed for an A-Body with a
383 engine.

Rich Ignotto of Iggy's Mufflers, Chicago, Illinois.

Driver side (left side) exhaust manifold (Casting # 2899002)
designed by Arlon Vanke, in late-October 1966.

Right (passenger side) exhaust manifold (Casting #2863900)

First 383 engine dropped into the new style 1967 Plymouth Barracuda.
Arlon Vanke (October 1966)
Sox & Martin (October 1966)

First Plymouth Factory-backed racer to contemplate drag racing
a 1967 Barracuda for the 1967 season (1967 Winternationals)

Dave Kempton.
At first, he was thinking of running a 273/235HP Commando Barracuda Fastback in F/SA.

Then thought about running the 383/280HP Barracuda Fastback in D/SA.

Before deciding to go back to his 62' Plymouth Sport Fury 383/343HP dual-quad, and run
in SS/EA.

[Paul Ceasrine]

Peach,

The Barracuda 383 Formula 'S' came first.
The 1967 Plymouth Barracuda Service Manual,
printed on November 25, 1966 lists
all general information on the 383.

The 1967 Dodge Dart Sales Brochure from January 1967
states that the Dart GTS 383 will be available in February 1967.

Nr. Norm's Grand Spaulding Dodge was the first to install (drop)
a 383 in the Dart GT.
But he was not the first to install a 383 in an A-Body.

The Chrysler-Plymouth Engineers did it 2 1/2 months before Mr. Norm's
performed the conversion.

Added information;
The size of the dual exhaust piping was 2 1/4" at the exhaust manifold.
From November 1966 thru April 1967.
Some cars experienced excessive exhaust heat, which affected the brake fluid
within the master cylinder.
Also, a higher ratio of cars developed fouling of the spark plugs, due to the inadequate
exhaust distribution.

Later in the 1967 production year (May and June), the pipe was expanded 3/16"
(approximately 10%), to 2 7/16" for improved exhaust flow.
The result was improved exhaust flow, and less heat build-up within the exhaust manifold.
Though the 383/280HP horsepower remained the same (in print), the later production
model year cars had a +15 horsepower gain.

All Dart GTS 383's were assembled at Hamtramck, not at Mr. Norm's.

In total, '457' Dart 383 big-blocks were built for the 1967 Dart GTS 383.
Automatics; 228
Manual 4-speed; 229

Of the '457' 1967 Dart GTS 383's built, only '30' (6.8%) were convertible.
Automatics; 17
Manual 4-speed; 13

All cars came equipped with 3.23 Sure-Grip posi-rears.
All engines came equipped with chrome valve covers.