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School me - BB vs SB in an A body #1508497 09/27/13 05:19 PM 09/27/13 05:19 PM
Joined: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,185 Nanaimo, BC N NOrrTH OP super stock
NOrrTH OP super stock N Joined: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,185 Nanaimo, BC	Can an A body make good use of a BB? I know first hand how hard they can pull with a strong 340. So are the A bodies just too light to put the BB torque to the ground, especially with the extra 150lbs on the nose give or take? I asked this question in another post and a poster said wait for the results of the totally stock drags. I looked and couldn't find the stats. Some stats I did see the cars were in the 14s They seemed to be apples and oranges all over the map. Give both cars headers, intake, cam, carbs and good WIDE tires. Its ridiculous having all that power with no where to go on stock pizza cutter tires. Ya I know, there's a Hemi RR FAST guy in the 10's on those things. '71 GTX N96 auto 3:55 '74 Challenger 440+6 4spd 4:10 '71 Duster 340 auto 4:10

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: NOrrTH] #1508498 09/27/13 05:49 PM 09/27/13 05:49 PM
Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 4,945 WI Dcuda69 master
Dcuda69 master Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 4,945 WI	I think a lot has to do with what you're using the car for. I have a 470"BB in a 69 B'cuda with a 4spd. Aluminum heads,intake waterpump, radiator,etc really help keep weight off the front. I did the disc brake conversion with big bolt wheels. Added frame connectors and front/rear sway bars from Hellwig. So it drives great....goes around corners OK and oh yeah, it does this really good Big block torque in a little package can be a lot of fun!

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: NOrrTH] #1508499 09/27/13 06:07 PM 09/27/13 06:07 PM
Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 12,271 Overpriced Housing Central RobX4406 I Live Here
RobX4406 I Live Here Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 12,271 Overpriced Housing Central	Put a stroked SB in it if you already have a SB. With all the conversion stuff you need to buy for a BB, dump that into a stroker!

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: NOrrTH] #1508500 09/27/13 06:21 PM 09/27/13 06:21 PM
Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 735 New York R/T1968R/T super stock
R/T1968R/T super stock Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 735 New York	Big block fits like a glove. Big block parts are cheap. A mild BB with stock heads and stroke...easy 12 sec car. Go to Bigblockdart.com easy swap Last edited by R/T1968R/T; 09/27/13 06:25 PM.

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: NOrrTH] #1508501 09/27/13 06:31 PM 09/27/13 06:31 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 24,562 Brookeville, Md Mr.Yuck Not enough dumb comments...yet
Mr.Yuck Not enough dumb comments...yet Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 24,562 Brookeville, Md	bigger is better. $ for $ a BB will stomp a SB. The biggest issue I see w/ a BB a-body ( and I've had one) is headers. Mine had no inner fenders and a cage so it wasn't an isue. Plenty of good headers out there to choose from as for parts, I guess it depends on how fast you want to go and how much money you have. [IMG]http://i66.tinypic.com/pui5j.jpg[/IMG] Coming soon!!!!

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: Mr.Yuck] #1508502 09/27/13 06:39 PM 09/27/13 06:39 PM
Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 12,271 Overpriced Housing Central RobX4406 I Live Here
RobX4406 I Live Here Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 12,271 Overpriced Housing Central	Plenty of mild SB strokers run deep in the 11's without the other BS. A 360 with a XE268H style cam in a decent A body chassis will run 12.50's.

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: Dcuda69] #1508503 09/27/13 06:58 PM 09/27/13 06:58 PM
Joined: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,185 Nanaimo, BC N NOrrTH OP super stock
NOrrTH OP super stock N Joined: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,185 Nanaimo, BC	Quote: I think a lot has to do with what you're using the car for. I have a 470"BB in a 69 B'cuda with a 4spd. Aluminum heads,intake waterpump, radiator,etc really help keep weight off the front. I did the disc brake conversion with big bolt wheels. Added frame connectors and front/rear sway bars from Hellwig. So it drives great....goes around corners OK and oh yeah, it does this really good Big block torque in a little package can be a lot of fun! That's exactly the car I had in mind. Now how would the equivalent 340 go, same mods. The real reason I'm asking is because I had a very strong 340 Duster and 440 6pk Chally. They were both very fast street cars and people would always ask me which one was faster, and I'd say I'm not sure. With four people in each car, the Chally hands down but one in each? They make power so differently. The Chally will smoke em through 3 gears but the Duster would spin a little, bite and fly. '71 GTX N96 auto 3:55 '74 Challenger 440+6 4spd 4:10 '71 Duster 340 auto 4:10

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: NOrrTH] #1508504 09/27/13 07:00 PM 09/27/13 07:00 PM
Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 11,543 chicagoland,usa B buildanother I Live Here
buildanother I Live Here B Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 11,543 chicagoland,usa	I would do the stroked sb in this day and age. They are easier to put together than they used to be.

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: buildanother] #1508505 09/27/13 07:07 PM 09/27/13 07:07 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 42,714 Spokane Washington ScottSmith_Harms Mr Wizzard
ScottSmith_Harms Mr Wizzard Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 42,714 Spokane Washington	Stroker small blocks are getting VERY affordable these days, make great power, and have excellent street manors because of the extra torque down low. If you put a build together on paper and compare ALL costs involved from the engine build to any BB swap parts required I'd put my money on the SB being cheaper bang for the buck for the money spent, the HP between the two will likely be pretty close as well all things considered. For the guys saying that you can lighten a BB with aluminum heads, intake, water pump, etc. Well the same applies to a SB, now you REALLY have a terror in a straight line AND in the corners if your suspension is up to par.

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: ScottSmith_Harms] #1508506 09/27/13 07:22 PM 09/27/13 07:22 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 20,771 A collage of whims topside Too Many Posts
topside Too Many Posts Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 20,771 A collage of whims	I'd say it depends on what you want the car to do. Like Yuck says, BB headers in an A are a problem. BB nose weight is a problem for any kind of serious cornering. A lot of stuff can be fixed with money & effort & cutting and modifying, how much of that are you up for? A healthy 406" or so SB in a Duster is quite capable at almost anything. On the street the forward-traction limit is tires, and you can easily overpower them with a good SB. If you want a 9-sec or quicker drag car, the BB is likely quicker for less money and maintenance. But unless you cut up the aprons & ditch the T-bars, there's 40HP left on the table with off-the-shelf BB A-body headers; saw that on a dyno with a Stocker 440 motor destined for a '69 Cuda.

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: ScottSmith_Harms] #1508507 09/27/13 07:28 PM 09/27/13 07:28 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 27,421 Balt. Md 3 383man Too Many Posts
383man Too Many Posts 3 Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 27,421 Balt. Md	We have a .030 over 400 in my sons Dart and it runs good for whats in it and it actually handles fine. Its a nice mid 11 car but if we had stroked it 10's would be no problem so you can say I like bigblock A-bodies and they run great. But as was stated the smallblock strokers really run good. They have good heads out there for the smallblock strokers and myself I am amazed at how good the smallblock strokers run. Its not uncommon to see them in the 10's and be street legal. Either can work good but dont count out the smallblock stroker as they really run good and many smallblock strokers have more cubes then the .030 over 400 bigblock in my boys Dart. Ron

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: NOrrTH] #1508508 09/27/13 07:59 PM 09/27/13 07:59 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 31,030 Oregon A AndyF I Win
AndyF I Win A Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 31,030 Oregon	It is fairly easy to build a 650 hp SB these days so that pushes the bar up on the big block swaps. You need about 700 hp with a big block to make up for the extra weight so that puts you into a fairly serious engine build.

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: AndyF] #1508509 09/27/13 09:34 PM 09/27/13 09:34 PM
Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,894 Mira Loma, CA 69B3GT top fuel
69B3GT top fuel Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,894 Mira Loma, CA	I went from the basically stock 273-904-7 1/4 in my dart to a bone stock (minus fender well headers) low compression 440-727 8.75 both setups had 2.76 gears. It was gonna get a mild 340, but I fell into the big block and all the conversion parts for under $350 from the trans forward. Car is a nose heavy pig with the big block, well was...havent driven it since all the fiberglass parts got put on. I will say the car is a riot even with the low(no)compression 440. If I had to do it over again....Id still go with the 440.

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: AndyF] #1508510 09/27/13 10:15 PM 09/27/13 10:15 PM
Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 22,873 Chicken coop dustergirl340 Chicken Little
dustergirl340 Chicken Little Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 22,873 Chicken coop	Quote: It is fairly easy to build a 650 hp SB these days so that pushes the bar up on the big block swaps. You need about 700 hp with a big block to make up for the extra weight so that puts you into a fairly serious engine build. Yup. As for me, running mid 12's in a small block A-body (that is NOT that light at 3,430 pounds) is a hoot.

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: dustergirl340] #1508511 09/27/13 10:45 PM 09/27/13 10:45 PM
Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 12,271 Overpriced Housing Central RobX4406 I Live Here
RobX4406 I Live Here Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 12,271 Overpriced Housing Central	Quote: Quote: It is fairly easy to build a 650 hp SB these days so that pushes the bar up on the big block swaps. You need about 700 hp with a big block to make up for the extra weight so that puts you into a fairly serious engine build. Yup. As for me, running mid 12's in a small block A-body (that is NOT that light at 3,430 pounds) is a hoot. Tell me about that mega dollar SB you got in that car Katherine...

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: NOrrTH] #1508512 09/27/13 10:57 PM 09/27/13 10:57 PM
Joined: Nov 2003 Posts: 36,040 Lincoln Nebraska R RapidRobert Circle Track
RapidRobert Circle Track R Joined: Nov 2003 Posts: 36,040 Lincoln Nebraska	With a BB you'd want as much aluminum (intake/HEADS/mc/rad/wp/rims) etc to cut the weight. big decision would be exhaust (HP manifolds/max wedge manifolds/headers). Headers cause front tire problems. May or not want to tub it for more tread. A SB would be less weight from the getgo so less $$$ aluminum needed but you end up with a small big block (only 408 cubes) but goood alum heads would make up for that & make a killer (SB) package. As said good info has been provided & many ways to go. Do checkout www.bigblockdart.com & ask them the same Q . My vote BIG BLOCK live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: NOrrTH] #1508513 09/27/13 11:44 PM 09/27/13 11:44 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 15,976 Chilliwack B.C. Canada R RUNCHARGER I Live Here
RUNCHARGER I Live Here R Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 15,976 Chilliwack B.C. Canada	I just don't get the BB-A body deal. There's lots of them out there and some of them are quite fast but a nice, Small Block A-body impresses me more. The A-engine cars handle better and don't have header hassles either. Sure you can put aluminum bits on the BB but you can do the same on a small block too. The 340 and 360 based A-bodies just flatout work. I do believe the traction deal is part of it as well. Sheldon

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: RUNCHARGER] #1508514 09/28/13 08:14 AM 09/28/13 08:14 AM
Joined: Jun 2005 Posts: 4,041 michigan woods imfixinmopars426 master
imfixinmopars426 master Joined: Jun 2005 Posts: 4,041 michigan woods	way back when....we used c-body hp manifold on lh side,and 68-69 hp rh side.a little custom pipe bending was used by a guy in town for the lh side,and the exh was done. mounts now can be shumacher(sp) mounts,and GO! headers suck,unless you go w/ pro parts,or full fenderwells....hate to cut some cars,your call.... I have had both bb or sb a-bodys...cant say which is best..just different. small block stroker,w/ aluminum heads and TTI's plus++ would be my chosing for all around driver imho..

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: imfixinmopars426] #1508515 09/28/13 09:59 AM 09/28/13 09:59 AM
Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 3,377 Rancho Cordova, CA Exit1965 master
Exit1965 master Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 3,377 Rancho Cordova, CA	Don't forget about Schumacher headers. They are the easiest of all options for BB A body (without cutting anything). As for SB or BB. Both can run great, if you are not drawn to either then just go with what is most practical.. existing parts etc. I have a '67 Dart and decided to go 440 with it, I'm glad I did. It wasn't a hard upgrade, and hey.. it's a 440. Just having the BB conversion done is a cool thing.

Re: School me - BB vs SB in an A body [Re: RUNCHARGER] #1508516 09/28/13 04:54 PM 09/28/13 04:54 PM
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 18,678 Fresno, CA Jim_Lusk I Live Here
Jim_Lusk I Live Here Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 18,678 Fresno, CA	Quote: I just don't get the BB-A body deal. There's lots of them out there and some of them are quite fast but a nice, Small Block A-body impresses me more. The A-engine cars handle better and don't have header hassles either. Sure you can put aluminum bits on the BB but you can do the same on a small block too. The 340 and 360 based A-bodies just flatout work. I do believe the traction deal is part of it as well. Sheldon It's very simple for me. I will never build a wild engine. I want something that will idle smooth well below 1,000 rpm. I don't need the fastest car around, either. BUT, I want a car with lots of torque that handles reasonably well. Given those parameters, a mild 440 A-body is a blast and easy to build. I've got a stock 340 A-body and I really do like it, but there's nothing like rolling in a little throttle and setting you back in the seat. And, I can make this car handle well enough to be predictable and stable out on the highways.

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