'07 6.1 to '70 Barracuda

I haven't been around much for several years but I've always loved this site and its member participation so this project is going here.

Car: 1970 Barracuda was 318/auto car now 440/727 auto.
Plan: Gen 3 Hemi/727 auto, re-wire, air cond. Basically a simple, comfortable, reliable driver.
History: Circa 1995 folks tell me to find them a nice Mopar driver. Locate '70 Barracuda street/race car for sale minus well-built 440/auto. Purchase car and find a 1976(?) truck with 440/auto of unknown origin. Buddy swaps in engine/trans and car spends a couple months each between myself and the folks for 2 years. Spends next 15-ish years in their garage getting driven maybe once or twice/year. Step-dad offers the car to me for an unbeatable deal just before his cancer wins in 2017. Car spends 3 years in my storage again with occasional usage.

Car is a perfect 10! Meaning it looks perfect from 10 feet at 10 mph. Engine leaks, trans leaks, crap-shoot whether car will start again after stopping for a quick lunch. Out of like 8 total, 3 of the stock gauges work, 2 of the aftermarket ones do. Wiring I've looked at is scary at best and a fire hazard at worst. Car is too hot in summer for me for extended periods...even in North Idaho. Etc, etc, etc. It looks nice but just isn't enjoyable to drive.

I've sold a couple other toys and set aside a modest budget for this transformation. I have medical issues so work on the car will be sporadic. Don't be surprised if there are weeks with no updates. I intend to do this over the winter with the hopes of having it ready when I bring my snowbird Mom back from AZ in the spring. Pulling the car out of storage recently really brightened her up and brought back a flood of memories for her. When I told her my plans she said,"the old man would love it!". That's good enough for me.

Side note: This pic was taken about 2 weeks ago...those wheels and tires were put on the car circa 2002. It didn't get out much.

Originally my plan was EFI on the 440, serpentine belt conversion, aftermarket a/c with modern compressor/mounts, alternator upgrade, complete re-wire and some heated/cooled seats...preferably from a late model Mopar. I research the heck out of the first 3 and swing by the local wrecking yard in search of some seats. My choices are a Buick Enclave or a Cadillac XLR..."I'll think about it." While in the waiting area I gawked at the engine/trans combos scattered around. Hmmmm, a 5.7 Hemi and auto plus computers and "other items for a conversion not shown" from a '16 Challenger for $3,300. Over here is a 6.1/auto from a 2008 SRT8 Charger with the same "other items" note for $6600 (ironically this engine combo sold while I was standing next to it 2 days later). The wheels slowly begin to turn.
FI-tech or Holley efi is going to be about $1200 not including the supply side (pump/tank etc.) These engines have an a/c compressor already ($200?). These engines have an upgraded alternator already ($200?). These engines have a serpentine belt system already ($1300?). Suddenly those newer engines don't seem so expensive.

I fire off an email to Hotwire asking what I need to put one of these setups in the Cuda. Bright and early the next morning Chris has responded with enough info to make my head spin (I mean that in a good way). Basically can't use any of the electronics from either combo and the trans requires extras to the tune of like $1200+. Okay, plan B. The car already has a 2.91 or 3.23 rear so maybe keep the 727 and just use the engine. Then somebody yells, "hey dummy, you have access to the same auction these guys are buying the cars from!" The voice is from deep within my own head. I quietly thank myself and set about doing more research.

Two contenders immediately arise in my search.
#1 is a 2008 Ram Quad Cab 1500 4x4 5.7/auto that was rolled over....violently it would appear. There is not a salvageable body panel on the truck and yet the engine purrs and the wheels/tires look pristine. The leather seats and one good window (not sure how it survived) could be sold to recoup some costs. Current bid is $150, 3 days till the live auction, Buy-it-Now is $2200 plus fees and it's 200 miles away.
#2 is a 2007 Charger SRT8 Super Bee(?) 6.1/auto (what are the chances!?!). It appears to have struck a deer in the left front. Hood,fender,bumper,headlight, core support etc all toast but the rest of the car is in very good shape for being 13 years old. That's a lot of parts I don't need that can be sold off. Bonus: the seats aren't heated/cooled but are very nice and seem to fit me well (back troubles). Current bid is $3025, 2 days until live auction, Buy-it-Now is $4400 and it's 40 miles away.

There's an old saying that goes, " the first 10% of a task requires 90% of the effort...the other 90% of the task requires the other 90%"...or something like that.
In this case the first purchase in the project took like 60% of the planned budget. The planned budget never works out anyways right?
Here's how I justified this purchase:
-After all fees/taxes/etc. I bought the entire car for $1500 less than the other 6.1 engine/trans was going to cost (counting sales tax there too).
-It's got usable seats so I saved money and keep Mopar seats in the Cuda.
-It's got 85% of the body parts to sell off.
-It's got special wheels/tires/suspension/brakes to sell off.
-It's got a couple hundred bucks worth of high-end aftermarket stereo wiring and speakers in it I can use (radio is gone).
-I found $2.35 in loose change in the seats and around the floor...this thing is already making me money!

Drug it home, checked the fluids, ripped off the bumper, and fired it up to see what we had. Hmmmm, it runs and has oil pressure but nearly every warning light is on and there's no power steering. The sensible thing to do is pull it into the carport until I'm ready to start stripping it down. I tell my other half ("the hottie") to put the dogs in the house...we're going for a ride. No front bumper/grille, one headlight with no bulbs, no power steering, the rad/fan is zip-tied to the broken core support so it doesn't get eaten by the pulleys, I'm pretty sure the hood latch has enough bite and we roll down the driveway. We live in the country so to you city folk... don't try this at home. This thing riiiips! I'm not sure who was cackling more....us or the exhaust every time I wrestled it around a corner and laid into the throttle. At one point something fell off...Roadkill would be so proud of us. Just for good measure I did a nice little "tire-warming-session" in the driveway to ward off any late-summer mosquitoes. Hey, they're not my tires for long right?

The Cuda transformation has begun.

sounds like you got a great deal on it, 6.1/nag1 combos are still pretty pricey - some places want a $2k core charge. And only 40mi away. I track 5.7's, missed a deal or 2 I didn't get to quick enough.

Glad you posted this as I have been noodling over a similar swap. What do you plan to do as far as electronics? Is there someone that builds a stand alone harness, or are you going to swap out and rewire all fhe factory stuff?

I'm re-wiring the entire car but for engine management I'm leaning towards Hotwire. Still open to suggestions.
Also looking for input on engine mounts, exhaust manifolds etc.
Car is "driver" class only. There will be no power adders, racing etc.

the red srt. will part out well to recoup some of the money you spend.
brembo's, front suspension (if ok) rear diff (srt only) seats, body panels. gauges. wiring, rims ect. i would pull the trigger at $4400 and you should be able to get an easy 2g out of the leftovers after you get all your parts or pull your stuff and resell it as a roller.

did you sell your awesome little shortbox?

I did pull the trigger, that's my trailer it's sitting on in the pic.
I pulled the speakers out of it last night. Rockford Fosgate 6x9s. Retail $100-$120/pair (not as nice as I'd hoped). Unfortunately only my 2004 Ram takes a 6x9 but it does need better speakers so I'm ahead there.
Fancy gold-plated battery connection, 2 large fuse holders and some power wire I could probably do mobile welding with all went on the shelf for "later".
Also found 2 fistfulls worth of coins throughout the interior...most of it was inside the driver's door panel. Need to count it and apply it to the "+" side of the budget.
It'd be nice if there was an adapter to use these brakes on the '70. I'm going to try to use the seats and maybe at least test-fit the wheels/tires. I don't want 20s on the Cuda but if they fit without major interference I might look for some take-off 18s from a late-model.
I thought the SRT rear might be beefier but read somewhere that it's not. Hey, if it's on the Internet it's gotta be true right?

Transmission guy is hunting for a sb 727 for me right now. Anybody remember the distance difference in the upper bolt holes offhand? He's got some cores but he's not sure what they are from.

The "awesome little shortbox" (thanks for the compliment) is also still in storage Hell. I almost bought the wrecked Ram also to put the 5.7 in the old Dodge but I really don't need to be adding more projects right now.

if the SRT rear carrier isn't beefier it at least has a lower gear in it that some people will want to convert a std r/t.

SRT's have 215mm ring gear; RT's have 210mm ring gear
SRT's have 3.06 gear ratio; RT's have 2.82 gear ratio in those years

I will be watching this thread with interest.

You have the whole car: Take everything from the transmission forward, every wire/computer that plugs into it, and the accelerator pedal. Adapt to Barracuda.

Enjoy.

Take 727 power-sucking, fuel-mileage killing Turd and throw it in the river. Or, sell it to highest bidding moparts member that thinks they are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Enjoy your 425hp, 25+ mpg, air conditioned Barracuda.

You're welcome.

Darius on here and fbbo has the definitive thread on how to use a donor car, the pitfalls, and what he eventually did moving from OEM to hotwire stuff.

Don't throw anything in the river until you read and understand his build thread.

If I was doing this all over again I would use all the oem equipment (Motor, Trans, Computer). Use Hotwire for the wiring harness. Reilly Motor Sports Suspension.

Where are these auctions you speak of?

Check out the Holley engine and trans mounts. Use your K-frame. You can get the engine and trans in the cuda w/o cutting the floor up. Dakota digital makes a nice replacement gauge set. I think they work with the modern trans etc for tach and speedo. https://www.dakotadigital.com/index...66/category_id=679/mode=prod/prd1266.htm

Insurance Auto Auction...Google it. All over the country, $200/year to join. Don't trust their descriptions 100%. I've seen several cars with missing suspension components that are listed as "runs and drives".

I've been waiting over 2 weeks (maybe a month?) for a response from Holley on their products for this conversion...looking elsewhere now.

Years later...here's an update.
Sold more toys to up the budget. Went all-in on Holley parts to do the swap thanks to a suggestion on a Holley dealer (Rich EFI?) from a member here. Holley's response to my original request for information was absolutely useless but Richard's (I gotta look later and make sure I'm getting the right name) advice was invaluable.
In the mean time I also fell into a deal on a lower mileage 6.1 in a 300 SRT8 than the Charger has.
Donor car goes into shop Monday and we went to MT and pulled the Barraucda out of it's 3+ year slumber yesterday.
Things are finally moving along.
More update when I have more time.

I need a rad and exhaust. Suggestions?

I got mine from MMX with the fans and shroud. A little pricey honestly. Welds look decent, have not installed yet. I did TTI headers. On the headers, ensure you know what PS box you are going to run. It matters.

Does it still count as a "barn find" if it was in a 4 bay garage where 2 bays were used for hay storage and I'm the one that put the car there?

More progress...
Donor engine is out, intake is off to powder coat, Holley Terminator engine harness had one sub-harness that wasn't correct for the car but that got ordered today after the Barracuda was dropped off. Correct dipstick for the new pan as well as Holley exhaust manifolds also ordered. Transmission guy happened to be at the shop and we discussed the 46RE. He's starting on it tomorrow. Last major part to order is a radiator. Leaning towards Cold Case with shroud/fans but I need to do some measuring on the car since the CC website isn't super clear on exactly how/what their rads fit and I can't recall which side the hoses are on the donor engine or their sizes.

RE: the 46RE...last year I found a thread (possibly a different forum) showing where a couple ribs/nubs etc. needed to be trimmed off the trans case for clearance. Can't seem to find those images now. Any guidance appreciated.

Thank you! This appears to be 2 different "webs"? I was thinking it was 1 web and 1 ear.

Side note: I'm getting old...can somebody point me in the right direction to change the font size for Moparts? I've had good success on other forums but not here.

That's my 518/46RH behind a 5.7 in a Challenger.
I had swapped in the OD with a 340, drove that 7 yrs, then bolted in the 3G with no changes.
The RE may be slightly different on the case?