392 questions and recommendations

[dakota1]

I have a 1970 Barracuda Gran Coupe that I am considering doing a 6.4L hemi swap.  The car was a factory 383 automatic car and now has a 440 with the 727 automatic.  I know there is a lot of knowledge in the forum.  I would like to either do a 6 speed manual or a modern automatic like the 8 speed auto.  Is a person better off buying a complete take out motor and trans from a low mileage challenger or charger, or are there benefits to buying the mopar crate?  Also what wiring and ecm?  With more and more GenIII support, what would you do if you were doing a 392 swap in todays environment? 

Thanks in advance
dakota

[Chryco Psycho]

You should be able to find a decent car that was hit [ I like cars that are hit because you know they were running at the end !] & Take out the Hemi & 6 spd , of course it has to come from a Challenger as they are the Only cars with the 6 speed , you will need a stand alone computer to run the engine without the rest of the car attached to it from the aftermarket . The 8 speed will add a lot of headaches for the computer control system .  You will also have to do some major mods to the tunnel & Trans mount to fit the T6060 into an older chassis  .
Benefits of a crate is warranty but you pay for it !

[dakota1]

You should be able to find a decent car that was hit [ I like cars that are hit because you know they were running at the end !] & Take out the Hemi & 6 spd , of course it has to come from a Challenger as they are the Only cars with the 6 speed , you will need a stand alone computer to run the engine without the rest of the car attached to it from the aftermarket . The 8 speed will add a lot of headaches for the computer control system .  You will also have to do some major mods to the tunnel & Trans mount to fit the T6060 into an older chassis  .
Benefits of a crate is warranty but you pay for it !

Thank you for your reply Chryco Psycho.  I understand you have done or helped with a few of these swaps....

Would there be a lot less tunnel & trans modification if a person goes with the tremec magnum 6 speed perfect fit kit.  I believe i have read that they are pretty much the same transmissions, but I didnt know if the magnum or one of the perfect fit kits like silver sport has a much smaller case that requires less mods?  Would it also be safe to believe that the Mopar crate engine wiring harness kit with ECM and pedal and the goodies that costs like 1700 would work with either a crate engine or a take out engine?  Are there any other concerns like deleting MDS or things that a person should watch out for when getting a certain take out motor a versus a different take motor? 

By the way, I appreciate your posts and how much you share your knowledge.  Like many people I have lurked and read the forums for a while before ever making my first post, and I've always found your posts to be very knowledgeable and helpful. 

[ec_co]

I was looking at these offerings at one point, they have turnkey pallets with Hellcat and Hemi options https://www.clevelandpap.com/turnkey-pallets/

[dakota1]

Another question... if a person decided to stay with an automatic, would the best hassle free automatic be an upgrade to a A518 or  maybe an upgrade to a 545RFE?  I have no idea how compatible these transmissions are and if there is a ton of differences between the work involved to integrate either of these with a modern 6.4L....  Or maybe the census is that a person is just better off going to the manual 6 speed if you do the swap?

Thanks again,

dakota

[Chryco Psycho]

The T56 , T56 Magnum or T6060 are all bigger case transmissions , you have to modify the floor to fit it but IMO it is worthwhile . The only trans that fits barely is the 600 hp T series Trans that SilverSport sells but it is weaker than the ones I listed above .
The other good option is the Factory A833 ye it is only 4 spd but it will easily take the HP but it is a bolt in .
The Mopar ECU & Harness works well , it still need tweaking a little & the pedal is useless , when mounted to the firewall in an E body the pedal sits horizontal so you either have to make a wedge adapter to angle the pedal correctly or cut the pedal & modify it using a different pedal from a donor car out of a wrecker & graft to 2 parts together to get it to sit correctly , I tried heating the pedal & bending it to the correct angle but the plastic basically shattered instead of bending , we ended up cutting the pedal off & grafting on a different lower section that had the correct angle . Mopar seriously needs to address making a proper pedal for the conversion instead of just supplying a production line truck pedal in the kit  .
I have not had to deal with MDS , I believe the computer controls that so with a different computer it no longer functions . @MoparDave may have more insight on MDS .

[MoparDave]

MDS is not an issue as long as your have the PCM to support it. the stand alone kits do NOT support MDS from mopar. but it is irrelevant really if your moving to a 6 or 8 speed. be prepared for major floor and cross member work to use either of those transmissions, you will also have to  contact sound german and speak to them on the 8 speed trans wiring. there is NO 100% kit for any of these types of builds. 

[Chryco Psycho]

Using an Auto the A518 would be the best choice by far , it will take the power & is not computer controlled & fits easily

[392 Cuda]

8 speed is so nice... Scary fast, too. The 727 did not handle the 392 well.

... but that's alot of cutting for an original 70 big bock car.

Also would take some fab to fit the original console over the new tunnel if that's your style.