Author Topic: 340 six pack questions  (Read 4098 times)

Offline Scallywag13

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340 six pack questions
« on: July 21, 2017 - 05:35:47 PM »
Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum. I currently have my eye on a solid 70 cuda grand coupe 318 car. It looks as if the previous owner was moving toward an aar tribute before he passed away which i am very interested in continuing. I have been doing some research on the 340 six pack conversion and understand that its not just 3 carbs bolted onto the intake. I know the heads, exhaust manifolds, and even the block are all different. My questions are this, how hard and expensive is it to build a six pack engine? I seen crate engines for $12k, will it be cheaper to build one? Also the exhaust on the 318 car is currently cut up a bit, I would like to replace it with the aar side exit exhaust but have read that they only bolt up to the factory 340 hp headers, so i was wondering if these headers will bolt up to a 318 so i can drive the car with the original engine while building the 6 pack slowly over time? And are there alternative routes to tracking down original TA heads and parts? Or are there repro parts for these builds now? Finally, is $14,500 asking too much for a solid 318 70 cuda, interior already redone, needs new door panels tho.  I have seen them online for more and in worse condition, but myself and apparently many others interested have offered the seller lesser amounts and they wont take it (I offered $12k cash).I appologize if this topic has been discussed over and over, i couldn't find threads on these questions when i searched the site. Thanks in advance!




Offline AARuFAST

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #1 on: July 21, 2017 - 08:57:48 PM »
First the Barracuda Gran Coupe is not a cuda.
It is the Sport or luxury model.
It only come with 383, 318, or six cyl.
An AAR 6 Pack  motor was built specifically for the AAR.
 TA 340 is stamped on the block which you will not find on any standard 340 Cuda blocks.
The AAR block and heads sometime show up on ebay.
The heads have off set valves and adjustable rocker arms.
The exhaust is the same for the 340 and 340 six pack to exhaust manifold.
The muffler and tail pipe with chrome tips have two hangers.
The 318 headers will not fit the 340.
Search AAR to learn about the car and motor.
The money you put into making a clone AAR  out of a Gran Coupe u probably can find an original AAR on cars-on-line website,
1970 AAR Cuda
1970 Gran Coupe Ragtop. 1 of 66
Gran Cpe Convertible 1 yr only.

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Offline Scallywag13

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #2 on: July 21, 2017 - 10:03:59 PM »
Thank you for your reply. I understand that the 340 six pack was made specifically for the AAR cuda, i have read all about the unique heads and valves and inlets that were specific for the 6 pack, that's why i stated i understand it's not a regular 340. As well as crate engines costing $12k. I know these original parts are extremely hard to come by and very expensive which is also why i was asking if there are other options to do a similar build that might be able to support a 3 carb set up and supplement tracking down rare expensive parts. I'm sorry if i wasnt clear in my original post, i was asking if it is possible to put high output headers from a 340 on a 318, not the other way around. Thanks again for your advice.

Offline MJS73

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2017 - 10:13:07 AM »
You can build a 360 and add an over-the-counter Six Pak setup for considerably less, which is probably the best way since it's not an original AAR.
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Offline Bullitt-

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2017 - 10:55:45 AM »
Doesn't take a lot to visually make a AAR tribute, Hood, exhaust, rear spoiler, rally wheels & stripe... I've seen several & I believe the grand coupe & aar share the same grille trim
  As for the engine any small block would do, the later model 360 being the easiest/least expensive option but I don't know if going with a six pack would be something I would want to deal with.. I hear their great when right but they can be quite fiddly on top of quite expensive to acquire.
I'd stick with a single 4-barrel or look into some of the new fuel injection setups.. There are aftermarket air boxes that make it look right I believe
For exhaust there are reproduction AAR/TA pieces out there as well as OE stuff but for the money they command you can get a great set of TTI headers that would bolt up to any small block .. Fitment is as simple as cut & weld the appropriate adapters to the exhaust pipes   
« Last Edit: July 22, 2017 - 10:58:28 AM by Bullitt- »
Wade  73 Rallye 340..'77 Millennium Falcon...13 R/T Classic   Huntsville, AL
Screwed by Photobucket!

Offline 70chall440

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #5 on: July 22, 2017 - 02:05:15 PM »
Not to be mean here, but it doesn't sound like you have a lot of experience on these cars or specifically with a 6 pack (6 barrel for a Plymouth). These are not usually "bolt on and go" deals unless you buy everything brand new, have all of the other vehicles operating systems working correctly (electrical, cooling, etc) and can properly setup and tune the 6 barrel. They are not magic or anything, but they generally take some work to get running correctly and keep running. Understand that buying used stuff (especially the carbs) is probably going to lead to a lot of frustration and cost. That said, if you had someone local that had a good running and set up system on a car and you could purchase it and do a direct swap, it would probably work out. Many if not most of the used stuff you will find has been abused, sat for many years (sometimes with fuel in them) and/or been modified somewhere along the way all of which is going to lead to problems getting it to work.

Not much is as cool to look at as a 6 pack/barrel system but they can be very painful. I just removed a big block 6 pack system off my Challenger and installed an EFI 6 pack. The carbs never did work all that well especially on a hobby car that gets driven every once in a while. I have run big block and small block systems over the years and each one has its own personality commensurate with the car it is in.

Lastly, understand that a 6 barrel system flows more fuel than your 318 is going to need or like meaning that it isn't going to be a rocket just because of the intake system. Yes it will bolt right one and look the part, but you need good heads, a decent cam, good exhaust, and solid ignition system to get the performance out of it. Don't let people tell you that it "only runs on the center 2BBL until you step on it", the reality is that the center carb does "most" of the work but the end carbs flow fuel even when they are not opened up by the vacuum pods.

look at a FITECH EFI system (basically a 4BBL); cheap, easy and you will love to drive your car as a result. If you want to 6 pack look, get a 4BBL oval air cleaner system (came on 4BBL roadrunners and is available new, the base is unique to the 4BBL but the air cleaner element and lid are interchangeable).

Hope this is helpful

Oh BTW; while the AAR is definitely cool, the Gran Coupe is just as cool (probably even more so since many people clone AARs). Your car, do what you want but the Gran Coupe status is worth preserving.
Current Mopar
70 Challenger RT 440-6 EFI, 73 Cuda 416-6 EFI
05 Hemi Durango, 01 Ram 4x4, 14 Ram 2500 4X4, 10 PCP Challenger 6 spd RT, 01 Viper GTS ACR, 52 B3B w/330 Desoto Hemi, 70 Hemi RR (under const)
Past Mopars
9 x Challengers. AAR Cuda, 4 RR, 2 GTX, 4 Chargers, etc... (too many to list)

Offline Scallywag13

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #6 on: July 22, 2017 - 08:01:46 PM »
Thanks for the info everyone, yes I am very inexperienced but I think I'm not getting across  what I was asking very well. I was wondering if it's possible to use the AAR exhaust with a 318 while building a 340 6 pack on the side and still be able to drive the car. So the 340 wouldn't go in for quite a while. I understand the 6 pack is a pain in the butt, I'm not 100% on It, which is why I was asking about other options too. I appreciate everyone's input and apologize if I'm not explaining myself very well or coming across ignorant. Thank you!

Offline 1 Wild R/T

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #7 on: July 22, 2017 - 10:30:01 PM »
340 manifolds bolt right up to a 318..  Personally I'd probably build a 408 or a 414 stroker.....  Good luck with your project, sounds like a fun toy.. :cheers:

FWIW from the outside a 318, 340, 360 or a 340-6 (T/A) all look very close to the same.... Fact is T/A heads are the exact same casting as 70-72 340 & 71-72 360 so unless someone takes the valve covers off they are identical...  On a clone I wouldn't get to hung up on real T/A heads or trying to get a T/A block....  Just build it & enjoy rather than being super anal.... If you want to do a high dollar resto don't spend your money on a clone, get the real deal....  FWIW I like clones & would strongly suggest going that way.... 
« Last Edit: July 22, 2017 - 10:39:04 PM by 1 Wild R/T »
JS27N0B 70 Challenger R/T Convertible  FJ5 Sublime, Show Poodle w/90,000 miles since resto
WS27L8G 68 Coronet R/T Convertible  PP1 Bright Red, Project
RM21H9E 69 Road Runner Coupe R4 Performance Red, Sold...
5H21C  65 Falcon 2 dr Wagon... Dog Hauler...

Offline Bullitt-

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2017 - 11:06:47 PM »
Thanks for the info everyone, yes I am very inexperienced but I think I'm not getting across  what I was asking very well. I was wondering if it's possible to use the AAR exhaust with a 318 while building a 340 6 pack on the side and still be able to drive the car. So the 340 wouldn't go in for quite a while. I understand the 6 pack is a pain in the butt, I'm not 100% on It, which is why I was asking about other options too. I appreciate everyone's input and apologize if I'm not explaining myself very well or coming across ignorant. Thank you!

You would need the AAR/TA style exhaust manifolds to use the exhaust as it is shipped I believe is the simple answer ..
Wade  73 Rallye 340..'77 Millennium Falcon...13 R/T Classic   Huntsville, AL
Screwed by Photobucket!

Offline 1 Wild R/T

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #9 on: July 22, 2017 - 11:23:03 PM »
You would need the AAR/TA style exhaust manifolds to use the exhaust as it is shipped I believe is the simple answer ..

Which are standard 70 340 E body manifolds which are the same as 68-70 A body 340 manifolds.... Which are reproduced.. But are stupid money..... Use stock AAR-T/A tips & mufflers but personally I'd run shorty headers & have a good muffler shop make the head pipes....
JS27N0B 70 Challenger R/T Convertible  FJ5 Sublime, Show Poodle w/90,000 miles since resto
WS27L8G 68 Coronet R/T Convertible  PP1 Bright Red, Project
RM21H9E 69 Road Runner Coupe R4 Performance Red, Sold...
5H21C  65 Falcon 2 dr Wagon... Dog Hauler...

Offline cudabob496

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #10 on: July 23, 2017 - 06:36:45 PM »
stock TA muffs and tips are highly restrictive on exhaust flow,
about 170 cfm each.
72 Cuda, owned 25 years. 496, with ported Stage VI heads, .625 in solid roller, 254/258 at .050, 3500 stall, 3.91 rear. 850 Holley DP, Reverse manual valve body.

1999 Trans Am, LS1, heads, cam, headers, stall, etc! Love to surprise the rice rockets with this one. They seem so confident, then it's "what the heck just happened?"

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Offline MJS73

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #11 on: August 03, 2017 - 03:20:03 PM »
Or you could go about in a different way...

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Offline Travis Blake

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #12 on: August 07, 2017 - 02:17:28 PM »
Hi there,

Just my .02 here. We built a 440 + 6, with no six pack experience, and I've come to this forum quite bit for advice and input. It's been a labor of love, but as anyone who has a six pack will tell you, "Once you get em dialed in, you'll love them" and I really do, now that it's done. But getting there is a quite different story. It's taken months to dial out all of the issues. The best advice I can give is to get tied in with your local mopar club, go to shows and ask questions. It's a great community, and I can't think of a show I've been to in recent memory when there weren't a bunch of guys diagnosing something wrong with someones car.

There are purists out there who will try to dissuade you from building an AAR tribute car, but I say BUILD THE CAR YOU WANT TO DRIVE. You'll be better off for the experience you gain building it....just don't expect it to run perfectly out of the box...or overnight.....or for the first six months haha! And be safe doing it, know what every nut, bolt, knob and screw does before you touch it...ask me how I know. Google Six Pack Handbook, it gives a good overview.

Lastly, if you're simply going for the AAR look, you can get this 4 BBL baseplate, air cleaner and lid...which I believe is for B Body air grabber hoods. It would mimic the look of a six pack air cleaner on an E Body.

1974 Dodge Challenger  - 440 Six Pack
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Offline AARuFAST

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #13 on: August 07, 2017 - 06:49:57 PM »
This is a TA head they may look identical to 340 heads but the TA heads have larger valves and are off set rocker arms.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2017 - 06:53:42 PM by AARuFAST »
1970 AAR Cuda
1970 Gran Coupe Ragtop. 1 of 66
Gran Cpe Convertible 1 yr only.

" I Want to Ride "

" I tried to be normal once...
it was the most boring
2 minutes of my life!!!!"

Offline 1 Wild R/T

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Re: 340 six pack questions
« Reply #14 on: August 09, 2017 - 12:34:09 AM »
This is a TA head they may look identical to 340 heads but the TA heads have larger valves and are off set rocker arms.

Actually the thing that makes them special is just the offset pushrod holes....  Plenty of non T/A J/U heads (915's) got the big valves.... And it's also easy to put big valves in a small valve head...

All of which can't be seen when the engine has valve covers on it....
JS27N0B 70 Challenger R/T Convertible  FJ5 Sublime, Show Poodle w/90,000 miles since resto
WS27L8G 68 Coronet R/T Convertible  PP1 Bright Red, Project
RM21H9E 69 Road Runner Coupe R4 Performance Red, Sold...
5H21C  65 Falcon 2 dr Wagon... Dog Hauler...