Mopar's popular A-body, introduced in 1963 as the No. 3 automaker's entry into the compact car market, was redesigned in 1967 and ran virtually unchanged through 1976 under the Plymouth (Valiant, '67-'69 Barracuda, and '70-'76 Duster) and Dodge (Dart, '70-'72 Demon, and '73-'76 Dart Sport) name plates.  Styling revisions aside, the most significant change in our minds was that the later models came with a larger engine bay - a big-block-sized engine bay.  In fact, Chrysler had big-block power in mind, and right out of the chute offered the new models with factory 383 power.  The 383 was good, but some wanted more.  Even way back then, performance oriented dealers began swapping out the lowdeck 383s for 440s.  The 440, with its taller deck height, is wider than the 383, but it fit.  In '68-'69, Chysler offered the 440 as a factory-installed option in Darts and 'Cudas.
   The factory pieces used for the big-block installation included a special K-member, engine mounting brackets, and even exhaust manifolds.  By 1970, the factory big-block A-body was history, with only about 9,000 383 cars built, and just over 1,000 made with 440 power, making them slim pickings today.  Sure, if the original pieces can be found, the big-block is a bolt-in swap, but with so few of these cars built, the special parts aren't exactly falling out of the sky.  Fat chance you'll saunter over to the local wrecking yard and pull the required parts off a factory 440 Barracuda to convert your Slant Six Valiant.  In the late '70s and into the '80s, Chrysler's Direct Connection program sold a conversion K-member, using the later spool-type motor mounts, but even these pieces haven't been available in years.  Enter Mopar engine-swap specialist Schumacher Creative Services, which makes conversion mounts designed to mate big-block engines with either the Slant Six or small-block K-members using either the spool or biscuit-type mounts.
   We tried out Schumacher's wares to see just what it takes to make the change to big-block power.  Our swap candidate is a '70 Dart, an original small-block car with manual steering and nonpower disc brakes.  While some A-body fans prefer swapping in the narrower low-deck, which offers greater engine clearance, we opted for a 440, making the space considerations more critical.  With a 383 or 400, or even a stroker low-deck 452, the engine clearance will only improve.  As we found, the swap is a slam-dunk.

Here we have it: a Dart engine bay stripped out for resto, waiting for a 440.  This car has a small-block K-member, but conversion mounts can be had for the Slant Six K-member as well.  Note the manual steering on this car, which provides more clearance; the Schumacher swap components also fit factory power steering.

The Schumacher swap kit consists of conversion motor mounts that match the big-block to the factory small-block K-member's engine mounting pads.  Schumacher also makes under-chassis Try-Y headers, that, while not full-on race-pieces, are designed for ease of installation in a street performance application.

Schumacher recommends the '66-'73 C-body oil pan (PN 187 or 699), which has this cut-out for idler arm clearance (arrow).  Luckily, these are about the most common big-block pans, and if you pulled your 440 from a C-tub, you've probably already got it.  Unlike HiPo pans, these have no internal baffles, but a baffle can be easily fabricated and welded in.

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