after a lot of back and forth, I've decided I'm keeping my '70 Barracuda with it's original 225 slant. however, I need to find an engine builder that I can trust and will help put the right combination together the first time, I don't have $$ for trial and error. I think I have one or two possibilities in the Denver area, but those are just generic machine shops with good reputations, doesn't mean they know what they are doing for a semi-performance slant build.

so, hopefully you all have some advice to either find a good builder in my area, or one remotely that I can ship the block to (keeping my OG block). OR "what would you do for a mild-mid range performance build" for reliability and a little fun?

goal: mostly daily driver, occasional long distance fun runs across multiple states.
current thoughts: swapping my a230 3spd to an 833 4spd, swapping my 7.25 rear for an 8.75 (either 3.23 or 3.55 gears). for me EFI upgrade is a must (live at high altitude, but will be travelling between altitudes enough that I don't want to mess with a carb anymore), and because I'm not a master mechanic I'd like to KISS (eg: megasquirt and the other programmable units are daunting, whereas FiTech and Sniper systems are darn near plug and play)

recap: 1) Any engine builders/machine shops anyone would recommend in the Denver area? 2) What exactly would you do for a semi-performance build on a 3400lb e-body - compression ratio/intake setup/exhaust/ignition. not too concerned with gas mileage, performance over gas savings, but has to be streetable as a reliable daily driver.

(yes I've read through the 'build matrix' thread multiple times, it's a little all over the place, slightly confusing and not a good 'matrix' at all. I've also read multiple other build threads and articles over the last 5 years in anticipation, but it's all becoming blurred together and hard to sometimes tell what did and didn't work OK)

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1970 Barracuda 225 /6, 3spd on the floor, Blue/Blue

If you have the money to ship and the time to wait, I highly recommend Bud's Machine and Engine in Lakewood, WA. www.budsmachine.com He builds pro race engines for racers worldwide and has ben in business since the 60s. I have had a number of engines and heads rebuilt by him and his work is top notch. Now, he has a sign on his wall that is very true: "Fast, cheap, well done. Pick two." Frankly, with Bud you are more likely to just get "well done." He usually has a 4-6 week backlog of work, but it is top notch. Not cheap, but second to none in quality.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

If you do decide to ship it, I've used engineshipping.com before with very good results.

As an FYI, you may want to pick-up a copy of CarTech # SA429 = Slant Six "How to Rebuild and Modify"
This book gives detailed information on Slant Six engine rebuilding and machine shop selection.
http://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=62740

Send me a PM or email if you are willing to ship the engine to California, for rebuilding.
DD

as soon as I saw it released on Amazon last year I bought it Doc! I understand some of it, some items were a little confusing on performance upgrades and seemed like the RG build was the way to go until I thought I heard/saw on here that it's more of a race build/high RPM and not good for low end torque/streetable? or I may have confused myself, lol. I have just enough mechanical knowledge to be dangerous, certainly not enough to be confident in choosing the right build and components or putting it all together correctly (I've rebuilt 1 motor twice in my life - a 1600cc VW motor .... that I accidentally turned the rear bearing when putting the case halves back together .... it ran for 5 minutes and froze up .... build #2 after that lasted 30k miles and still going)

PM on it's way

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1970 Barracuda 225 /6, 3spd on the floor, Blue/Blue

I think with the help of knowledgeable guys here, you could spec out the engine the way you want it built and go in with it all written down and talk it over with a local builder. Are there any shops near you that do work for local racers? It's all pretty basic stuff, you just need to get the cam, compression and ignition right. Good headwork pays off.

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“Buy the ticket, take the ride.”
― Hunter S. Thompson

I've never had an engine rebuilt by someone else, but I have shipped engines across country to have the machine work done. From Houston, I've sent blocks to PA and CA. It costs a bit more but the peace of mind in knowing the work is done properly is well worth it. If you have identified someone 'good' then I'd ship it out and sleep well.

I guess I am spoiled. I have a local guy that does great work that I have used for my machine work since the '80s. We have another good machine shop in town as well. Both have been in business for a long time and know their stuff. I can't imagine there aren't a few in the Denver area.

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“Buy the ticket, take the ride.”
― Hunter S. Thompson

I know there are some good shops in my area, but I want to ensure they know the quirks and tricks to doing a slant correctly. so that said, after talking to Doc I will be sending it to him to have it done properly. I plan on driving it a LOT over the coming years and having confidence in a solid build is very much worth shipping it wherever it needs to go.

Thanks Team! I'll update as time goes on. can't wait to get another e-body slant back on the road!

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1970 Barracuda 225 /6, 3spd on the floor, Blue/Blue

Sounds like a plan. Doc will do you right...

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

I would suggest that you look at the 8-1/4" rear end housing instead of the 8-3/4. It's lighter and has less parasitic HP draw than the 8-3/4. I'm sure you could find one cheaper too. When I switched from the 7-1/4" 2:76 geared rear end to the 3:23 geared 8-3/4" in my 69 valiant, I picked up absolutely no performance. The extra weight and drag negated all the advantage from the lower gear ratio. The good thing for you is that it's alot easier to find an ebody 8-1/4 than an a-body one. An 8.8" Ford rearend is an option too. Lots of those out there in the salvage yards too.

It's great to see a 70 'cuda kept powered by a Slant Six....the world hardly needs another 'drop a 440 in it' cuda.

As for the rear end....you could just leave the 7.25" in it...is it giving you troubles? You can just swap the gears for a steeper ratio.

I already have the 8 3/4 (found a good deal on one locally this summer), I'm not sure they made an 8 1/4 for the e-body that I know of (7.25, 8.75 and Dana), so I would have to modify perches and possibly play with shortening the tubes/axles and different length shafts, not worth it to me and I have many more options with the 8.75. the 7.25 is getting harder to find parts for and they can be a little delicate (I've seen several break behind a stock 318), so I'd rather rebuild it and set it aside for the future, using the 8.75 to beat up on in the meantime.

yeah, I thought long an hard on what to do, almost went the gen3 Hemi route. but in the end, I really want to keep it's unique heritage and if I can squeeze enough power out for a little reliable fun (because it will be a daily driver. in Denver I can put at least 9k a year on it, hopefully more), then I'm happy. upgrading to a 4spd should help with the daily freeway grind and some other long distance runs I plan on taking. I already talked to Dan at Brewers and he said it's 100% doable (I've had mixed answers over the years, so happy to have a solid yes). + I think it will be fun to show folks that Barracudas didn't just come with v8s, I think it will shock a lot of folks to see a slant under the hood. should make for some fun conversations.

I'm excited, this project has been a slow 8+ years and the wife is on board with getting it completed this year and all the right things seem to be coming together. My dad bought it in '73, parked it in the back 40 @ '87 and it took me 20+ years to convince him of my love of the e-body. soon ..... soon .....

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1970 Barracuda 225 /6, 3spd on the floor, Blue/Blue

Going to a 4 speed from the 3 speed is probably the easiest conversion there is. Of course, it won't help on the freeway grind unless you use an overdrive 4 speed so I assume that's what you mean.