Engine Choices for a 1964-66 Barracuda

Mopar Slant Six
The base engine in the early Barracudas was the Mopar 225 Slant Six. The 225 had a 1-bbl carburetor, 8.4:1 compression ration, producing 215 lb-ft of torque at 2,400 rpm and 145 horsepower at 4,000 rpm. Those numbers sound week, but the Slant Six is easy to modify for more power, has better mileage potential than other engines in the Mopar lineup, and it's absolutely bullet proof. The 1964-66 Barracudas are fairly light cars, and if you're building your Barracuda as a daily driver or a commuter, the 225 (especially modified) provides plenty of power, excellent mileage potential, and it will last forever.

Mopar 273
The other engine offered in the early Barracudas was the 273 small block, in both 2-bbl and 4-bbl trim. The 2-bbl version had an 8.8:1 compression ration, producing 260 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 rpm and 180 horsepower at 4,200 rpm, while the 4-bll version had a 10.5:1 compression ratio and produced 280 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm and 230 horsepower at 5,200 rpm. The 273 in either form makes plenty of power for an early Barracuda unless you want to race it (street or otherwise) and since it's fairly small by V8 standards, it still offers decent mileage potential.

Mopar 318
The Mopar 318 was never offered as an option in the 1964-66 Baracudas, but the early 316 blocks shared the 273's engine mounts so it's a completely bolt in alternative. In stock 2-bbl trim, the Mopar 318 puts out 320 lb-ft of torque at 2,400 rpm and 230 horsepower at 4,400 rpm. This is a huge improvement in torque over either version of the 273, and only gives up 5 hp to the 273 4-bbl while being much more streetable. On top of that, it's fairly easy to modify a 318 to put out 400 hp while keeping it very streetable.

Updated July 16, 2010